Free college tuition's new frontier in Mass.

Also: New Hampshire sets its primary, defying Democratic party; a PSA for Market Basket shoppers [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  November 16, 2023 ☀️Sunny, with a high near 62. Good Morning Boston, While both [Congress]( and [Beacon Hill]( were kicking cans down the road yesterday, here's a look at what is happening: - Where the millionaires tax money is going: Roughly one-third of all UMass system students now qualify for free tuition, under [a big expansion of college financial aid]( announced yesterday by Gov. Maura Healey. According to Healey, the new program will use $62 million from [the new millionaire's tax]( enacted last year to fund expanded grants for 25,000 students attending local community colleges, state universities and UMass campuses. Here's a look at who's eligible: - Low-income students: Under the expansion, the state will fully cover the cost of tuition and fees at the state's public colleges for Pell Grant-eligible students, who generally come from families who make less than $40,000 a year or have [other difficult financial situations](. Specifically, the state will fill the gap between existing financial aid and full tuition costs by covering students' FAFSA-determined "expected family contribution." The new grants will also offer them up to $1,200 for books and supplies (though it doesn’t cover room and board). Additionally, both full- and part-time Pell Grant-eligible students will qualify for the aid. - Middle-income students: Those whose families earn between $73,000 and $100,000 are also eligible to get their out-of-pocket tuition and fees reduced by 50%. However, middle-income students must be enrolled full-time to qualify. - What if I already started paying for college this fall? You still might get aid. [According to the state's website]( students who are deemed eligible for expanded grants will get funds applied retroactively to the start of the fall 2023 semester. - The big picture: The new program isn't the first college financial aid expansion under Healey. Earlier this year, the state also [made local community college free for Bay Staters older than 25](. However, some advocates are pushing Healey to go even further. “All the way through the end of the 1980s, you could go to UMass Amherst, you could work 10 hours a week, at a minimum-wage job and graduate debt-free," Max Page, the president of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Association, told WBUR's Max Larkin. "That’s all we're trying to recreate.” - Route 3 commuters, rejoice: Both sides of Route 3 in Billerica reopened just a few hours ago, after a fuel tanker rolled over on the highway yesterday. While no one was seriously injured in the multi-car crash, the tanker spilled fuel across the highway, leading to a cleanup that closed a stretch of Route 3 in both directions for over 18 hours. (Anyone driving north of Boston yesterday afternoon knows the resulting traffic backups were [bad]( - Watch: [Dashcam video obtained by several news outlets]( shows how the crash happened, after two cars collided next to the tanker. - Walkouts brewing: Today is Starbucks' annual [Red Cup Day]( — and workers at more than 200 stores nationwide plan to stage walkouts in protest of the chain's opposition to unionization efforts. - The local angle: The national walkout involves at least four Starbucks stores in Massachusetts. [Click here for a look at which ones and the backstory]( behind the demonstrations. - PSA: It might be worth checking your bank account if you visited certain local Market Baskets last month (and no, not to bask in those sweet, sweet savings). [Police say]( credit card skimmers were recently found at the Market Baskets in Haverhill, Reading and Somerville, as well as stores in Concord and Nashua, New Hampshire. [Reading]( and [Concord]( police have also released photos of the suspects. P.S.— Tomorrow is National Hiking Day, and it looks like we should have pretty great weather for it, as far as mid-November in New England goes. If you're planning to start your weekend early, [check out this list of easy local hikes]( you can access on the MBTA. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [New Hampshire says its primary will be first, defying Democratic Party leaders]( New Hampshire’s secretary of state scheduled the state’s presidential primaries for Jan. 23, 2024, upholding a century-old tradition despite efforts by the Democratic Party and the president to put a more racially diverse state first. [Read more.]( [New Hampshire says its primary will be first, defying Democratic Party leaders]( New Hampshire’s secretary of state scheduled the state’s presidential primaries for Jan. 23, 2024, upholding a century-old tradition despite efforts by the Democratic Party and the president to put a more racially diverse state first. [Read more.]( [2 reports urge better access to maternal care and other medical services in Mass.]( Gov. Maura Healey ordered the review of maternal health access across the state, as well as medical services in northern Worcester County, following the controversial decision to close a Leominster hospital maternity unit in September. [Read more.]( [2 reports urge better access to maternal care and other medical services in Mass.]( Gov. Maura Healey ordered the review of maternal health access across the state, as well as medical services in northern Worcester County, following the controversial decision to close a Leominster hospital maternity unit in September. [Read more.]( [Boston police must now track and report on seized firearms]( The data will include specifics on gun types and on the age of the person who had the gun when it was seized. The city council ordinance requiring police to report the data passed Wednesday. [Read more.]( [Boston police must now track and report on seized firearms]( The data will include specifics on gun types and on the age of the person who had the gun when it was seized. The city council ordinance requiring police to report the data passed Wednesday. [Read more.]( [Did Biden and Xi just hit a reset? Not quite, but they did agree on a few things]( After hours of talks, the two leaders emerged with agreements to cooperate. Biden even said he and Xi agreed that they should be able to pick up the phone and talk with one another whenever they want. [Read more.]( [Did Biden and Xi just hit a reset? Not quite, but they did agree on a few things]( After hours of talks, the two leaders emerged with agreements to cooperate. Biden even said he and Xi agreed that they should be able to pick up the phone and talk with one another whenever they want. [Read more.]( [Union representing 12,500 janitors in Mass. and R.I. reaches deal, averting strike]( A union representing janitors an cleaners in Massachusetts and Rhode Island reached a tentative agreement with an association of the region’s largest cleaning contractors on Wednesday. [Read more.]( [Union representing 12,500 janitors in Mass. and R.I. reaches deal, averting strike]( A union representing janitors an cleaners in Massachusetts and Rhode Island reached a tentative agreement with an association of the region’s largest cleaning contractors on Wednesday. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Check out [our arts and culture team's list of five things to do this weekend]( including a new (and free!) addition to Boston's roster of late-night museum events and a festive opera series at the Paramount that celebrates the multicultural holiday season. - “May December” — a new comedy-drama starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore — opens this Friday at the Kendall Square Cinema (before hitting Netflix next month). Film critic Sean Burns writes the movie is an "entertaining and unnerving exploration of the gaps between the lives we live and the stories we tell ourselves." Check out his full review [here](. - Local journalist and author Dart Adams writes that his hip-hop education began in the 1980s, listening to a myriad of Boston college radio stations — from WTBS to WERS to WRBB. While mainstream radio pushed rap to the margins until the early ‘90s, college stations kept the Boston rap community alive, Adam [writes in this essay](.  What We're Reading 📚 - Meet the ‘SafetyStick,’ Somerville’s new robotic approach to doling out parking tickets ([The Boston Globe]( - Journalistic Independence Isn't a Human-Resources Exercise ([The New Yorker]( - Newton voters oust backers of ambitious housing plan ([Commonwealth Beacon](  Tell Me Something Good [Western Mass. man paddles the Connecticut River in a pumpkin]( Sculptor and lawyer David Rothstein aimed to break the world record for longest pumpkin paddle while bringing attention to the Connecticut River watershed. [Read more.]( [Western Mass. man paddles the Connecticut River in a pumpkin]( Sculptor and lawyer David Rothstein aimed to break the world record for longest pumpkin paddle while bringing attention to the Connecticut River watershed. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common covers [some regionally-specific takeaways from the fifth National Climate Assessment]( with WBUR's Barbara Moran. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: ["Can this actually be the new state seal?"]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 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 © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.