The Download

New from CommonWealth Beacon CHILD CARE: Massachusetts has the fewest child care deserts of any state in the nation, a remarkable improvement fueled by sustained state investments in early education. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon HOUSING POLL: Massachusetts residents in and outside of Gateway Cities largely reported in a new poll that they were satisfied with being homeowners. But cost pressures […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon TPS TOSSED: The US Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can revoke Temporary Protected Status without judicial review. Massachusetts officials warned the rollback of protections […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon SHIFTING WINDS: Gov. Maura Healey celebrated the completion of the country’s first commercial-scale offshore wind project in New Bedford. She touted its benefits while shrugging off […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CLIMATE CHIEF: Gov. Maura Healey set a national standard when she appointed Melissa Hoffer to be the country’s first cabinet-level state climate chief. But as the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Juana Matias, Massachusetts’s new housing secretary, said that the state is on track to meet its housing goals amid a scramble to dig out […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon TAX SLAP-DOWN: The state’s highest court on Thursday tossed a measure from the November ballot that sought to trim the income tax rate by one-fifth, stopping […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon HIGH STAKES: A new state program aims to prevent problem gambling in youth — a growing concern borne out by a recent survey showing about a […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Harvard economics professor Raj Chetty has become one of the preeminent scholars of economic mobility in the US, tapping the power of “big data” […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon POT REPEAL: The first of four expected rulings about ballot question eligibility went in favor of the campaign, with the Supreme Judicial Court deciding that a […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon SOUTH COAST RAIL: One year after the MBTA’s South Coast Rail expansion launched, Gateway Cities leaders in the area are still waiting for updates on the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ENERGY: The landmark transmission line intended to bring hydropower from Canada into Massachusetts did not deliver any energy for two weeks, underscoring the tricky balance state […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon STATE GOVERNMENT: Republican Brian Shortsleeve said that, should he win his gubernatorial campaign, he would veto House and Senate budget appropriations until the Legislature fully complies […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon DATA PRIVACY: House lawmakers signed off on a measure aimed at limiting the collection and sale of private data, though the legislation deviates in some ways […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon SEMI-PUBLIC RECORDS: House Democrats on Thursday pushed through a bill that would permanently constrain the power voters awarded the state auditor to probe the Legislature. It […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon EVs: Nearly four years after receiving $64 million from the federal government for electric vehicle infrastructure, Massachusetts still has not built a single charger through the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon RENT CONTROL: Supporters of a ballot measure that would usher in the strictest statewide rent control in the nation are now looking for an off-ramp, floating […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: On the latest episode of The Codcast, Jennifer Smith hosts Northeastern University professor Dan O’Brien for a deep dive into a new lawsuit alleging […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: A notable absence in the “Nature for Massachusetts” coalition, Attorney General Andrea Campbell tweaks lawmakers and the ballot process, and the Healey administration wades […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon UNCOMPETITIVE: The historic level of competition on ballot questions does not extend to the Legislature – roughly 60 percent of House and Senate races this cycle […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon BILL GALVIN: Secretary of State Bill Galvin has seen a lot in his nearly five decades in public office. But this year he’s experiencing something new: […]