What happens to Baker & Polito's campaign cash?

Also: COVID cases in Mass. schools are surging; PFAS added to official list of hazardous substances [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  December 9, 2021 ☁️ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Good Morning Boston, COVID cases are going up across Massachusetts, and the trend is holding true inside schools, too. Here's what you need to know this morning: - There were more than 7,800 new positive tests among public school staff and students in the past week – the worst single week for schools in the pandemic. - We know it's rare for children to experience severe symptoms with COVID, but the increase in cases is making it really challenging when it comes to school staffing. WBUR's Max Larkin has more on that below. - A proposed bill on how the state should spend its $4 billion in federal pandemic aid is still sitting on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk. He has the weekend to review it. His biggest objection is that the bill has "too much red tape." In particular, he doesn't want to create a new commission that would decide who is eligible for bonuses given to essential workers. The extra layer of complexity to all of this is that Baker has been very outspoken on how slow the process to figure out what to do with the aid has been. So, it's unclear whether he'll sign it, veto it or propose new changes. - Attorney General Maura Healey is [going after Aspen Dental]( having quite the price tag on "free" services. She's filed a lawsuit against the chain, saying thousands of Massachusetts patients were victims to its deceptive advertising. Specifically, the suit alleges the company charged patients – including those seeking emergency care – for services it advertised as free, without disclosing limitations to that policy. The company allegedly also trained its staff to purposely not disclose fees associated with emergency care. - Antisemitic graffiti was [reported]( at Mount Holyoke College earlier this week. It's the third incident involving graffiti with swastikas and slurs reported at the school this fall. - [Here comes the sun]( Boston City Council today is talking about solar power. Specifically, it's considering whether to install solar panel canopies over city-owned parking lots and on top of municipal buildings. The panels would be used to generate electricity to power electric car charging stations, helping to make the switch away from fossil fuels more convenient for drivers. - Sick of expensive checked bag fees at the airport? So is Sen. Ed Markey. He's [supporting the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act]( which would give the U.S. Department of Transportation the ability to regulate airline fees "that are not reasonable and proportional to the costs incurred by the air carriers." P.S.– This creature was found very far from home in the Westfield River in western Mass. this week. Think you know the answer? Take [our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of the latest local stories. Meagan McGinnes Senior Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  The Rundown [With Baker and Polito out, what happens to the campaign cash they raised?]( Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have amassed more than $3 million dollars in their respective campaign accounts. Now that they've decided not to seek re-election, they'll have to figure out what to do with all that all cash. [Read more.]( [With Baker and Polito out, what happens to the campaign cash they raised?]( Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have amassed more than $3 million dollars in their respective campaign accounts. Now that they've decided not to seek re-election, they'll have to figure out what to do with all that all cash. [Read more.]( [COVID-19 case numbers are surging in Mass. public schools]( In the past week public school districts told the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of 6,817 new cases among studentsand 1,012 among staff —a record one-week high, by a wide margin. [Read more.]( [COVID-19 case numbers are surging in Mass. public schools]( In the past week public school districts told the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education of 6,817 new cases among studentsand 1,012 among staff —a record one-week high, by a wide margin. [Read more.]( [Toxic PFAS chemicals will be added to Mass.' official list of hazardous substances]( The entire class of PFAS chemicals — of which there are thousands — will be added to the state's list of "Toxic or Hazardous Substances." [Read more.]( [Toxic PFAS chemicals will be added to Mass.' official list of hazardous substances]( The entire class of PFAS chemicals — of which there are thousands — will be added to the state's list of "Toxic or Hazardous Substances." [Read more.]( [Fix the global vaccine rollout or face even worse COVID variants, experts warn]( The world has "lost the plot" on equitable vaccine access and is falling far short of targets to vaccinate the global south, according to scathing assessments from experts. [Read more.]( [Fix the global vaccine rollout or face even worse COVID variants, experts warn]( The world has "lost the plot" on equitable vaccine access and is falling far short of targets to vaccinate the global south, according to scathing assessments from experts. [Read more.]( [Congress is set to avoid a debt default after Senate approves a path forward]( Congress passed a complicated process that could avoid a potential federal default. It ends a months-long standoff as Republicans have refused to join Democrats in voting to increase the debt limit. [Read more.]( [Congress is set to avoid a debt default after Senate approves a path forward]( Congress passed a complicated process that could avoid a potential federal default. It ends a months-long standoff as Republicans have refused to join Democrats in voting to increase the debt limit. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - That's a big gap: Women in Great Boston earn [70 cents for every dollar men earn](. And for Black and Hispanic women, the wage gap is more than 50 cents per dollar earned by a white man. - A special program to repurpose old jewelry brought together students and faculty from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, North Bennet Street School, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University this fall semester. [Check out some of their work!]( - As long as infection rates rage on in unvaccinated parts of the world, mutations will keep a cruel cycle of illness, death and economic suffering on repeat, writes Abby Maxman [in this commentary](. Vaccine equity isn't just ideal – it's how we end the pandemic. What We're Reading 📚 - FBI may shut down police use-of-force database due to lack of police participation ([The Washington Post]( - Bros., Lecce: We Eat at The Worst Michelin Starred Restaurant, Ever ([The Everywhereist]( - Disability should not mean invisibility ([The Boston Globe]( Tell Me Something Good [Hallelujah! Chorus members can sing again at Symphony Hall for the Holiday Pops]( After a 20-months hiatus, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is back with Keith Lockhart for the return of the Holiday Pops. The risks associated with singing and spreading high concentrations of aerosols had kept them off stages and away from live, in-person audiences. [Read more.]( [Hallelujah! Chorus members can sing again at Symphony Hall for the Holiday Pops]( After a 20-months hiatus, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus is back with Keith Lockhart for the return of the Holiday Pops. The risks associated with singing and spreading high concentrations of aerosols had kept them off stages and away from live, in-person audiences. [Read more.]( Before you go: can really [gobble up your commute time](... 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.