The Saturday Send
One year after implementing new system, Mass. continues to struggle in issuing unemployment benefits
By Jordan Wolman
May will mark the one-year anniversary of the launch of a new unemployment benefits system that was supposed to usher in a better user experience for staff and claimants alike. But delivery of benefits fell at its lowest point last year to the nation’s worst.
$120 million sewer project marks Lynn’s latest effort to improve water quality, fix its long-polluted coastline
By Hallie Claflin
A collection of cities on the North Shore (and across Massachusetts) have historically combined sewer systems where both wastewater and stormwater come through shared pipes. During heavy rains, the excess flow bypasses the treatment plants where it is supposed to be cleaned and is instead discharged into local bodies of water to prevent backups in people’s homes.
Most low-income tenants have no lawyer in eviction cases. A state initiative is trying to change that.
By Jennifer Smith
“If you’re evicted from public housing, for all intents and purposes, a family will never have a chance to get back to it because the wait lists will be so long,” said Daniel Daley, a senior housing attorney at MetroWest Legal Services. The “double whammy,” he said – losing both housing and subsidy simultaneously – is what makes these cases so dire.
Boston, in new climate plan, opens up possibility of delaying flood insurance discounts
By Jordan Wolman
Increasingly severe floods are threatening to put more financial strain on Massachusetts residents’ pockets.
Fate of potential $5 billion hit to state budget heads to court
By Jennifer Smith
Legislative leaders would no doubt welcome a ruling from the SJC that the ballot question cannot go before voters, but the case against the question rests on a technical challenge that is rarely successful.
Trump’s mail-in-ballot order puts Massachusetts voters in the crosshairs
What does the latest executive order aimed at changing how people cast their votes mean for Massachusetts? Two lawsuits are currently working their way through District Court in the state challenging a directive from President Trump that the US Postal Service only deliver mail ballots to voters on a federal citizenship list.
Published by MassINC