Funding from scratch?
Region - With virtually every town and city in the commonwealth coping with rising costs and stagnant revenue, local Boards of Selectmen and School Committees are eyeing the Massachusetts Lottery as a tool to ease the budget crunch. In recent years, the state has capped Lottery disbursements to municipalities, but now, there is word from the State House that those funds will likely be released to the cities and towns where they belong. Much of the credit for bringing this important issue to the forefront should go to State Rep. Karyn E. Polito, who co-sponsored a bill calling for the state to restore full Lottery funding.