New from CommonWealth Beacon UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITY: In recent years, historic mills and old industrial buildings in Gateway Cities across the state have been renovated and converted into much-needed housing. But […]
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The Download: ‘Easier said than done’: Former mill cities struggle to rehab vacant, blighted properties in Western Mass.
New from CommonWealth Beacon CHILD CARE DESERTS: State data released by the research arm of the Department of Early Education and Care paint a picture of a system struggling to […]
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The Download: 70 percent of Mass. infants live in child care deserts
New from CommonWealth Beacon BALLOT WIND-UP: Two ballot measures, which advance competing ideas for easing the strain of the costly Massachusetts housing markets, may come before voters in 2026. Michael Jonas reports on a […]
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The Download: Kraft 2.0 looks a lot like the first version
New from CommonWealth Beacon PARSING TRUMP POLICY: This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon executive editor Michael Jonas talks with reporter Jennifer Smith about a series of stories parsing the […]
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The Download: The good, the bad, and the uncertain in Trump’s tax bill
CommonWealth Beacon executive editor Michael Jonas talks with reporter Jennifer Smith about a series of stories parsing the sprawling Trump tax and spending bill. They discuss why it’s so hard to know if Opportunity Zones have been effective, and why affordable housing advocates are mixed on the administration’s approach to low-income renters.
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Flashback Friday: Threading the needle
In “Threading the needle,” which appeared in the magazine’s Spring 2014 issue, Paul McMorrow sized up the approach being taken by another Republican gubernatorial hopeful, this one back for a second bite at the apple after taking a drubbing four years earlier in his first run for the corner office.
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The Download: Trump policies offer mixed messages on affordable housing
Massachusetts lawmakers have proposed a pay increase for private defense attorneys, who had stopped taking new court-appointed cases due to low rates, but many rejected the plan as inadequate.
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The Download: Despite widespread support, ‘menstrual equity’ bill has stalled for two sessions in the House
Despite seeming widespread support and no public opposition, Massachusetts’s menstrual equity bill has stalled over two sessions in the House Ways and Means.
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The Download: Lynn, Swampscott team up to clean Greater Boston’s dirtiest beach
New from CommonWealth Beacon OPINION: Military strikes against Iran and the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act deepen the moral fault lines Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned us […]
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The Download: Rebalancing broker’s fees
New from CommonWealth Beacon ON TRACK: MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said he is “very confident” the Chinese manufacturer building new Red and Orange Line trains will be able to […]
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Flashback Friday: False Start
For this Flashback Friday, we’re taking a look back at reporter Jack Sullivan’s story on Title IX, the 37-word clause in the federal Education Amendments of 1972 that prohibited gender-based discrimination in education. The piece details how female athletes competing for colleges and universities across Massachusetts lacked funding, opportunities, and institutional support when compared to their male counterparts.
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The Download: ‘We are terrified’: Gateway City leaders prepare for federal cuts, changes to Medicaid
New from CommonWealth Beacon OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS?: Hidden among the cuts to social welfare programs in President Trump’s budget reconciliation bill was a provision that builds on “Opportunity Zones” — an […]
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The Download: The enigma of ‘Opportunity Zones’
New from CommonWealth Beacon UNEXPECTED STOP: Eight Red Line train cars shipped to the US from China are being detained at the Port of Philadelphia, Bruce Mohl reports, raising concerns […]
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The Download: Could Canadian offshore wind help Mass. meet climate goals?
New from CommonWealth Beacon EMERGENCY SHELTER: The state’s housing secretary determined that the emergency assistance shelter system is not capable of meeting all current and projected demands. Colin Young from […]
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The Download: Mass. leans into artificial intelligence
New from CommonWealth Beacon OPINION: The deadly fire at the Gabriel House in Fall River is a stain on our conscience and a wake-up call when it comes to state […]
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Flashback Friday: Crime and punishment
New from CommonWealth Beacon TAXING TIME FOR HARVARD: The sweeping new tax and spending bill signed on July 4 by President Trump includes a steep hike in the federal tax on investment […]
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The Download: Harvard, MIT face steep tax hike under Trump bill
New from CommonWealth Beacon GREEN LIGHT: Chelsea has been named the 2025 All-America city for sustainability projects, reflecting work born from years of environmental injustice, Hallie Claflin reports. The densely populated city […]