The Download

A rally attendee holds up a sign in support of using state dollars to fund SNAP benefits outside the State House on October 28, 2025. Our top five Beacon Hill […]

Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper (right) speaks about energy affordability at a press conference alongside Gov. Maura Healey on October 14, 2025. Our top five climate stories of […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon BUILDING CHARGE: Bay State officials announced Friday they are entering contract negotiations with four companies to procure nearly 1,300 megawatts of battery storage. More than half […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon ZONING: The long-running fight over the MBTA Communities Act is once again heading back to the state’s high court, which is weighing an argument from reticent […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon UNCERTAIN PATH: The annual fiscal check-up that state budget-writers convened this week featured the same calls for caution and warnings about a volatile environment that have […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon GOD’S BACKYARD: The thousands of acres of land owned by religious institutions could host hundreds of thousands of new housing units, and advocates are pushing for that kind of […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: The new executive director of the classical musical educational program Project STEP, Élider DiPaula, joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith to talk about the […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon INSURANCE UNCERTAINTY: Insurers around the country are adjusting to a warming world, rising seas, and more costly extreme weather events by canceling policies, issuing nonrenewal notices, […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon PRIMARY CARE CRUNCH: Pressure will rise on the Legislature to take action after a panel created to review primary care reforms coalesced around a “fundamental rebalancing” of how the state spends […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon IN PHIL WE TRUST: This fall, Healey doubled down on her faith in Phil Eng, tapping him to serve simultaneously as interim transportation secretary while retaining […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon UTILITY: Liberty Utilities, which services tens of thousands of ratepayers in southeastern Massachusetts, wants state permission to increase gas rates by an average of 55 percent. The potential dramatic spike contrasts with Gov. […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Jennifer Smith talks Boston property tax rates with Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, the struggling commercial sector, and why the issue has led to public sparring between Mayor […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon A BUDGET GAMBLE: For the second year in a row, the Legislature has directed gaming revenue used for mitigating the local impacts of casinos into its own coffers, leaving city and town leaders […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon SUIT HITS SJC: On Friday, the Supreme Judicial Court will be the first state high court in the nation to consider whether Meta’s platform designs, which Attorney General Andrea Campbell claims keep kids […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon BEING GREEN: The MBTA will soon have enough equipment in place to roll out the first Green Line trolleys featuring on-board alerts about stalled vehicles or […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon TAX PLAN TRY THREE: Mayor Michelle Wu, projecting a 13 percent spike in Boston property taxes next year for the average single-family home, is again urging the state Senate and business […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski break down all the latest legislative and ballot measure news on the latest Codcast episode that’s out now. Get the rundown on a potentially […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon BALLOT BATTLES: With the first major signature deadline behind them and another looming, proponents and opponents of a possible record dozen ballot initiatives brace for the […]

The Download is off on Thursday and Friday. We’ll be back in your inbox on Monday, December 1. Happy Thanksgiving! New from CommonWealth Beacon HEALTH CARE AUDIT: A state audit of UMass Memorial Health released earlier this month […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon NEW CODCAST: On this week’s episode of The Codcast, Jim Peyser, who served as secretary of education under Gov. Charlie Baker, talks with CommonWealth Beacon executive […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon WEYMOUTH MOVES: The spending bill now on Gov. Maura Healey’s desk includes language critical to the overhaul of the former Naval Air Station South Weymouth, which supporters say could unlock thousands of […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon BREAK TIME: The Legislature has begun its extended holiday break. As they go, Chris Lisinski breaks down what lawmakers sent to the governor’s desk, what measures […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon RENT CONTROL: The proposed rent control revival on track to go before voters in 2026 would cap rent increases in all 351 Massachusetts cities and towns […]

New from CommonWealth Beacon POWER PUNT: The House this week will not take up a contentious energy policy bill that would weaken the state’s 2030 climate mandate, punting a major […]