THE COLORS ARE bright, the ads are popping, and promises of free money encourage you to just try out a bit of online gambling. Welcome to a vision of the […]
Government
Posted inPolitics
House approves budget amendments with little or no debate
THE HOUSE on Wednesday approved a spending plan for the coming fiscal year after three days of deliberations, with most of the serious discussions taking place out of sight. As […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Healey hangs empty picture frame by her desk
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE INSTEAD OF HANGING a portrait of an individual by her desk, Gov. Maura Healey is instead opting for a minimalist gold frame, a move proposed by […]
Posted inState Government, Transportation
Taking a long view of the MBTA
NICHOLAS DAGEN BLOOM, the author of The Great American Transit Disaster, takes a long view of the current problems at the MBTA. In a new episode of the Codcast, Bloom, […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Boston pitches libraries, affordable housing as perfect match
IN THREE BOSTON neighborhoods, home could soon be where the stacks are. The city is set to join a handful of other places that combine public libraries with affordable housing, a […]
Posted inPolitics
In Boston race for open state rep seat, a field of 1
IT’S BECOME A dismal, recurring storyline underscoring the state’s political torpor: Massachusetts is among the least competitive states in the country when it comes to elections for state legislative seats. […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Convention center tosses redevelopment proposals
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S INDEPENDENT convention center authority canceled and rejected controversial redevelopment proposals for a piece of land in South Boston after officials accused it of using […]
Posted inGovernment, Politics, Public Records
Wu got use of MGM Music Hall at no charge
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu spent $62,000 on her State of the City address at the end of January, but there was no cost to actually rent the venue where she […]
Posted inTransportation
Moulton’s ambitious, expensive, and enthralling transportation vision
AT A TIME when roughly a quarter of the MBTA subway system is crawling along at a safety-induced snail’s pace, US Rep. Seth Moulton is pushing an ambitious expansion of […]
Posted inOpinion
Why the top 1 percent of taxpayers matter
DURING A RECENT hearing on Gov. Maura Healey’s tax relief package, there seemed to be near universal support for the provisions aimed at helping people of low or modest means […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
Stand-alone housing secretariat moves forward
GOV. MAURA HEALEY’S plan to create a new Cabinet-level post on housing got the green light from the Senate on Thursday, bringing the administration one step closer to an adjustment […]
Posted inEconomy
Is less more when it comes to the work week?
MANY EMPLOYEES DISCOVERED they could work from anywhere during COVID. The next frontier is whether they can work less. A handful of companies in Massachusetts and many more around the world […]
Posted inEconomy
Mass. House approves unaltered tax plan
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to pass its $1.1 billion tax relief bill exactly as pitched earlier this week. A provision that would adjust an obscure tax […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Juul to pay Mass. $41 million in multi-state settlement
MASSACHUSETTS WILL RECEIVE $41 million as part of a $462 million settlement between e-cigarette maker Juul Labs Inc. and six states plus the District of Columbia for the company’s role […]
Posted inGambling
What you need to know about the House budget proposal
What follows is an explainer about what’s in the House Ways and Means budget proposal for fiscal 2024. How big is the House Ways and Means budget? It comes in […]
Posted inState Government
House, Healey set different priorities for millionaire tax money
THE HOUSE BUDGET proposal unveiled on Wednesday sets different spending priorities than Gov. Maura Healey for the $1 billion expected to come in from the millionaire tax. The tax, approved […]
Posted inEducation
Polls apart on teacher strike issue
LEGALIZING TEACHER STRIKES in Massachusetts has become a contentious topic following a spate of illegal walkouts in local districts and a push by the state’s teachers unions to change state law […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Mel King remembered as ‘humble and generous humanist’ for justice
MEL KING was remembered Tuesday as a champion for justice who had a global vision of a better world that was shaped profoundly by the very local wrongs he saw […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
House tax plan builds on Healey approach
HOUSE LEADERS fell in line behind Gov. Maura Healey’s call for tax changes to make the state more affordable and competitive, unveiling legislation on Tuesday that not only mirrors but […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
For Wu and Healey, reproductive rights become a selling point
GOV. MAURA HEALEY and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu are starting to make the case that the national fight over abortion could make the state a magnet for people concerned about […]
Posted inPolitics
A digital push for more legislative participation
ONE OF THE most well-worn complaints among political watchers in Massachusetts is that the government can be, well, hard to watch. The state Legislature is one of the least transparent […]
Posted inState Government
Exodus of wealthy residents called non-existent
THE LEFT-LEANING Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center tossed a provocative analysis into the tax reform debate on Beacon Hill on Thursday, issuing a short but pointed brief suggesting the business […]
Posted inGovernment
Boston retailers fined total of $92,000 for consumer violations
SEVERAL BOSTON RETAIL CHAINS were hit with a total of $92,000 in fines in 2022 for violating state consumer protection laws, including provisions intended to assure that customers pay no […]
Posted inHealth Care, State Government
Jon Santiago: ‘Everyone is rooting for a veteran’
FOR A TIME, it seemed like Jon Santiago was juggling every job he could. The US Army reserve major worked as an emergency room doctor at Boston Medical Center during […]
