“ACCORDING TO THE WISE gambling proverb, ‘If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.’” So begins […]
Shira Schoenberg
Shira Schoenberg is a reporter at CommonWealth magazine. Shira previously worked for more than seven years at the Springfield Republican/MassLive.com where she covered state politics and elections, covering topics as diverse as the launch of the legal marijuana industry, problems with the state's foster care system and the elections of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Charlie Baker. Shira won the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2018 award for Excellence in Legal Journalism and has had several stories win awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Shira covered the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary for the Boston Globe. Before that, she worked for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, where she wrote about state government, City Hall and Barack Obama's 2008 New Hampshire primary campaign. Shira holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Posted inUncategorized
Minority marijuana businesses seek state-backed capital
ALL THE STATE’S social equity programs are worth nothing if entrepreneurs of color cannot access the money they need to start a business. That was the message from marijuana entrepreneurs – and […]
Posted inGambling
Is state primed for sports betting?
WHEN THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE held a two-day hearing on sports betting legislation in 2019, the games had only been legal nationwide for about a year, and fewer than a dozen […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins slams lack of criminal justice data sharing
SUFFOLK COUNTY District Attorney Rachael Rollins slammed the Baker administration for failing to update the state’s criminal justice information system to allow information to be more easily shared between agencies. “I think it’s just […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC sides with Barstool Sports in dispute with Somerville mayor
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Monday rejected Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone’s argument that a Barstool Sports reporter violated the law when the reporter recorded an interview with Curtatone while lying about his […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Lawmakers hear wide range of policy suggestions to address racism
POLICYMAKERS AND EXPERTS agreed at a legislative hearing on Monday: structural racism continues to be a problem in Massachusetts, impacting everything from economic inequality to incarceration rates to health disparities. But it became […]
Posted inEconomy
Senate votes to extend some COVID orders
WHILE THE PANDEMIC-related health emergency may be winding down, it will take time for society to return to a fully normal state. Lawmakers are now grappling with which aspects of […]
Posted inPolitics
Municipal officials oppose legislative redistricting proposal
AS THE HOUSE prepares to move forward with a major change to how redistricting is done, city and town officials are sounding the alarm that the change could have confusing […]
Posted inPolitics
Legislature passes Fair Share amendment again
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE on Wednesday passed a constitutional amendment raising taxes on income over $1 million, the final vote needed to put the measure on the November 2022 ballot. The […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mental health patient died in 2018 after discharge to Boston streets
THREE WEEKS after CaSonya King entered High Point Hospital in Middleborough for mental health treatment in 2018, she remained severely ill – disoriented, delusional, and talking to herself. But instead of continuing […]
Posted inEconomy
Pandemic changes Fair Share debate
WHEN A COALITION of labor, clergy, and liberal organizing groups first proposed raising the tax rate on income over $1 million, the year was 2015. The income tax rate was 5.15 […]
Posted inUncategorized
COVID and children: Risks are small, but not zero
NOW THAT Aubrey Samost and her husband are vaccinated against COVID-19, Samost said the Cambridge couple wouldn’t think twice about going out to dinner – except they have a 15-month-old daughter, who is too […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker releases $109m to 4 hard-hit communities
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday released $109 million in federal money for four communities hard-hit by COVID-19, ending a brief spat with the Legislature over the process of appropriating the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Pooled COVID testing finally coming to childcare centers
FOR SIX MONTHS, Massachusetts’ K-12 schools have been able to opt into the state’s free pooled testing program, which lets them test for COVID-19 weekly among large populations of asymptomatic […]
Posted inUncategorized
Home delivery of marijuana starting next week
NEXT WEEK, Freshly Baked Company in Taunton will make history when it begins delivering marijuana-infused gummies to any adult purchaser near Taunton. It will be the first time members of the public […]
Posted inUncategorized
Aid for 4 cities tied up in budget spat on Beacon Hill
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS, members of Congress, and Gov. Charlie Baker appear to be in agreement that $100 million in federal funding should be released quickly to Chelsea, Everett, Methuen, and Randolph, even as the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers consider making virtual public meeting access permanent
FOR A WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS resident to attend a two-hour meeting in Boston, it’s an eight to 10 hour commitment, said state Rep. Mindy Domb, an Amherst Democrat. To get to Boston in the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers, in split with Baker, seek control of $5.28b
THE MONEY is in the bank – and the Massachusetts Legislature is seeking control of it. Massachusetts state government has now received $5.286 billion from the federal government through the American […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC justices skeptical of requiring more COVID testing in jails
SEVERAL JUSTICES of the Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday appeared skeptical of claims that county jails are showing deliberate indifference to prisoners by failing to provide regular COVID-19 testing and, in some cases, appropriate videoconferencing opportunities. Justice […]
Posted inHealth Care
For pediatric mental health patients, days stuck in the ER
JILL CUMMINGS’ SON is a smart, loving 13-year-old with serious impulse control problems and mental health diagnoses that include ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder. The West Boylston teen, who is […]
Posted inEducation
Number of homeschoolers more than doubles
THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS being homeschooled more than doubled this year, as families feared the impact of COVID-19 and many schools switched to remote learning. According to new numbers released by the […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
HIV cases spiking among Boston homeless
HEALTH OFFICIALS have identified a growing cluster of 134 HIV cases primarily among homeless people who inject drugs in the Boston area, a worrying sign for health officials who several […]
Posted inHealth Care
Pandemic ravages community hospital finances
TWENTY PEOPLE lost their jobs this week at Lawrence General Hospital, as the hospital slashed its staffing budget by $6 million and eliminated 56 positions, though many were vacant. Hospital […]
Posted inUncategorized
Caregiver abuse registry on track for July launch
A NEW STATE registry to track caregivers who have abused people with disabilities is on track to launch in July, after a six-month delay. “There is so much work to […]