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Ma. Governor Charlie Baker on Friday signed first-of-its-kind legislation to tax and regulate the short-term housing rental market in Massachusetts, capping years of debate over how to navigate an industry that has exploded through companies like Airbnb.
The new rules will take effect July 1 and could transform a market that spans the state, from Cape Cod summer homes to Boston apartment buildings to Western Massachusetts vacation retreats.
The bill requires every rental host to register with the state, mandates they carry insurance, and opens the potential for local taxes on top of a new state levy. A chief negotiator for the House said the goal is to register every short-term rental in the state by September, and local officials, including in Boston, say the new law will help buttress their own efforts to regulate the booming market. But before Baker’s ink could dry, the law drew a sharp rebuke from Airbnb, which called it “flawed” and unnecessarily complex. Advocates who have closely followed the process — including Airbnb’s decision to sue in federal court to overturn Boston’s municipal regulations — warn a lawsuit against the state could also follow. More

The Paradise California Wildfire was worse because of the ignored warnings
The deadly wildfire last month was "utterly predictable," and forgotten lessons and ignored warnings made the deaths and destruction worse, a Los Angeles Times investigation concluded.

Sears chairman Eddie Lampert reportedly submitted a $4.6 billion bid to buy the company and potentially save it from liquidation on Friday, hours before the deadline, according to CNBC .

NY Black Lawmakers’ Education Charity Didn’t Give Out A Single Scholarship.
A nonprofit run by state lawmakers to raise scholarship money for needy minority students spends most of the cash on its lavish annual soiree — including $6,000 on limos — and gave out no grants the last two years. Via NY Post:
 
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