CommonWealth Beacon staff

New from CommonWealth Beacon PUBLIC RECORDS: Massachusetts voters on Tuesday gave overwhelming approval to a ballot measure subjecting the House, Senate, and governor’s office to the state’s public records law. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon POLITICS: Democrats score seismic victories around the country as they take back power in Washington. Here at home, Gov. Maura Healey and US Sen. Ed Markey […]

What to expect when you’re electing November 3, 2026 By CommonWealth Beacon staff Rise and shine, Massachusetts. It’s Election Day! Today, Bay Staters will cast their votes for governor, US […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ALL-PARTY PRIMARIES: While most of the wealthy donors backing an overhaul of primary elections in Massachusetts call the state home, more than a dozen backers of […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon RENTAL AID: Tenants at risk of eviction sued the Healey administration over its decision to pause access to a third year of rental assistance through the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon BALLOTMANIA: Election Day is less than a week away, and with a record-tying nine ballot questions before voters, reporter Chris Lisinski dives into the long history […]

October 28, 2026 By Chris Lisinski There has been no shortage of debate and commentary about the record-tying nine ballot questions voters will decide next week. As campaigns emerged and […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CODCAST: Achieving a strong-enough understanding to feel confident voting on nine ballot questions is a tall task. This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon senior reporters […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon DEBT: More than 800,000 customers in Massachusetts are struggling with overdue energy bills, a number that has dropped below pre-pandemic levels. But at the same time, […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CLERGY ABUSE: Despite the release of a report from state officials detailing how more than 270 Catholic clerics in the dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and […]

Thanks for your patience, as the Download experienced some technical difficulties this morning. New from CommonWealth Beacon SENT TO STUDY: After nearly $400,000 and three years, a sweeping state energy […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon COURTS: The state’s highest court ruled in a 5-2 decision that a state law preventing people under 21 years old from obtaining licenses to carry certain […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon A LOW BAR: The Bay State climbed from the basement up one single rung higher in Ballotpedia’s biennial competition index, with only Rhode Island performing worse […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon RED LINE: A single erroneous line in a subcommittee slideshow presentation prompted reporters to start asking questions about the status of the MBTA’s Red Line procurement. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CENSUS: Massachusetts lawmakers are concerned about proposed federal rules that would exclude non-citizens from the decennial US Census and alter the way residency is determined, changes […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon DEBATE: CommonWealth Beacon hosted a Question 3 debate on Tuesday night between Danielle Allen, a Harvard University professor who founded the group advancing the ballot initiative, […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CODCAST: Telehealth providers can mail abortion pills to patients living in states where abortion is illegal. In Massachusetts, such providers are shielded from legal action by […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon GASSED UP: The top executive at Eversource doesn’t sound too concerned with the rhetoric coming from the corner office, telling attendees at an industry conference he […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon DEBATE: Gov. Maura Healey and GOP challenger Mike Minogue sparred in their debate Thursday night over many issues, but Healey is ultimately banking on a simple […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ENERGY LIMBO: A political backlash to Mass Save — a program that provides low or no-cost energy efficiency upgrades to homes and businesses around the state […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon COURTS: The state’s highest court is now picking apart a hairy collision course that has emerged between the state’s system of justice and federal immigration enforcement […]