MOST MASSACHUSETTS PARENTS of K-12 students think their child’s academic performance is at or above grade level – despite statewide data showing that’s not the case. That stands out as […]
Poll shows parents not grasping scope of learning losses
Posted inEducation
Top Democrats assessing alternatives to MCAS
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TOP DEMOCRATS are leaving the door open to reassessing the role of Massachusetts’ long-controversial standardized testing system as some education advocates reinvigorate calls to abolish the […]
Posted inCourts, Opinion
SJC backslides on racial disparities in policing
IN A DECISION issued last week, the Supreme Judicial Court acquiesced in the disproportionate stopping and frisking of young people of color in the Commonwealth by upholding a police officer’s […]
Posted inMarijuana, State Government
Board named for social equity marijuana loan fund
THE BOARD that will oversee the state’s new fund to help social equity cannabis businesses will be comprised of a diverse group of individuals, who represent various segments of the […]
Posted inThe Download
Lodging tax revenue skyrockets, except in bigger cities
Lenox, a tourism mecca in western Massachusetts, has seen a record-setting rebound in visitors in the wake of COVID. According to a recent story in the Berkshire Eagle, Lenox’s lodging […]
Posted inEconomy
Lodging tax revenue skyrockets, except in bigger cities
LENOX, A TOURISM mecca in western Massachusetts, has seen a record-setting rebound in visitors in the wake of COVID. According to a recent story in the Berkshire Eagle, Lenox’s lodging […]
Posted inPolitics
Big Three gather but provide few details on talks
THE TOP THREE officials on Beacon Hill – now all Democrats with the departure of Republican Charlie Baker — gathered to discuss priorities and strategies for the first time on […]
Posted inOpinion
3 steps for addressing health equity in Mass.
MAURA HEALEY made history when she was sworn in as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts. She will have no shortage of challenges to tackle in the early days of her […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government, State House News Service
House panel will try to decide who won 2 rep races
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A PANEL OF LAWMAKERS will convene two public hearings on Friday to examine a pair of House races decided by extremely narrow, but certified, recounts, a […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Lawmakers walk tightrope on wind power contracts
The Legislature’s energy experts say it makes sense to penalize CommonWealth Wind and Mayflower Wind if they default on their recently approved power purchase contracts, but the lawmakers don’t want […]
Posted inThe Download
Lawmakers walk tightrope on wind power contracts
The Legislature’s energy experts say it makes sense to penalize CommonWealth Wind and Mayflower Wind if they default on their recently approved power purchase contracts, but the lawmakers don’t want […]
Posted inEnergy
Lawmakers walk tightrope on wind power contracts
THE LEGISLATURE’S ENERGY experts say it makes sense to penalize CommonWealth Wind and Mayflower Wind if they default on their recently approved power purchase contracts, but the lawmakers don’t want […]
Posted inEconomy
Climate change taking toll on Mass. farms
RYAN VOILAND, owner of Red Fire Farm in Montague and Granby, says growing organic vegetables is hard enough, but doing it amidst climate change makes it nearly impossible. In 2021, […]
Posted inOpinion
Five key elements of Baker’s legacy
AS HE LEAVES OFFICE after eight years as governor of the Commonwealth, the pundits are trying to assess what Charlie Baker’s legacy as governor is all about. Legacy means investments […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health Care, Opinion
Medicaid should cover the incarcerated
THERE IS AN UNSPOKEN and growing public health crisis in our country. For millions of Americans with serious health care needs, their treatment is not being provided at a hospital […]
Posted inOpinion
Overcoming the restrictions on multi-family housing
Last in a series. CITIES AND TOWNS of Greater Boston have a long history of using zoning to restrict development of multi-family housing that might accommodate families with children. The systematic restrictions […]
Posted inEnvironment, State Government
Healey signs executive order on climate
IN HER FIRST official act as governor, Maura Healey on Friday signed an executive order establishing a cabinet-level climate office that will work in conjunction with climate officers stationed within […]
Posted inThe Download
Lantern closure shakes marijuana delivery market
There’s another major shakeup coming in the already-struggling marijuana delivery industry, with the impending closure of one of the largest marketing websites in Massachusetts. Lantern, a website where consumers can […]
Posted inMarijuana
Lantern closure shakes marijuana delivery market
THERE’S ANOTHER major shakeup coming in the already-struggling marijuana delivery industry, with the impending closure of one of the largest marketing websites in Massachusetts. Lantern, a website where consumers can […]
Posted inTransportation
Feds blame driver for 2021 Green Line collision
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS identified a Green Line operator’s “loss of situational awareness” as the likely cause of a July 2021 Green Line collision, and their report about […]
Posted inGovernment, Health
Boston employee vaccine mandate heads to SJC
COVID VACCINE MANDATES for customers of private businesses were short-lived. Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration, which had a strict vaccine mandate for executive branch workers, has been quietly hiring back some terminated […]
Posted inOpinion
Where should new multi-family housing go?
WHERE SHOULD new multifamily housing go? This is a fundamental question facing 175 communities across eastern Massachusetts as they work to implement a new law intended to address the region’s […]
Posted inGovernment, Politics, State Government
Maura Healey sworn in as 73rd Massachusetts governor
AMID A DAY full of pomp, circumstance, and a nod to history in the making, Maura Healey on Thursday was sworn in as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts and the […]
Posted inCourts
SJC rejects Galvin interpretation in DiMasi lobbying case
THE LAW MEANS what it says. That’s the gist of a Supreme Judicial Court ruling Thursday that a law barring anyone convicted of a set of state corruption charges from working […]