The Download: Mass. begins 2030 Census prep amid national redistricting fights
Mass. begins 2030 Census prep amid national redistricting fights
With mid-decade redistricting fights erupting elsewhere, Massachusetts officials are ramping up their preparations for the 2030 Census as they grapple with new housing development and concerns about community trust.
State school building program favors wealthier districts, leaving lower-income urban students in aging, dilapidated buildings, according to new study
Despite efforts by the Legislature aimed at adequately funding school building projects, “students in Boston and the Gateway Cities continue to learn in buildings that are deteriorating, lacking in basic features, and often cramped and overcrowded,” according to a new report by the MassINC Policy Center.
Senate president says federal government ‘working against us’
During an interview televised Sunday morning, Spilka echoed comments made earlier in the year by House Speaker Ron Mariano, who said Massachusetts had “lost our federal partner.”
Massachusetts needs an education blueprint
What’s our strategy? A patchwork of pilots, well-meaning grants, and isolated bright spots. What we don’t have is a statewide blueprint.
The math of rural health access
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Michael Leary, director of media relations for Berkshire Health Systems. They dive into what makes Berkshire County such a complicated place for health care access – with rural towns, busier cities, college students, and of course the seasonal visitors looking to peep some leaves or take in the snowy mountains. The far-flung region’s geography is a challenge on its own, and that’s before factoring in the system-wide staffing crunches and looming Medicaid
Cuts to public higher ed stipends break state promise, send horrible message
OVER THE LAST two years, Massachusetts launched a bold initiative with a clear message: college is accessible again. Community college? Tuition- and fee-free for everyone. Four-year public college? Tuition- and […]
New FEMA flood maps prompt questions, concerns across Massachusetts
Massachusetts property owners are navigating the need for flood insurance as disasters become more widespread and the state looks to reverse an urgent housing shortage.
A tale of two Bakers: Charlie, don’t forget Hobey
Hobey Baker remains the beau-idéal of the amateur sportsman, a species endangered by the NCAA’s budding plans for play for pay. What does Hobey Baker have to say to Charlie Baker in these days of change?
Local businesses, not just Big Tech, push back on data-privacy legislation
It’s not just Silicon Valley versus the Legislature. An influential constellation of local business groups is pushing lawmakers to scale back the Senate’s sweeping data-privacy proposal, which one Democrat pitched as the strongest in the nation.
When the courthouse leads to the therapist’s office
The mental health courts make a compelling offer: If the participants agree to use it, the system will connect them with long-term and accessible mental health supports often out of reach for people in prison or just trying to navigate the crunched behavioral health landscape. But they are expensive, resource intensive, and serve just a fraction of the people in need of mental health services in and out of the criminal justice system.
The real danger facing the T
There is a clear threat to our public transit system here in Boston, and it is not crime or “vagrancy.” It is the systematic clawing back of federal funding and the withdrawal of environmental justice and equity guidelines that seriously imperil how residents move.
‘No margin for error’: State economic check-in spotlights tricky balancing act
With the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and a state economic lag colliding, Massachusetts budget-writers weigh options to balance the outlook.
Healey convenes solar leaders in search of energy answers
Gov. Maura Healey heard from solar industry officials at a Monday summit pleading to cut red tape and costs associated with installing more of the green energy source in Massachusetts.
America’s underfunded elections: a national security risk we can’t ignore
Our elections are the backbone of our democracy. They’ve been formally designated as critical infrastructure, alongside our power grid and water supply. Yet we treat them as an afterthought in our budgets.