The Saturday Send
A push to build housing in ‘God’s backyard’
By Jennifer Smith
Massachusetts YIGBY legislation would allow faith-based organizations to build multi-family housing by right on parcels they’ve owned for at least three years. Continue reading…
MBTA Communities fight heads back to the SJC
By Jennifer Smith
A group of holdout towns is banking on the very court that declared the legislation mandatory in January to rule that the mandate is illegal without dedicated funding. Continue reading…
Amid shaky economy, tax cut proposal draws heightened scrutiny
By Chris Lisinski
Already buffeted by economic pressures and federal funding cuts, top Democrats are beginning to warn that major financial upheaval would follow if voters approve a pair of tax-reform measures en route to the 2026 ballot. Continue reading…
Talk of new transportation dollars? Bring it on, says Senate chair
By Chris Lisinski and Jennifer Smith
Brendan Crighton, the Senate’s point person on transportation issues, wants his colleagues to have hard conversations about new transportation-related levies even if the topic might be politically fraught. Continue reading…
What is the Massachusetts FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort?
By Jordan Wolman
The increased FAIR Plan policies and rising home insurance prices in the private market across New England both reflect and tell the climate story, since insurers are the arbiters of risk. Continue reading…
The politics of who gets a musical education
On this week’s episode of The Codcast, what it means when political forces come for the arts. CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Élider DiPaula, the new executive director of Project STEP — a 12-year music program focused on bringing students from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds into the world of classical string music. The program lost a federal grant this spring, as did hundreds of other programs considered out of step with President Trump’s nationalist priorities for the arts.
Published by MassINC