A debate between the campaigns supporting and opposing ballot Question 3 and the effort to bring all-party primaries to Massachusetts
CommonWealth Staff
Posted inThe Codcast
Why three red states are suing Mass. over abortion
The legal challenge comes as the country considers the messy legal question of whether reproductive care services are being provided where the patient is — which may be a state with a ban — or where the abortion medication is issued.
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Mass Save in limbo and four more stories: The Saturday Send
The Saturday Send This week, soaring utility bills in Massachusetts are forcing officials at the state’s energy efficiency program, Mass Save, to prepare for tighter fiscal limits, while the Bay […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Mike Minogue talks Medicaid cuts, primary care spending, and immigration impacts on the health care workforce
New from CommonWealth Beacon HIT THE GAS: Gov. Maura Healey wrote a letter imploring US Energy Secretary Chris Wright to move with a “sense of urgency” in issuing required permits […]
Posted inHealth or Consequences
Mike Minogue talks Medicaid cuts, primary care spending, and immigration impacts on the health care workforce
Minogue, who spent 19 years as CEO of Abiomed, the Danvers-based heart pump company, joined hosts John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute on this month’s Health or Consequences podcast.
Posted inThe Saturday Send
The next Quabbin fight and four more stories: The Saturday Send
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: How much leeway should officials have to deny gun licenses? SJC will decide.
New from CommonWealth Beacon QUABBIN QUANDRIES: Tensions are rising again for Quabbin Reservoir communities, as the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority makes its largest-ever request to expand its service area eastward. […]
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Your ballot question guide and four more stories: The Saturday Send
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, CommonWealth Beacon launched our 2026 Ballot […]
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Wu’s rough primary night and four more stories: The Saturday Send
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu took the […]
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Electrifying the T and four more stories: The Saturday Send – August 22, 2026
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, Chris Lisinski takes readers inside the […]
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Quabbin’s cruel irony and four more stories: The Saturday Send – August 8, 2026
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, tensions are brewing in the communities […]
Posted inThe Codcast
What it’s going to take to keep New England’s lights on
Rising power demand, ambitious clean energy targets, the rise of artificial intelligence, and skyrocketing electricity prices are colliding to create a profound moment of disruption in New England’s ability to plan for the needs of the future while keeping the lights on today. Dr. Vamsi Chadalavada, president and CEO of ISO New England, the operator of the region’s energy system, joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jordan Wolman to discuss how he’s balancing it all.
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Tax cap reform and four more stories: The Saturday Send – July 25, 2026
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, Chris Lisinski reported on a late-term […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: A Mass Save reform generating consensus among lawmakers is drawing blowback from advocates
New from CommonWealth Beacon HEALTH CARE: The Trump administration’s cancellation of federal pollution and asthma prevention grants has hit some of the most vulnerable communities and residents in Massachusetts the […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: The air they breathe
New from CommonWealth Beacon COURTS: The Supreme Judicial Court ruled that a decision by the central Massachusetts town of Petersham to block a solar project in the name of tree […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Ten communities in Massachusetts went ‘fossil fuel free.’ Then utilities spent $100M on natural gas infrastructure there.
New from CommonWealth Beacon LEGISLATURE: House lawmakers passed a grab-bag economic development bill on Wednesday, including authorizing hundreds of millions of dollars in borrowing and housing and zoning reforms. Katie […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: A climate chief in an era of Trump and energy affordability: Does Melissa Hoffer still get a say?
New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Juana Matias, Massachusetts’s new housing secretary, said that the state is on track to meet its housing goals amid a scramble to dig out […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: At Massport’s urging, Healey signs tax break for sustainable aviation fuel
New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Harvard economics professor Raj Chetty has become one of the preeminent scholars of economic mobility in the US, tapping the power of “big data” […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: The World Cup has arrived, but how are the vibes?
New from CommonWealth Beacon DATA PRIVACY: House lawmakers signed off on a measure aimed at limiting the collection and sale of private data, though the legislation deviates in some ways […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The World Cup has arrived, but how are the vibes?
Matches in the world’s biggest sports spectacle will kick off this week across North America. With Boston as one of the host cities — seven matches will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, which will be renamed Boston Stadium for the World Cup tournament — Massachusetts will be in the spotlight as it hosts thousands of international fans and will need to safely move people between the city and a stadium some 22 miles away by rail. Are we ready? And is hosting these sorts of mega-events even worth it? This week on The Codcast, Chris Dempsey, the former co-chair of “No Boston Olympics” joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jordan Wolman to discuss whether this time is any different from more than a decade ago when Dempsey successfully fought against Boston’s bid to play home base for the 2024 Olympics.
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Massachusetts’s slow adoption of EV chargers through federal program is ‘mystifying’ to transit advocates
New from CommonWealth Beacon RENT CONTROL: Supporters of a ballot measure that would usher in the strictest statewide rent control in the nation are now looking for an off-ramp, floating […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: State regulators are weighing how much to crack down on leaky gas pipes
New from CommonWealth Beacon BILL GALVIN: Secretary of State Bill Galvin has seen a lot in his nearly five decades in public office. But this year he’s experiencing something new: […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Healey’s reelection bid confronts volatile energy politics
New from CommonWealth Beacon EDUCATION: At least four Massachusetts school districts have cut diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives or positions in the face of shrinking student enrollments and funding cuts, […]