Should people in Massachusetts be allowed to bet on the Super Bowl coin toss?

Gotta give them props: As people who pay an unusual amount of attention to this issue may remember, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission considered the same question on the eve of last year's Super Bowl.

It’s Friday — one week from Valentine’s Day. (Hint, hint.)

We have lots of news below on how the impacts of President Trump’s administration continue to ripple across Massachusetts, from school sports to immigration to environmental policy.

But first, let’s take a timeout to tackle one of the more trivial issues facing government: Should people in Massachusetts be allowed to bet on the Super Bowl coin toss?

Gotta give them props: As people who pay an unusual amount of attention to this issue may remember, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission considered the same question on the eve of last year’s Super Bowl. At the斯克鲁布time, they voted 3-2 to keep wagers on the Super Bowl’s pregame coin toss as a prop bet, which is off limits. But with the Super Bowl — the state’s biggest sports betting day of the year — coming up again this weekend, the commission decided to return to the subject yesterday.

Advertisement

Don’t put that shovel away: Another snowstorm is headed our way this weekend — and it’s likely to be quite bigger than the few inches we got yesterday. According to meteorologist Danielle Noyes, it looks like most places in Massachusetts will see “between 6 inches and a foot of snow.” The National Weather Service predicts the chance Boston gets at least 6 inches at 91%. (See their snow forecast map here.)

On Beacon Hill: The future of Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system is now in the state Senate’s hands. House lawmakers passed their version of Gov. Maura Healey’s $425 million shelter funding bill, which also includes tighter eligibility requirements and other major changes aimed at shrinking the size of the program.

Fare-free in the valley: The Merrimack Valley Transit authority is making its buses fare-free permanently. The advisory board for MeVa — which serves the Lawrence area — voted on the policy yesterday, after reviewing a report on the benefits of going fare-free in 2022. WBUR’s Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez has more details here.

P.S.— Who was named as Hasty Pudding’s Woman of the Year? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week’s stories.