THE BATTLE LINES in the debate over passing the so-called millionaire’s tax have generally pitted organized labor, which supports the tax hike, against organized business groups, which oppose it. But […]
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 inEducation
MCAS scores show major drop since 2019
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT REMAINS well below where it was in 2019, indicating a steep loss in learning during the pandemic that has yet to be made up, according to statewide MCAS […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
Polito praises Driscoll’s experience – but won’t endorse
WHEN THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION created a Seaport Economic Council in 2015, chaired by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, one of its first appointed members was Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. In 2019, […]
Posted inHealth
Medicaid waiver makes money available for housing, nutrition
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT on Wednesday approved a five-year, $67 billion agreement with the state of Massachusetts that will govern how the state administers its Medicaid program. Gov. Charlie Baker said […]
Posted inPolitics
Two surgeons who are moms jump into politics
UNTIL SHE STARTED a PAC to elect candidates to Congress, Dr. Anahita Dua had little exposure to the world of politics. Dua is a vascular surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, […]
Posted inGambling
Sports betting regulators confront licensing quirks
THERE’S AN ODD quirk in the law legalizing sports betting in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission is allowed to license seven mobile sports betting apps, in addition to mobile apps […]
Posted inPolitics
Ballot question would shift profits from insurers to dentists
WHY ARE MASSACHUSETTS dentists and orthodontists spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a campaign to change the rules governing dental insurance? Evan Horowitz, executive director of the Center for […]
Posted inHealth, Health Care
Mass. Medical Society president says pandemic ‘ripped the Band-Aid off’ health care inequities
SINCE MASSACHUSETTS MEDICAL SOCIETY president Ted Calianos took the helm of the organization in May, he has been developing priorities that range from restoring trust in medicine to addressing workforce […]
Posted inPolitics
Filings flesh out opposing sides in immigrant driver’s license fight
UNIONS AND LIBERAL-LEANING groups are spearheading the campaign to keep in place the state’s new law granting driver’s licenses to immigrants without legal status, while a repeal effort is being […]
Posted inEducation
White House says 813,000 in Mass. eligible for student debt relief
AN ESTIMATED 813,000 student loan borrowers in Massachusetts will qualify for debt relief under President Biden’s student debt relief plan, according to data released by the White House Tuesday. As […]
Posted inHealth Care
How much is Massachusetts spending on primary, behavioral health care?
ONE OF GOV. Charlie Baker’s biggest initiatives that he attempted, but failed, to pass would have reoriented health care spending so a greater portion of health care spending went toward […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Innovative court program helps people navigate addiction services
CAPE COD DEFENSE attorney Susan Wenzel had a client with mental health and substance use issues who needed help handling both problems and had no health insurance. His criminal case […]
Posted inPolitics
Barnstable commissioner candidate minimizes ties to Oath Keepers
RON BEATY, a Republican candidate for Barnstable County commissioner, said Monday that he made a small donation to the right-wing group Oath Keepers in 2014 but has not been involved […]
Posted inMarijuana
Marijuana delivery companies seek repeal of two-driver rule
EVEN BEFORE Chris Fevry launched Your Green Package, one of the first licensed marijuana courier companies in Massachusetts, he was worried about whether the business model was financially viable. Could […]
Posted inImmigration, Politics
Why are migrants being flown to Martha’s Vineyard?
Why is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flying immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard? It appears to be mainly a move made for political gain. DeSantis appears to have flown two planeloads of […]
Posted inPolitics
Mail-in voting didn’t boost primary turnout
WHEN LAWMAKERS passed permanent no-excuse mail-in voting earlier this year, advocates billed it as a way to increase voter participation. “This is a historic bill that is going to have […]
Posted inHealth
Demand picking up a bit for new Omicron booster shots
NOW THAT THE federal government has authorized Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccines, some Massachusetts residents are running to get them – but far from the furious rush that accompanied the initial vaccines. […]
Posted inPolitics
Federal judge won’t intervene in Tran prosecution
A FEDERAL JUDGE has declined to intervene to stop Attorney General Maura Healey’s prosecution of congressional candidate Dean Tran. Tran, a Republican former state senator who is challenging Democratic US […]
Posted inPolitics
Half of primary ballots cast before Election Day
ELECTION DAY may be a misnomer. State primary turnout figures make clear a new reality, with important implications for campaign strategies: Election Day is actually election season. For the second […]
Posted inState Government
Opposing camps evenly matched on millionaire tax fight
IT’S UNIONS VERSUS businesses in a high-stakes and so far evenly matched battle to raise the tax rate on high-income earners. This November, Massachusetts voters will decide whether to pass […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC to referee another medical parole dispute
SINCE THE LEGISLATURE established medical parole in 2018, prisoners’ rights advocates and Department of Correction officials have been in a near-constant fight about how the law is being implemented. Advocates […]
Posted inMarijuana
SJC tells judges to grant marijuana expungements
THE 2018 criminal justice reform law let old marijuana convictions be expunged. But by and large, it hasn’t done much. A 2021 Boston Globe story called that provision an “utter […]
Posted inPolitics
Two Mass. political players in Oath Keepers database
A CANDIDATE FOR Barnstable County commissioner and an elected member of the Wilbraham Republican Town Committee have been named as members of the right-wing anti-government group Oath Keepers in a leaked […]
Posted inPolitics
Devaney narrowly retains Governor’s Council job
INCUMBENT GOVERNOR’S Councilor Marilyn Devaney narrowly edged out Democratic activist and attorney Mara Dolan to hold on to the seat she has held for 23 years. Dolan gave Devaney her […]