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Waltham and Weston, two communities I represent, deserve their fair share of credit for their roles in the American Revolution. Both sit along the Henry Knox Trail, named for the route that Colonel Knox followed as he hauled his “Noble Train of Artillery” from upstate New York to Boston for the Continental Army. When Knox passed through in 1776, both Waltham and Weston provided aid.

At a Revolution 250 event, I presented plaques honoring each community to Pam Fox, president of the Weston Historical Society (and pictured above), and Wayne McCarthy, president of the Waltham Historical Society.

Photo credit: Nicole Mordecai/Weston Observer

Brooksby Village, a senior living community in Peabody, is home to some terrific climate advocates. Members of Brooksby’s climate change committee — Dan Greenberg, Jean Wright, and Tom Bracewell — dropped by the State House to discuss EV chargers, solar panels, and other clean energy projects.

If you’re looking for future presidents, Bridge Elementary School in Lexington is a good place to start. I met with fifth graders from Bridge’s student government program, who filled me in on what they’ve been working on. Some of their recent projects: collecting gifts for low-income seniors, cleaning up a local park, and organizing a food drive for the Lexington Food Pantry. Impressive stuff. Thanks to Bridge’s Heather Kinney for organizing.

State Senator Mike Barrett, Lexington League of Women Voters, December 2025

Minute Man Arc, a nonprofit that supports people with disabilities in the Concord area, just unveiled its new fleet of electric vans. I helped lift the giant scissors at the ribbon-cutting.

We can keep pushing forward on climate regardless of the headwinds coming out of Washington. Nonprofits like Minute Man are planting the seeds of progress that will enable Massachusetts to continue decarbonizing through the Trump years.

A new report sheds light on the troubling history of Massachusetts facilities for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Rep. Sean Garballey and I joined a panel hosted by the Harvard Law School Project on Disability to discuss it.

The report, written by the Special Commission on State Institutions, found that barriers persist for members of the public — including relatives and researchers — who have tried and failed to access the records of people who lived and died in these institutions. Most of these records remain in the custody of the state, but due to privacy laws, they remain largely inaccessible to the public.

One of the commission’s recommendations: pass a bill that Rep. Garballey and I have filed to open these records to the public after a certain amount of time has passed. Thanks to the commission, a similar provision was filed by the Governor and included in a recent Senate bill. I’m pushing to get it across the finish line.

Thanks to Alex Green, Anne Fracht, and Hezzy Smith for a wonderful conversation.