TWO STATE LAWMAKERS waging what could be an uphill battle to expose the extent of hush agreements used by state government and put restrictions on the practice throughout Massachusetts received some support Monday from two members of the state’s congressional delegation. Congresswomen Lori Trahan of Westford and Ayanna Pressley of Boston, both Democrats new to […]
Andy Metzger
Andy Metzger is currently studying law at Temple University in Philadelphia. Previously, he joined CommonWealth Magazine as a reporter in January 2019. He has covered news in Massachusetts since 2007. For more than six years starting in May 2012 he wrote about state politics and government for the State House News Service. At the News Service, he followed three criminal trials from opening statements to verdicts, tracked bills through the flumes and eddies of the Legislature, and sounded out the governor’s point of view on a host of issues – from the proposed Olympics bid to federal politics.
Before that, Metzger worked at the Chelmsford Independent, The Arlington Advocate, the Somerville Journal and the Cambridge Chronicle, weekly community newspapers that cover an array of local topics. Metzger graduated from UMass Boston in 2006. In addition to his written journalism, Metzger produced a work of illustrated journalism about Gov. Charlie Baker’s record regarding the MBTA. He lives in Somerville and commutes mainly by bicycle.
Posted inUncategorized
Baker: RMV to fully cooperate at hearing
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said the Legislature’s Transportation Committee should encounter no barriers on Tuesday when it attempts to kickstart an oversight hearing focused on the Registry of Motor Vehicles. “I certainly expect that the people who have been asked to testify tomorrow are going to be there to testify and there aren’t going to be […]
Posted inHealth Care
House readies wellness bill before August break
BEFORE BREAKING FOR their unofficial August recess, House lawmakers will take up legislation aimed at finding answers for young people and parents in greatest need of medical care, including mental health care. With a relatively modest price tag of about $500,000, the bill seeks to better streamline existing services rather than create new treatment options. […]
Posted inPolitics
Mass Cultural Council weathers Boston Herald storm
STATE BUDGET-WRITERS put a gloss of stringency on their handling of the Massachusetts Cultural Council budget, but ultimately imposed few real restrictions on how the council conducts itself aside from new reporting requirements that accompany a hefty raise. The biggest change would be a $2 million increase in the state’s appropriation for the quasi-independent arts […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
You call that extortion?
WAS BOSTON CALLING’S hiring of union labor in 2014 an extorted demand? Or a bargaining chip? While federal prosecutors continue to make their case that it was the former, a key witness in the criminal trial acknowledged under cross-examination that it was the latter. That certainly fogs things up for prosecutors who are trying to […]
Posted inEducation
Late budget means late financial aid at UMass
THE LATE STATE budget has created downstream delays for the University of Massachusetts, postponing a tuition hike, which is expected to be 2.5 percent, and the delivery of financial aid packages, which are already around a month late. “We’re always advocating as hard as we can for more state dollars. At the same time, we […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Supervised drug use proponents trudge onward
MARYLOU SUDDERS, the governor’s secretary of health and human services, led a state commission that concluded supervised drug consumption sites would be useful tools for Massachusetts because they prevent overdose deaths and stem the spread of disease. But it’s never been clear how far she would go to launch the sites, given that US Attorney […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers call Pollack back next week on RMV
SETTING THE STAGE for another confrontation with the Baker administration, leaders of the Transportation Committee on Wednesday scheduled a hearing next week in their ongoing probe of the massive procedural failure connected to a fatal crash in New Hampshire last month. Unless something has changed since Monday, that schedule doesn’t mesh with Transportation Secretary Stephanie […]
Posted inTransportation
Unused parking spots driving up cost of housing
A WIDESPREAD OVER-SUPPLY of parking in metro Boston residential developments is driving up the cost of housing and may encourage people to own cars who otherwise would not, according to a new study by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Over the course of three years, the council determined that during the peak-demand period – overnight […]
Posted inPolitics
Walsh pitches ride-hailing fees as traffic solution
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY Walsh wants to reduce traffic choking city streets and enhance transit options in the city through a mixture of targeted taxes on ride-hailing services and investments by the MBTA. On Tuesday, Walsh advocated for both the revenue and the spending ideas during two separate meetings: a legislative hearing at the State House […]