STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS Legislature unanimously passed a law in 2016 to address the yawning gap between the wages paid to men and women doing the same work, a law that Rep. Christine Barber on Wednesday called “one of the strongest pay equity laws in the country.” But as she made the case […]
Colin A. Young
Posted inPolitics
Former senator indicted on ethics violations
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FORMER STATE Sen. Dean Tran was indicted Friday by a Suffolk County grand jury and charged with two counts of violating state ethics laws, Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced. The newest charges against Tran, who was indicted by then-Attorney General Maura Healey in July 2022 on charges that he stole a Colt […]
Posted inState Government
O’Brien sues treasurer over her suspension
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SHANNON O’BRIEN, the former state treasurer and Democratic nominee for governor, filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing Treasurer Deborah Goldberg of unlawfully removing her as chairwoman of the Cannabis Control Commission. The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court, is the latest sign of upheaval around the agency that oversees the state’s legal […]
Posted inHousing
Wu cool to Widett Circle proposal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu was cool Monday to the idea that Widett Circle could be used as a recovery campus to help address persistent drug use and homelessness at the nearby intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, and said she is not troubled by the amount of time the […]
Posted inState Government
Treasurer suspends cannabis commission chair
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CANNABIS CONTROL Commission Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien was suspended from her position by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who chose her for the job a year ago, as upheaval continues to collide with the CCC’s hefty regulatory and policy responsibilities. Goldberg’s office did not say why the treasurer put the O’Brien on a paid […]
Posted inMarijuana, State Government
Cannabis commission director pushes back at ‘crisis’ comment
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Cannabis Control Commission, Shawn Collins is in the driver’s seat of a newly empowered regulatory agency, one that oversees an industry that’s still finding its footing and provides regulators with a parade of heady issues to address. Collins told the News Service this week that he […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
State tweaks MBTA Communities housing law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE ON Thursday gave more flexibility to cities and towns required to have at least one zone in which denser, multi-family housing is permitted, but also expanded the list of state grant opportunities that can be denied to any town that does not comply with the law meant to spur […]
Posted inGambling
While online Lottery falters, third-party app provides tickets through workaround
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE AGAIN rejected an attempt to allow the Massachusetts Lottery to sell its products online, but that doesn’t mean gamblers can’t order Lottery tickets online or on their phones. Courier services that take orders for and then buy Lottery tickets on behalf of their clients have existed for years with […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers, Healey push budget deadline back another month
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY bought top legislative Democrats up to another month to reach a long-overdue budget deal Thursday when she handed them a get-out-of-missed-deadline-free card, but it’s not clear if they will actually take full advantage of it. With the list of House-Senate feuds growing longer and a compromise state budget […]
Posted inGambling
Lottery hits jackpot on all fronts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN THE FISCAL YEAR that ended June 30, the Massachusetts Lottery brought in more revenue than ever before, paid out more in prizes than any previous year, and expects to return a record high profit of $1.176 billion for the state to dole out to all 351 communities as local aid, […]