What’s coming up in 2020

It doesn't take a crystal ball or tea leaves to look into the future, more specifically 2020, when a close reading of local newspapers gives a far better look at what is coming next year. Here are some of the big stories you can expect.

A lot of election talk

Without a doubt, President Donald Trump and the many Democratic candidates will dominate the conversation, and that certainly has a Massachusetts angle. It's hard to miss Sen. Elizabeth Warren's steady rise in the polls and attention in the press. And then there's former Gov. Deval Patrick, who has thrown his hat in the competitive field for the Democratic nomination as well. More quietly, former Gov. William Weld is vying for the Republican nomination.

But the presidential election is not the only big story in the Bay State this election season, Longtime Sen. Edward Markey is being challenged by Rep. Joseph Kennedy, setting up a high-profile contest in 2020. Political spectators are quick to point out that the pair tend to be in alignment ideologically, and often add a note that this seems to be a career move for Kennedy. The star-power of both candidates is guaranteed to turn a lot of heads.

Where you can buy your wine and beer

On the subject of the elections, we're starting to see the ballot questions shape up. On the table right now are: a measure to prohibit procedures that cause pain to punish or change the behavior of a disabled individual; a measure to prohibit the use of electric shocks on a person (except during arrest or voluntary electrical convulsive therapy); the "right to repair" initiative; a measure that changes the formula for Medicaid ratemaking for nursing homes; a measure that would enact ranked-choice voting for elections in Massachusetts, and a measure that would allow food stores to sell beer and wine.

Where beer and wine can be sold is expected to be a big topic of conversation. This is also not the first time it's been up for a vote. In 2006 it was on the ballot and was defeated. Now, the question is poised to come back to voters to decide where they want to shop.

A history lesson

This year marks 400 years since the Pilgrims left England, boarded the Mayflower, sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and made landfall in Massachusetts. It's a story 400 years in the making, that you definitely heard in school.

But, it's also possible your teacher got parts of the story wrong or excluded some pieces. For example, did you know they first made landfall in Provincetown, not at Plymouth Rock? Organizers of Plymouth 400 have said they hope to use the attention to tell the true story of the Mayflower landing in a series of events over the year that will lead up to what promises to be a special Thanksgiving.

Sharks on the Cape

Speaking of the Cape, as long as Cape Cod continues to be the vacation darling of Massachusetts and great white sharks continue to swim along the shoreline, it's a safe bet that how the two will co-exist will continue to be a major topic of conversation this summer.

Cape officials are hoping to have a system to prevent shark attacks deployed by the time the sunbathers return to their shores. A 2019 report by Woods Hole Group didn't make that goal look particularly promising, but since then some holes have been poked in the report and the state has allocated some money so it seems likely something will be cobbled together come summer.

Put the phone down

The state is stepping in with one more reason not to fiddle on your phone while driving -- come Feb. 23, it will be illegal.

Texting while driving has been banned since 2010, but the law was hard to enforce by police, who didn't have a way to prove if motorists were texting versus making a phone call. Now, the directive is clearer - you can't use your phone unless it's handsfree.

(For those wondering, navigation apps can be used, but the phone must be mounted - not in your hand.)

Up until April 1, law enforcement will issue warnings. After that, it's a $100 ticket for a first offense, $250 for the second and third and subsequent ones are $500 and could impact your insurance.

Minimum wage increase

While the federal minimum wage is staying at the $7.25 it has been since 2009, the minimum wage for Massachusetts employees is getting a .75 cent bump, from $12 to $12.75 to mark the new year.

Tipped employees will also get a raise, from $4.35 an hour to $4.95.

Massachusetts will have the fourth-highest minimum wage in the country -- behind California -- and be one of 28 states that has a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage. The increase is the result of wage-and-benefit legislation passed in 2018 that will grow the minimum wage annually through 2024.

The Census

This will get more hype in Rhode Island, where they are in danger of losing a seat in the House of Representatives, but the Census is important everywhere and expect to hear a lot about it.

Why is it so important? The Census is big money. It determines how more than $675 billion per year in state and federal funds are allocated to communities for programs like neighborhood improvement, public health, education, transportation and much, much more.

It's also mandatory, though PolitiFact found no one has been prosecuted for not filling it out since 1970.

More pot shops

A fair number of recreational marijuana shops are already open, but a quick look at a map will reveal some glaring holes -- like a lot of Boston and all of Cape Cod.

At the last Cannabis Control Commission meeting, an applicant upset about the long delays before new shops were approved shut the whole meeting down, but new shops are coming. The first Cape shop is expected to open in late January and it looks like shops are coming to East Boston and Dorchester, too.

That being said, it's not all smooth. The three-month state ban on vapes might be over, but the ongoing safety questions are likely to continue to impact the industry into the new year.

Changes to the MBTA

2019 wasn't a great year for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. There was a train derailment in June on the Red Line that disrupted service through August. There was the $2.3 billion extension to the Green Line that fell months behind. The time they rolled out new cars on the Orange Line, only to have to roll them right back into the yard for repairs. And then the report that found that safety wasn't a priority.

Also add to the mix plans to invest in the MBTA, including all new cars to the Red Line by 2020 and the Orange Line by 2022, increasing interest in public transportation, overcrowded roadways, and the fact that mayors and even Rhode Island's governor support expanding services, and the MBTA is right on track to continue being a hot topic of conversation in 2020.

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