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 […]
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The Download: Was a vote to seize Northeastern University land for conservation in ‘bad faith?’
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 […]
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The Download: Unpacking the governor’s state budget proposal
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. […]
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The Download: Cold weather threatens to take bite out of Healey’s energy savings bid
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: […]
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The Download: Growing health care pressure drives up spending in Healey’s annual 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? […]
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What Mass. can and can’t do about ICE
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 […]
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The Download: Mass. Sierra Club takes unprecedented step to call for removal of House energy chair
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 […]
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The Download: Healey’s State of the Commonwealth balancing act
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. […]
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The Download: Healey comes out swinging against Trump in election-year address
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 […]
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The Download: Trump administration targets program for chronically homeless residents, sparking fear for vulnerable populations in cities like Springfield
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 […]
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The Download: National dark money anti-pot group bankrolling efforts to ban recreational marijuana in Mass., Maine
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 […]
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The Download: What’s behind Massachusetts’s $250m investment in health insurance subsidies
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 […]
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The Download: Next up on Beacon Hill: House leaders plan closed-door meetings on Healey’s energy affordability bill
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 […]
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The Download: Prospects shaky for real estate transfer fee
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 […]
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The Download: Massachusetts set out to modernize its unemployment insurance system. Then it hit a new low.
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 […]
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The Download: Keolis was once on thin ice over commuter rail concerns. Now, it’s a finalist for another lucrative MBTA contract.
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 […]
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The Download: What do cities and advocates want from the Legislature in 2026?
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 […]
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No way in and no way out: Beacon Hill hasn’t kept track of which communities qualify for Gateway City status
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 […]
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Inclusionary zoning in the legal firing line as Senate tries to boost policy
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 […]
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The Download: Boston rep sanctioned for spending campaign dollars on personal uses
New from CommonWealth Beacon INSURANCE: The state’s home insurer of last resort will soon need to decide whether to raise rates for the first time in two decades after a […]
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Mass. insurer of last resort wrestles with thorny questions around affordability
New from CommonWealth Beacon BEACON HILL: There’s a lot of unfinished business on the Legislature’s plate this year, stretching from major budget questions to health care, housing, and energy affordability. […]
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The Download: 2026 is here, and Beacon Hill’s got a lot of work to do
New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: The staff of CommonWealth Beacon gathered on microphone to reflect on 2025 and to look ahead to 2026. With editor Laura Colarusso moderating, reporters […]
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The Download: The top 5 CommonWealth Beacon commentary topics in 2025
The golden dome of the State House is reflected in the windows of a building across Beacon Street from the capitol. (Photo by Andy Metzger) The top 5 CommonWealth Beacon […]
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The Download: ‘The exits are growing, the entries are slowing’ in primary care
‘The exits are growing, the entries are slowing’ in primary care December 29, 2025 By CommonWealth Beacon Staff The primary care crisis has become an innovation problem for states. The […]