Rafa Klotz | Principal | The Brattle Group

DAVID SHARP

USPS’ long-awaited new mail truck makes its debut to rave reviews from carriers
The Postal Service’s new delivery vehicles aren’t going to win a beauty contest. They’re tall and ungainly, with outsize windshields, thick bumpers and duck-bill hoods.
 
FILE - A U.S. Postal Service employee works outside as she makes deliveries in Northbrook, Ill., Monday, June 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
US Postal Service squeeze on shipping consolidators could raise consumer costs
The U.S. Postal Service is ending discounts that shipping consolidators such as UPS and DHL use to get packages to the nation’s doorsteps, in a move meant to help the Postal Service slow losses but that could see the higher costs passed on to consumers.
 
FILE - Olivia Carson, then a 15-year-old sophomore, of Glenburn, Maine, left, stands with her mother Amy outside the Crosspoint Church-affiliated Bangor Christian Schools on August 28, 2018 in Bangor, Maine. (Gabor Degre/The Bangor Daily News via AP, File)
Maine law thwarts impact of school choice decision, lawsuit says
A Christian school at the center of a Supreme Court decision that requires Maine to include religious schools in a state tuition program is challenging a state antidiscrimination law.
 
The U.S. Postal Service's next-generation delivery vehicle, left, is displayed as one of the current delivery trucks leaves the Kokomo Sorting and Delivery Center in Kokomo, Ind., Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Postmaster general is confident about ability to process mail-in ballots
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy says the U.S. Postal Service is ready for a flood of election mail. He says that some of the changes taking place are being paused to ensure they don’t interfere with performance and that he’s confident in the Postal Service’s capabilities.
 
FILE - Automatic knives are on display at Bonds House of Cutlery/Knives & More, Jan. 27, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Massachusetts strikes down a 67-year-old switchblade ban, cites landmark Supreme Court gun decision
Residents of Massachusetts are now free to arm themselves with switchblades after a 67-year-old restriction was struck down in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 landmark decision on gun rights and the Second Amendment.
 
FILE - U.S. Postal Service delivery vehicles are parked outside a post office in Boys Town, Neb., Aug. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
USPS proposes changes to save $3 billion per year, starting in 2025
The U.S. Postal Service hopes to save $3 billion a year through a series of changes reflecting greater reliance on streamlined regional networks.
 
Attorney Ben Gideon attorney for victims of the Lewiston mass shooting and their families, talks to reporters outside Lewiston City Hall, on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Patrick Whittle)
Final report outlines missed opportunities to stop Maine’s deadliest shooting
A special commission says the Army Reserve and local police missed opportunities to intervene and seize weapons from a spiraling reservist responsible for the deadliest shootings in Maine history.
 
FILE - Turbines operate at the Block Island Wind Farm, Dec. 7, 2023, off the coast of Block Island, R.I. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)
Federal government grants first floating offshore wind power research lease to Maine
The federal government has issued the nation’s first floating offshore wind research lease to the state of Maine, comprising about 23 square miles in federal waters.
 
FILE - Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks to reporters on Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Pentagon updates guidance for protecting military personnel from ‘blast overpressure’
The Defense Department is going to require cognitive assessments for new personnel as part of updated guidance aimed at protecting personnel from “blast overpressure” as leaders seek to mitigate risks of brain injury associated with repeated blasts.
 
FILE 0 Packed sardine cans move down the assembly line at the Stinson Seafood plant Monday, April 25, 2005, in Gouldsboro, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Before lobster, Maine had a thriving sardine industry. A sunken ship reminds us of its storied past
An 83-foot motor boat is going to be scrapped that was one of the first refrigerated sardine carriers during the heyday of Maine’s booming industry.
 
In this Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, file photo, buses await students at York Middle School in York, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Judge says Maine can forbid discrimination by religious schools that take state tuition money
A judge says Maine isn’t violating the constitutional rights of religious schools by requiring them to abide by a state antidiscrimination law to receive taxpayer-funded tuition assistance.
 
Fincantieri Marinette Marine welder, Lucas Andreini, is photographed Friday, July 12, 2024, in Marinette, Wis., after his shift. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
The US Navy’s warship production is in its worst state in 25 years. What’s behind it?
The U.S. Navy is struggling to build affordable warships needed to face expanding threats around the world.
 
A mobile home swept from its foundation is seen lodged about 1,000 feet away from the property where it stood near a bridge on the Canisteo River, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Canisteo, N.Y., after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept through the area. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Debby finally moves out of the US, though some flooding risk and power outages remain
Debby has finally moved out of the U.S. after the storm spent the better part of a week unleashing tornadoes and flooding, damaging homes and taking lives as it moved up the East Coast after first arriving in Florida as a hurricane.
 
Ann Farkas walks in her flood-damaged home in Canisteo, N.Y., Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, after remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept through the area, creating flash flood conditions in some areas. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Flooding from the remnants of Debby leads to high water rescues in New York, Pennsylvania
First responders have launched high-water rescues in rural New York and Pennsylvania due to flash flooding from the remnants of Debby. The system was a post-tropical cyclone dropping rain on parts of the Northeast and into New England on Friday.
 
A variety of AR-15-style rifles are displayed under an American flag at the Kittery Trading Post, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Kittery, Maine. Maine gun retailers are now requiring a three-day wait period for purchases under a new law that was among several gun safety bills adopted after the state's deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Prompted by mass shooting, 72-hour wait period and other new gun laws go into effect in Maine
Maine gun retailers are now requiring a three-day wait period for purchases under a new law that was among several gun safety bills adopted after the state’s deadliest mass shooting.
 
This image provided by the Somerset County, Maine, Sheriff’s Office, shows a rural home that was converted into a sophisticated marijuana grow operation on May 17, 2024, in Norridgewock, Maine. A Maine utility wants to assist investigators by proactively providing electrical usage data to police. (Somerset County Sheriff’s Office)
Utility company’s proposal to rat out hidden marijuana operations to police raises privacy concerns
A Maine utility wants to be an ally with law enforcement in the crackdown on illegal marijuana grow operations — if it can overcome privacy concerns.
 
Zac Drown, of Lyndon Electric Company, clears debris amid flood damage in Lyndon, Vt., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitry Belyakov)
More flooding hits Vermont with washed-out roads, smashed vehicles and destroyed homes
Heavy rain has caved in roads, forced some homes off their foundations and led to about two dozen rescues in northeastern Vermont.
 
Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick Gallagher, seen in this file photo. Three sisters of Gallagher, a Irish-born recipient of the Navy Cross have christened a U.S. Navy warship bearing his name, Saturday, July 27, 2024, and secured a promise that the ship will visit Ireland. (U.S. Marines via AP)
Irish sisters christen US warship bearing name of their brother, who was lauded for heroism
Three sisters of an Irish-born recipient of the Navy Cross have christened a U.S. Navy warship bearing his name — and have secured a promise that the ship will visit Ireland.
 
FILE - Rain soaked memorials for those who died in a mass shooting sit along the roadside by Schemengees Bar & Grille, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. An Army report released Tuesday, July 23, 2024, said three reserve officers have been disciplined for dereliction of duty in aftermath of reservist’s rampage in which 18 people were killed. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
3 Army Reserve officers disciplined after reservist killed 18 people in Maine
An Army report says three reserve officers have been disciplined for dereliction of duty in the aftermath of a reservist’s rampage in which 18 people were killed in Maine.
 
Gracie Wiener poses for a photo with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Historic utility AND high fashion. 80-year-old LL Bean staple finds a new audience as a trendy bag
The sturdy canvas bag made by L.L. Bean and called the Boat and Tote was created to haul heavy blocks of ice but now has become a must-have fashion accessory.
 
Fireworks burst above the National Mall, and from left, the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol building during Independence Day celebrations on Thursday, July 4, 2024 in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Fireworks light up the skies across the US as Americans endure searing heat to celebrate July Fourth
Millions of Americans are celebrating the Fourth of July despite heat warnings, a projected record number of travelers and so many beachgoers that officials had to close some parks to latecomers.
 
Joseph Eaton, left, enters Sagadahoc County Superior Court in West Bath, Maine, Monday, July 1, 2024. Eaton, who confessed to killing his parents and two of their friends and wounding three people in a highway shooting has been sentenced to life in prison. (Carl D. Walsh/Portland Press Herald via AP)
Man who confessed to killing 4 people in Maine, including his parents, sentenced to life in prison
A man who confessed to killing his parents and two of their friends and wounding three people in a highway shooting has been sentenced to life in prison. Joseph Eaton pleaded guilty to murder and other charges shortly before he was sentenced Monday.
 
The homes of Lisa Gorman, front, and Amelia and Arthur Bond are seen, Tuesday, June 4, 2024, in Camden, Maine. The Bond's, a wealthy politically connected Missouri couple poisoned their neighbor's trees to secure a view of Camden Harbor, outraging residents in the seaside community.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Poisoned trees gave a wealthy couple in Maine a killer ocean view. Residents wonder, at what cost?
There was one thing missing when a wealthy Missouri couple purchased their oceanfront home overlooking Camden Harbor in Maine: The million-dollar view was blocked by a neighbor’s trees. Documents show the former CEO of the St.
 
Auburn firefighters hose down the remains of home in Auburn, Maine, early Saturday, June 15, 2024. Police have canceled a shelter-in-place order in the city after reporting that an armed person was in an area where a series of explosions and a house fire erupted early Saturday. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
Shortage of public defenders in Maine allowed release of man who caused fiery standoff
Officials say Maine’s shortage of public defenders allowed a man with a violent criminal history to be released on bail days before he went to his former girlfriend’s home where a man was killed, two houses burned to the ground and a standoff with police ensued.
 
FILE - A woman visits a makeshift memorial outside Sparetime Bowling Alley, the site of a mass shooting, Oct. 28, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Army heath expert, Col. Mark Ochoa, reported to a panel investigating the mass shooting on Thursday, June 13, 2024, that there are limitations in health care coverage for reservists compared to full-time soldiers. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)
Maine shooting exposes gaps in mental health treatment and communication practices, official says
An Army health official told a panel investigating a mass shooting by a reservist experiencing a psychiatric crisis that there are health care differences for Army reservists that could limit the flow of information to commanders. Col.
 
CORRECTS YEAR IN SECOND SENTENCE TO 2024 FILE - Law enforcement officers maintain their presence at Schemengees Bar and Grille in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. Thousands of pages Maine State Police documents released Friday, June 7, 2024, include detailed descriptions of the chaos and carnage surrounding the state’s deadliest mass shooting. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Documents reveal horror of Maine’s deadliest mass shooting
Thousands of pages of Maine Department of Public Safety documents are providing new details of the chaos and carnage surrounding the state’s deadliest mass shooting.
 
Maine State Police Col. William Ross answers questions from the Independent Commission to Investigate the Facts of the Tragedy in Lewiston during a hearing at Lewiston City Hall, Friday, May 24, 2024 in Lewiston, Maine. (Russ Dillingham /Sun Journal via AP)
Self-deploying officers and a leaked bulletin complicated Maine mass shooting response, police say
The state’s top police leader says officers arriving without assignments after the state’s deadliest mass shooting led to a chaotic scene that was difficult to manage. State Police Chief Col.
 
FILE - Crime scene tape still surrounds Schemengees Bar & Grille, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. An independent commission investigating the deadliest shooting in Maine history plans to take up accusations in a report that contended self-dispatching police officers created “chaos” during the search for the gunman, but may not address an allegation that deputies in an armored vehicle had been drinking before nearly crashing into another armored vehicle. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
Report says there was ‘utter chaos’ during search for Maine gunman, including intoxicated deputies
A police after-action report says there was “utter chaos” during the search for the gunman behind Maine’s deadliest mass shooting last October.
 
Cara Lamb, ex-wife of shooter Robert Card, testifies, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Augusta, Maine, during a hearing of the independent commission investigating the law enforcement response to the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Gunman’s family told deputy before Maine’s deadliest shooting that they hadn’t removed his weapons
Police have said repeatedly since Maine’s deadliest shooting that officers thought the gunman’s family had been taking his weapons away. The family of Robert Card challenged that claim Thursday in testimony to an investigative committee.
 
FILE - The University of Maine's first prototype of an offshore wind turbine is seen in this Sept. 20, 2013 file photo, near Castine Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files)
New industry readies for launch as researchers hone offshore wind turbines that float
Researchers around the world are racing to create large wind turbines and floating platforms as upcoming lease auctions bring offshore wind closer to reality.
 
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