State tax revenue in July was down $18 million, or 0.7 percent, over the same month last year, a gap state officials say would have been even greater but for a quirk of timing.
Colin A. Young I State House News Service
Posted inState Government
Healey signs state budget, goes light on vetoes
The governor signed nearly all of the budget the Legislature sent her 10 days ago, approving all but three of the 261 policy proposals lawmakers padded it with.
Posted inHealth Care
Steward to close hospitals in Dorchester, Ayer
Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center will be closing on or around August 31, 2024, Steward said.
Posted inGuns
Healey signs overhaul of state firearms law
The law sets new strategies for combating so-called ghost guns, expanding the law that allows a court to take guns away from someone considered a threat to themselves or others, and adding schools, polling places, and government buildings to the list of areas where state law forbids people from carrying firearms.
Posted inHealth Care
Each Steward hospital in Mass. has a bidder, Healey says
“We’ve received qualified bids. We are evaluating those now, and it’s currently with the parties right now in New York,” Gov. Maura Healey said.
Posted inTransportation
Feds give $1b more for Cape bridge replacement work
The replacement of the Sagamore Bridge, which carries Route 6 over the canal close to its eastern end, is the first step in the state’s broader plan to replace both Cape Cod bridges.
Posted inBallot Questions
Top Dem says talks occurring on rideshare, MCAS question alternatives
The Legislature last month ruled out acting on any of the 2024 ballot questions as proposed by the petitioners, but lawmakers have not ruled out the idea of intervening to keep some of the questions from being decided this fall by voters.
Posted inHealth Care
Health centers seek relief from ‘deep challenges’
Massachusetts community health centers are facing pressure from wait times, workforce crunch, and migrant care.
Posted inMarijuana
More turmoil at the Cannabis Control Commission
Commissioner Roy alleges actions by fellow commissioner members caused upheaval and discord
Posted inGambling
Wynn, Everett at odds over casino expansion across Broadway
“It has become apparent that we are unable to negotiate an agreement with the City of Everett regarding property taxes, impact fees, and infrastructure improvements in a timely fashion,” the company said in a statement that replaced the website for the project.
Posted inState Government
Lawmakers hear testimony on bill banning political deepfakes
Finegold’s bill would also allow candidates targeted by a deceptive or fraudulent deepfake to seek civil legal action against people who create or post it, with damages of up to $10,000 per incident.
Posted inHealth Care
Steward stays open as it seeks bankruptcy protection
The company, which operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts and has been sinking under a pile of debt to vendors and its de facto landlord, said it does not expect any interruption to day-to-day operations.
Posted inState Government
April tax collections surpass target by $1b
Collections of $6.324 billion last month exceeded the Healey administration’s monthly benchmark of $5.291 billion by $1.034 billion, or 19.5 percent. But officials said much of that overage came in the form of capital gains tax revenue and income surtax revenue, money that is to be set aside for specifically mandated purposes.
Posted inTransportation
Senate president intrigued by border toll idea
“I do believe that we need to be creative about our funding. And I do believe that it needs to be fair, because I believe the toll system right now is not fair at all,” said Senate President Karen Spilka.
Posted inState Government
Amid budget uncertainty, Healey hits breaks on hiring
With some exceptions, all new Executive Branch hiring between April 3 and June 30 will need to be approved by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance based on time-sensitivity and the importance of positions, the office said.
Posted inEnvironment
House eyes MWRA expansion
The MWRA was created by the Legislature in 1984 and currently provides wholesale water and sewer services to 3.1 million people and more than 5,500 businesses in 61 communities in eastern and central Massachusetts.
Posted inCourts
O’Brien’s lawyer says he’s ‘unaware’ of probe behind subpoena report
A lawyer for suspended cannabis regulator Shannon O’Brien said he’s not aware of any federal investigation into his client and has not the subpoena that the Boston Globe reported was sent to state officials last fall.
Posted inMarijuana
Lawyer for Goldberg says O’Brien appeal delayed sharing results of new investigation
There’s been a delay in handing the results of second probe of her conduct to suspended cannabis commission chair Shannon O’Brien because of a new appeal O’Brien filed.
Posted inState Government
State child care assistance boosted 5%
Gov. Maura Healey’s office said the approval means providers across the state will start to receive at least a 5.5 percent increase to their daily per child reimbursement rate beginning next month — an increase of more than $2,000 per child on average each year.
Posted inEnergy
Vineyard Wind, a couple days after target date, delivers first power
The developers behind Vineyard Wind failed to follow through on their pledge to begin delivering electricity to the power grid in 2023.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Mass. population grows slightly
The Massachusetts population was estimated at 7,001,399 in the latest “Vintage 2023” population estimates from the Census Bureau, an increase of 18,659 people (or 0.27 percent) between July 2022 and July 2023.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Campbell opens up about neighbor’s arrest
As the state’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Andrea Campbell sees it as her responsibility to protect the safety of all communities in Massachusetts — and that includes her own neighborhood in Mattapan.
Posted inState Government
Spilka, Senate exit Musk’s X
The Mass. Senate and President Karen Spilka joined a growing exodus Tuesday from X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that has reportedly been shedding advertisers and users amid owner Elon Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Posted inTransportation
Tibbits-Nutt named transportation secretary
Gov. Maura Healey removed the acting prefix and made Monica Tibbits-Nutt its full-fledged transportation secretary .
