The Download

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: […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CODCAST: Tens of thousands of lawfully present immigrants lost subsidized health insurance under a new federal law, and while Massachusetts policymakers have been mounting an aggressive […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon STICKER SHOCK: Health insurers collectively want to increase small business rates nearly 13 percent in 2027 – an opening salvo in a process that will stretch […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon FRANKLY SPEAKING: Barney Frank, the longtime Massachusetts congressman who passed away this week, was consistently accessible, ever quotable, always on the record, and honest to a […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon WILD WINDS: New Bedford and Salem were banking on new residents and major infrastructure projects as they committed to the offshore wind industry. But after the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon HOUSING: Last May, legislation was passed allowing tenants to petition to have their past eviction cases sealed from public view, but advocates say few people know […]

Editor’s Note To mark the 30th anniversary of CommonWealth Beacon, editor Laura Colarusso and publisher Joe Kriesberg appeared on the What Works podcast about the future of local news with […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon MIDDLE CLASS: Entrepreneurship in Gateway Cities is a valuable opportunity, and sometimes the only option, for lower-income people to build wealth and chart a course into […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CLIMATE POLITICS: Gov. Maura Healey’s drift toward the political center as she campaigns for a second term in the middle of an energy affordability crisis has […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon EDUCATION: At least four Massachusetts school districts have cut diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives or positions in the face of shrinking student enrollments and funding cuts, […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon MIDDLE CLASS: Take a journey down Heritage Road in Billerica, where Chris Lisinski unspools how the community has changed over CommonWealth Beacon’s 30-year history and stitches […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon It’s hard work making it in the middle class Thirty years ago, CommonWealth magazine launched with a cover story that dove into the challenges facing middle-class […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ON THE BALLOT: Voters could be tasked with deciding 11 ballot measures this fall, ranging from strict rent control to an income tax cut to recriminalizing […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon MIDDLING: In a new poll on the middle class, Massachusetts residents report financial anxiety, driven by a cost of living that feels difficult to manage even […]

CommonWealth Beacon Turns 30 Dear Reader, When CommonWealth magazine published its first edition in 1996, the State House press gallery was packed with reporters from local papers around the state. […]