The Saturday Send
Worcester’s ‘A Better Life’ housing program helps break generational poverty by promoting self-sufficiency
By Hallie Claflin
Last month, Trump administration officials announced a long-awaited proposed rule that encourages, but does not require, all public housing authorities and private property owners who rent to people using a Section 8 housing voucher to implement a work requirement and time limits for non-disabled, non-elderly adults in federally-funded housing.
Rail projects inching along in Western Mass. as MassDOT discusses hourly trains from Springfield to NYC
By Hallie Claflin
MassDOT, Amtrak, and rail agencies in Connecticut are discussing plans for an hourly train service between Springfield and New York City. MassDOT officials also provided an update on plans for Amtrak to add two daily Boston-Springfield services by 2030 as part of the proposed “inland route” along West-East Rail.
House Democrats spike bill to let legislative staffers unionize
By Chris Lisinski
It’s looking like another term without success for unionizing legislative staffers, who were unable to get House support for their bill and continue to face skepticism from Senate leadership.
‘Not if, but when’: Flood prevention project in Everett and Chelsea remains frozen one year after federal program cuts
By Hallie Claflin
One year ago in April, the Trump administration abruptly announced its intent to shut down the bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) initiative that has allocated billions of dollars in federal grants to pre-disaster mitigation efforts in communities across the country since 2020.
Massachusetts ranks low in spending for land conservation. This ballot initiative is trying to change that.
By Jane Petersen
Nature for Massachusetts – a coalition of nearly 70 nonprofits and a few private companies – is pushing for the Commonwealth to create a dedicated fund to purchase land for conservation, outdoor recreation, and water quality improvement. The group’s original goal was to pass this policy, which would be funded by the sales tax the state accrues from the sale of sporting goods, through the Legislature, but the House and Senate versions of the bills failed to gain traction.
Trying to measure primary care’s downward spiral
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Barbra Rabson, president and CEO of Massachusetts Health Quality Partners. They discuss the primary care crisis, how data transparency improves patient outcomes, and tease upcoming recommendations from the primary care task force.
Published by MassINC