The Download

New from CommonWealth Beacon COURT COSTS: Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget focuses its courts-related spending boosts on operations and staff costs in the Trial Courts, plus ramping […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon OPINION: Some of the neediest Bay State students aren’t applying for financial aid for higher education. Massachusetts should require doing so as a condition of high […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon BALLOTS FIRED: The campaign opposing a ballot measure that would impose strict rent control limits across the state wants the Supreme Judicial Court to keep the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon HEALTH INSURANCE: Commercial insurers denied roughly one out of every five claims submitted in 2024, with administrative issues driving a large chunk of those blocked coverage […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon UNEMPLOYMENT: The state’s unemployment system made big strides on paying checks in a timely fashion in November and December, but even with those improvements, it still […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon EMINENT DOMAIN: The state’s highest court will wade into a yearslong fight over land owned by Northeastern University that Nahant Town Meeting voted to seize by […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Gov. Maura Healey has released her state budget proposal – a $63 billion spending plan. This week on the Codcast, reporter Chris Lisinski digs […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ENERGY: A sustained cold snap is driving up energy usage in Massachusetts, threatening to blunt the utility bill savings Gov. Maura Healey targeted with state investment. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon LAWSUIT: Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell is suing nine towns for their refusal to comply with the MBTA Communities multifamily housing law, Jennifer Smith reports. BUDGET: […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ICE STORM: Massachusetts officials are bracing for another possible immigration surge, but what could they actually do if a Minneapolis situation unfolds in the Bay State? […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon GROWTH ON ICE: Massachusetts population growth has slowed to a crawl – a combination of President Trump’s immigration policies and more people leaving the Bay State […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon EVERETT: Everett’s new mayor, who is just settling into office, is now tasked with implementing a flurry of major development deals put into motion as his […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon STATE OF THE STATE: Gov. Maura Healey leaned into affordability concerns and took aim at the Trump administration during her 2026 State of the Commonwealth speech. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon OFF TRACK: Updated MBTA financial projections rolled out last week suggest the agency is once again careening toward a shortfall in the next 18-plus months. Chris […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon LITERACY REFORM: The Senate will take up its own version of a House-approved early literacy reform bill next week, increasing the likelihood that a new law […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: On the newest episode of The Codcast, Massachusetts Health Connector executive director Audrey Morse Gasteier and Health Care for All senior director of policy […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ENERGY BURST: House leaders are planning a rare series of closed-door meetings for lawmakers this week to discuss the path forward for legislation aimed at lowering […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon TRANSFER FEE: After a proposal from Gov. Maura Healey that would have authorized new fees on property sales to fund affordable housing failed, supporters of the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ON HOLD: Between last June and October, Massachusetts was the worst performing state in the nation on paying out unemployment claims. Jordan Wolman and Chris Lisinski […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon MBTA: A French company in charge of running the state’s commuter rail network was once on thin ice with the state. Now its a finalist for […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Host Jennifer Smith convenes a start-of-year roundtable on this week’s episode of The Codcast to hear what municipal leaders and advocates want Beacon Hill […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon GATEWAY TO CONFUSION: The state’s Gateway Cities designation comes with significant economic perks, meant to shore up the anchors of regional economies. But how does a […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon INCLUSIONARY ZONING: Just as an end-of-year lawsuit launched a broadside against a decades-old policy to boost affordable development, state lawmakers moved to make it easier for […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon CAMPAIGN FINANCE: State Rep. Chynah Tyler of Boston will pay a $6,000 civil forfeiture to the state and submit to greater campaign-finance scrutiny for the next […]