New from CommonWealth Beacon CODCAST: The Healey administration is steering into artificial intelligence, and there’s more at stake than just jobs or economic growth — all sorts of personal data […]
CommonWealth Beacon staff
Posted inThe Download
What it means that a state ‘AI assistant’ will handle your data
New from CommonWealth Beacon CONSERVATION BY BALLOT: One of the dozen potential ballot measures that could greet voters this November aims to create a dedicated fund to purchase land for […]
Posted inThe Codcast
What it means that a state ‘AI assistant’ will handle your data
This week on The Codcast, we dig into the new partnership between Massachusetts and OpenAI to roll out an AI assistant to help with daily governmental tasks. CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith is joined by Technology Secretary Jason Snyder, who says his goals include “democratizing innovation” and helping streamline bureaucratic systems like the DMV. Snyder discusses the contract with OpenAI, concerns around data privacy and bias in AI systems, and explains why the state is leaning so hard into AI adoption.
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Worcester housing program encourages self-sufficiency, and four more stories
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, reporter Hallie Claflin does a deep […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Massachusetts ranks low in spending for land conservation. This ballot initiative is trying to change that.
New from CommonWealth Beacon BRIC DELAY: A year after federal cuts to the BRIC program, an ambitious resilience project in Chelsea and Everett remains on hold. Hallie Claflin has the […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: ‘Not if, but when’: Flood prevention project in Everett and Chelsea remains frozen one year after federal program cuts
New from CommonWealth Beacon STAFF UNIONIZATION: Barring a sudden reversal by their ostensibly pro-labor bosses, the Massachusetts legislative staffers who have long fought to form a union will once again […]
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The Download: House Democrats spike bill to let legislative staffers unionize
New from CommonWealth Beacon A BETTER LIFE: Hallie Claflin weaves together stories of success from Worcester’s A Better Life program, which provides families in state-subsidized public housing with case management […]
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The Download: Worcester’s ‘A Better Life’ housing program helps break generational poverty by promoting self-sufficiency
New from CommonWealth Beacon THE CODCAST: After 28 years at the helm of Massachusetts Health Quality Partners, Barbra Rabson is stepping down. Data gathered by MHQP paints a picture of […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Trying to measure primary care’s downward spiral
New from CommonWealth Beacon RETREAT: Local and state officials are looking more directly at the logistics of managed retreat – long a delicate subject for coastal residents. The state is […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Trying to measure primary care’s downward spiral
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Barbra Rabson, president and CEO of Massachusetts Health Quality Partners. They discuss the primary care crisis, how data transparency improves patient outcomes, and tease upcoming recommendations from the primary care task force.
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Mass. bottle return rates go down the drain, and four more stories
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, reporter Jordan Wolman investigates the cratering […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Where the rubber meets the road: MBTA questions if electric bus mandate is worth the tradeoffs
New from CommonWealth Beacon BOTTLES: Just one-third of the eligible bottles and cans sold in Massachusetts were redeemed last year under the state’s recycling-incentivizing deposit law, a new low as […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: The Bay State angle into the US Senate housing bill
New from CommonWealth Beacon BALLOT BATTLES: Dueling housing ballot measures, one proposing strict rent control and one looking to ease restrictive zoning, collided with frustrated lawmakers over two days of […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The Bay State angle into the US Senate housing bill
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Matt Noyes, director of state and federal advocacy for the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA). They dig into the Bay State implications of the sprawling bipartisan “meatball” of a housing bill that recently passed the US Senate, and take a look at how efforts at home might interact with federal policy.
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Bay State weighs big data center expansions and four more stories
The Saturday Send Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, reporter Jordan Wolman covers how expanding […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Political Notebook: Eager to be counted — on largely symbolic vote
New from CommonWealth Beacon ELECTRICITY: A provision in the House-approved energy affordability bill would crack down on competitive electric suppliers, third-party companies that regulators have long alleged mislead consumers with […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Immigration enforcement and declines in public school enrollment
New from CommonWealth Beacon IMMIGRATION IMPACTS: Schools across Massachusetts are grappling with shrinking enrollment that they say is likely connected to President Donald Trump’s ramped up immigration enforcement push. Hallie […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Immigration enforcement and declines in public school enrollment
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Hallie Claflin discuss Claflin‘s latest piece on how immigration enforcement step ups are impacting school enrollment. They zero in on the state’s Gateway Cities, which are home to a disproportionate share of Massachusetts‘s immigrant population and are sounding the alarm over the psychological and fiscal effects of federal enforcement actions on their school communities.
Posted inThe Saturday Send
Utility bills drive Beacon Hill climate politics and four more stories
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 does a deep dive […]
Posted inThe Download
The Download: Mass. Senate asks top state court to examine constitutionality of legislative reform ballot questions
New from CommonWealth Beacon AFFORDABILITY: Five years ago, fighting climate change had so much momentum that even half of the Legislature’s Republicans voted in favor of ambitious decarbonization requirements. But […]
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The Download: Ratepayer revolt: Has the affordability debate soured Mass. on climate commitments?
New from CommonWealth Beacon CHARTER SCHOOLS: The state’s highest court ruled that charter schools must comply with the state’s public records law, rejecting Mystic Valley Regional Charter School’s argument that […]
Posted inThe Download
‘Frustration’ remains among lawmakers despite shrinking unemployment delays
New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Jordan Wolman hosts a discussion about how rising utility bills became the chief political headache […]
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The Download: Salem, Quincy receiving millions in tax credits for Gateway Cities despite no longer qualifying for the designation
New from CommonWealth Beacon MBTA COMMUNITIES: Did the controversial MBTA Communities housing law impermissibly force towns to shell out money to devise carefully crafted multifamily zoning plans, or were any […]
Posted inThe Download
Were MBTA Communities costs unfair, or a self-imposed expense?
New from CommonWealth Beacon Records: Lawmakers kicked off their review of the massive ballot-question field with trepidation about subjecting themselves to the public records law — plus another round of […]