A FEDERAL JUDGE on Monday rejected demands by lawyers for immigration detainees at the Bristol County Jail to broaden a scheduled deposition of Sheriff Thomas Hodgson to include the circumstances […]
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 inPolitics
House Democrats, Republicans reach rules compromise
AFTER A TESTY battle that lasted for several days, Republicans and Democrats in the Massachusetts House have agreed to a compromise on rules that will allow them to debate bills […]
Posted inUncategorized
Northampton mayor has personal experience with COVID-19
Sixth in a series on municipal leaders across Massachusetts and how they’re contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are previous stories on Chelsea City Manager Tom Ambrosino, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, a second […]
Posted inEconomy
The ‘new normal’: A mask-wearing, young workforce?
A POWERFUL COALITION of Massachusetts business leaders has laid out an extensive roadmap for reopening the economy – but not, they warned, to return to what used to be considered […]
Posted inUncategorized
House rules still stalled
HOUSE MINORITY LEADER Brad Jones on Thursday blocked consideration of emergency rules for the Massachusetts House for the second day, amid a debate that is throwing off efforts by Gov. […]
Posted inUncategorized
What makes a COVID-19 hotspot?
IT’S NO SECRET that the coronavirus is not evenly spread across Massachusetts. New statistics released Wednesday confirmed that Chelsea remains a hotspot of the virus, with the most cases per capita. Brockton […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Republicans allege power grab in rules debate
THE NORMALLY CONGENIAL dealings of the Massachusetts House of Representatives turned into a scene of vituperative charges and countercharges being hurled across the partisan divide on Wednesday as lawmakers struggled […]
Posted inUncategorized
Cannabis regulator Kay Doyle jumps to pharma
CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSIONER Kay Doyle is leaving the state oversight panel to take a job as US director of public policy for Greenwich Biosciences, the first company to manufacture an […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo drops proposed rule making roll calls more difficult
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO announced Tuesday evening that the new rules being considered by the chamber to allow for remote participation during the coronavirus pandemic will be altered to remove […]
Posted inUncategorized
Eviction bill negotiations hit some bumps
A RECENT BILL establishing a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures marked the Massachusetts Legislature’s first attempt to hammer out a tricky compromise bill using a conference committee during the coronavirus […]
Posted inEconomy
No relief: Baker extends shutdown until May 18
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER announced on Tuesday that he is extending until May 18 the state’s closure of non-essential businesses, his stay-at-home advisory and his ban on gatherings of more than […]
Posted inUncategorized
House plans votes by phone
A MONTH AND A HALF into the coronavirus pandemic, the Massachusetts House on Monday announced plans to resume formal legislative sessions this Thursday via remote voting. “What we do is […]
Posted inUncategorized
Virus notes: Baker questions antibody testing accuracy, utility
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER threw up a caution flag on Monday on the rush test people for coronavirus antibodies. Along with urgent efforts to expand testing for the coronavirus, public health […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker sees a plateau in hospitalizations
THERE IS JUST ONE WEEK left until Gov. Charlie Baker’s order shuttering all non-essential businesses expires, and the governor still isn’t saying what will happen next. At his daily press […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker gives nursing homes $130 million – with strings
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER announced Monday that the state will give nursing homes another $130 million to help them respond to the coronavirus outbreak, but will require the facilities to adhere […]
Posted inHealth Care
Morse calls for state takeover of nursing homes
Fifth in a series on municipal leaders across Massachusetts and how they’re contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are previous stories on Chelsea City Manager Tom Ambrosino, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Pittsfield Mayor […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Do civil commitments make sense in a pandemic?
IT’S HAMPDEN COUNTY Sheriff Nick Cocchi versus Prisoners’ Legal Services, round two, this time with a global pandemic thrown in. The sheriff and the legal services group have long been battling […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Biggest one-day jump in new cases
TWO OF THE KEY INDICATORS for determining whether the state is nearing the end of its COVID-19 surge sent conflicting signals on Thursday, as hospitalizations declined slightly while new cases […]
Posted inEconomy
City and town budgets hit hard
AS COVID-19 RAVAGES local economies, cities and towns are falling into a sea of red ink – and trying to figure out how to deal with it. While the public […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: 22 mayors back vote-by-mail
TWENTY-TWO MASSACHUSETTS MAYORS signed onto a letter urging lawmakers to adopt some form of vote-by-mail system for the fall elections. “Our constituents deserve the opportunity to exercise their right to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tran linked to police investigation
STATE SEN. DEAN TRAN has created a legal defense fund as he faces both a campaign finance-related investigation and an unrelated criminal investigation. On March 26, the Massachusetts Senate stripped […]
Posted inEducation
Baker closes schools for the rest of the year
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday ordered all schools to remain closed for the rest of the school year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Baker called the decision the “right thing […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker signs eviction moratorium bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed a bill Monday that will temporarily pause evictions and some foreclosures during the coronavirus pandemic, sparking an intense debate over the rights of landlords and tenants. […]
Posted inEconomy
Virus notes: Gig workers can now apply for unemployment
A RANGE OF WORKERS previously ineligible for unemployment benefits can now seek state aid if they are unable to work because of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impacts on public […]