STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TWO MEN from Needham, one of them a police officer, and a Rhode Island man were arrested Wednesday in connection with an alleged conspiracy to trade based on inside information. US Attorney Rachael Rollins announced the arrests, with her office saying the charges stem from information shared about the planned acquisition […]
Michael P. Norton // State House News Service
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bodycam commission, slow to form, misses deadline
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MORE WIDESPREAD USE of body cameras ranks high among policing reform priorities, but a commission set up under the one-year-old reform law has missed its deadline to propose regulations governing standards for the procurement of body-worn cameras and vehicle dashboard cameras by law enforcement. The law that Gov. Charlie Baker signed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Healey appeals dismissal in Soldiers’ Home case
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey announced Tuesday that she is appealing the recent dismissal of grand jury indictments against two former Holyoke Soldiers’ Home officials in connection with their roles in the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the facility in 2020. Healey’s office said she filed her appeal in Hampden County Superior Court, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Biden urges states to adopt eviction moratoriums
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION on Monday called on states without bans, such as Massachusetts, to put in place eviction moratoriums for at the least August and September. The state law blocking evictions during the pandemic expired last October and the federal moratorium came down over the weekend. Almost a third of the nation will be spared […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House gives businesses unemployment insurance relief
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE APPROVED a proposal Tuesday that aims to relieve employers this spring from major unexpected unemployment system costs, while punting the decision on whether to deploy one-time federal funds to address a benefits system that sagged under the weight of pandemic unemployment. In a move that business groups described as […]
Posted inEconomy
Lawmakers find common ground on unemployment insurance bill
TIME-SENSITIVE LEGISLATION aimed at stabilizing the state’s unemployment system, providing targeted tax relief to employers and workers, and creating a COVID-19 emergency sick leave program requires one final vote in each chamber after the House and Senate reached agreement on the bill’s details Monday. After hours of talks, lawmakers ironed out differences between the underlying […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Lawmakers getting $4,280 hike in base pay
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS are in store for another pay raise. Two years after Gov. Charlie Baker certified a raise of 5.93 percent for the 200 members of the House and Senate for the 2019-2020 session, the governor in a letter to Treasurer Deb Goldberg on Wednesday advised her that a 6.46 percent […]
Posted inEducation
Promising results with early college programs
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HIGHLIGHTING NEW DATA showing greater academic success among high school students who take college courses, education experts called Wednesday for Massachusetts to continue investing in early college programs and broaden access to thousands more students. The early college courses available at roughly three dozen high schools have made a sizable impact […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Senate deliberations on policing reform bill stall
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A FAR-REACHING proposal to enhance oversight of police officers and ban the use of certain types of force hit a bump on Thursday when Senate Republicans blocked a vote on the reform bill, delaying action on an issue that has become a priority for Democratic leaders and Gov. Charlie Baker. The […]
Posted inHealth Care
Lawmakers push for Chelsea Soldiers’ Home probe
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CITING THE DEATHS of 31 veterans there, Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Friday called for an independent investigation into the coronavirus outbreak at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, one of two long-term care homes that the state runs for veterans. “Given that 31 veteran residents of […]