The Download

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Jennifer Smith and Boston University financial lecturer Mark Williams discuss the state’s economic outlook as the federal government shutdown enters its third week. Massachusetts […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon PRESSURE VALVE: Pressure is rising on Congress to extend Biden-era federal tax credits that help Americans pay for health insurance, and without action, hundreds of thousands […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon TELEHEALTH: New polling the MassINC Polling Group conducted for Commonwealth Beacon finds Massachusetts residents largely have not embraced telehealth despite its expansion in the wake of […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon PRECARIOUS POSITION: It’s been two years since Leominster’s maternity unit closed. The fallout paints a complicated picture in a state without maternity deserts. But experts and […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon GOING BACKWARDS: As the primary care crisis worsens, there’s growing momentum for forcing a greater share of health care dollars to go toward the front lines. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with 1199SEIU Executive Vice President Cari Medina and Anestine Bentick, lead medical assistant at South Boston Community Health. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon PRISON POLITICS: The governor appoints a corrections professional to oversee state prisons. So why do we elect people who are essentially regional correctional commissioners, with voters […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon DATA CRACKDOWN: Chris Lisinski reports that the state Senate is moving to crack down on what Senate President Karen Spilka called the “Wild West” of data […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon MONEY TALKS: Health care interests continue to dominate spending on lobbying Massachusetts policymakers in the first half of 2025, according to newly released data. Chris Lisinski, […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon GAPS IN COVERAGE: Despite “fragile progress,” the Commonwealth’s early child care system continues to suffer from a workforce problem, according to a new analysis published by […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon HEALTH POLL: New polling for CommonWealth Beacon conducted by the MassINC Polling Group paints a picture of Massachusetts residents mostly happy with their health care coverage, […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon OVERFLOWED: Cities like Holyoke, Springfield, and Chicopee have made multi-million-dollar efforts in recent years to prevent wastewater and stormwater overflows, Hallie Claflin reports. But as climate […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon HEAD ABOVE WATER: In a new poll for CommonWealth Beacon conducted by the MassINC Polling Group, just over half of Massachusetts residents say they approve of Gov. Maura […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon RAPID EXPANSION: The Committee for Public Counsel Services has hired 22 new attorneys, moving forward with “the largest staffing expansion in the agency’s history.” Michael Norton […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: On the latest episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith interviews Rich Davey about his first year as Massport CEO. They talk […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CARE CHASMS: When hospitals close, communities reel. Even in well-covered Massachusetts, some regions of the state still struggle to access its nation-leading health care. And after […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon A CRAP DEAL: Despite major progress, more than 40 combined sewer overflow sites along the Charles, Mystic, Alewife Brook, and Boston Harbor persist – discharging wastewater […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon OPINION: Kendra Winner’s son Aidan suffered multiple brain injuries during a car accident. After watching Aiden go through 10 surgeries and almost 80 days in intensive […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CONSUMER PROTECTION RULING: This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith sits down with Elyse Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, to discuss the recent […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ARTIST HOUSING: The city of Fitchburg officially cut the ribbon on an affordable housing project for artists that’s been more than a decade in the making […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon PLATE PLAN: The House gave initial approval to a bill that would ban tinted license plate coverings that could distort or block plate information. Alison Kuznitz […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon MOTION DENIED: A lawsuit leveled by the state attorney general against a Boston-based financial technology company for allegedly predatory loan practices is allowed to move forward, […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CANNABIS CONTINUITY: Cannabis Control Commission Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins, reappointed for a five-year term in mid-August, talks to reporter Bhaamati Borkhetaria about his experience on the […]