AG Healey Has Not Prosecuted Campaign Finance Cases: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Monday, May 24. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Worcester is returning to the usual Memorial Day celebrations in 2021.
• Some top elected officials in Framingham are publicly splitting from Mayor Yvonne Spicer.
• A beaver dam broke in a small Worcester County town this weekend.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

In the six years she has been Massachusetts Attorney General, Maura Healey has not taken legal action in any of the 13 cases where evidence of campaign finance law violations were turned over by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

According to the Boston Globe, which first reported this story, four of the investigations are active and one was turned over to an outside prosecutor after Healey recused herself. In the other eight cases, Healey's office said legal action was "not warranted." Campaign finance regulators, however, say there was evidence of wrongdoing in those cases.

"This has so many gaps. And this is not the statute speaking — these are manmade gaps," Maurice Cunningham, a University of Massachusetts Boston professor who regularly writes about state campaign finance law, told the newspaper. "You can do something serious enough to get referred to the AG and then have no enforcement action whatsoever? It's really a sweet spot."

Read the full story.

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Monday's Other Top Stories

Dam beavers: Over the weekend, a 12-foot-high beaver dam broke near Warren in Worcester County. That caused a large pond to drain into a commercial area in the town, closing roads for hours.

Toxins in town's water: Wayland will spend six figures to temporarily fix PFAS chemical contamination detected during recent water quality tests.

Rare fast food: The Louisiana-based fast food chain Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers wants to build its second Northeast location in Marlborough. The chain only serves a few meals, and each one features (yes) chicken fingers.

Memorial Day is back: At least in Worcester. Officials are planning a series of memorial ceremonies, the first ones since the pandemic began in 2020.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

They Said It

"Our current mayor alienated not just her political enemies day in and day out, we know she alienated her friends, her allies and those who were most willing to partner with her in this work."

• State Rep. Jack Lewis (D-Framingham) about his split with Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer and his endorsement of candidate Charlie Sisitsky.

In Case You Missed It

"Please Stand By": Coronavirus canceled Boston Calling in 2020 and 2021, but a cryptic tweet asking fans to "Please Stand By" and an announcement scheduled for Wednesday are giving fans hope it could return sooner.

By The Numbers

$1 million: The prize on a scratch ticket Lea Rose Fiega discarded. The owners of the Massachusetts store where Fiega bought the ticket returned it to her.