TALK OF POLITICS seems to be everywhere these days. It fills our social media feeds and comes up frequently at gatherings with friends and family. It is also increasingly present […]
Companies are talking up politics – but is it mostly hot air?
Posted inGovernment
Boston Planning and Development Agency headed by volunteer
MOST PEOPLE do volunteer work at places such as hospitals, food banks, or shelters. But not Arthur Jemison — he takes his volunteer work to a whole new level, volunteering as […]
Posted inOpinion
What the MBTA Communities law means for your town
First of a five-part series. THERE IS A NEW concept in zoning, invented this year by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In promulgated guidelines, the concept has been dubbed “minimum multi-family […]
Posted inEnergy, State House News Service
Mass. shows interest in financing Maine wind project
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A 1,000 MEGAWATT onshore wind project planned for northern Maine and an associated transmission build-out “would provide benefits to Massachusetts and the region,” the Mass. Department […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s causing the boarding crisis in hospitals?
“THEY’RE COMING in quiet,” the announcement said. They were the emergency medical technicians aboard the ambulance bringing Justice Thompson* from a hospital psychiatric unit to his first day at The […]
Posted inOpinion
Take pregnant people seriously, support birth centers
I RECENTLY RECEIVED a call from a pregnant friend. She felt that her prenatal visits with her obstetrician were a waste of her time. In the last visit, the OB […]
Posted inOpinion
Sky is not falling with offshore wind
MASSACHUSETTS’ INEVITABLE march toward becoming a wind energy powerhouse suffered a setback recently when the news broke that Avangrid had filed to terminate its contracts to build the 1.2-gigawatt Commonwealth […]
Posted inTransportation
Orange Line service cut due to electrical arcing problem
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ORANGE LINE riders should expect slow commutes with gaps of about 15 minutes between trains after the MBTA pulled nine cars from service because of unexpected […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
DPU approves wind farm contracts despite financing concerns
A correction has been added to this story. THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES on Friday approved 20-year power purchase agreements between the state’s three major utilities and the offshore wind […]
Posted inThe Download
Top Codcast: Three scrappy women from Somerset
COMMONWEALTH’S MOST POPULAR Codcast of 2022 was an interview with three women from Somerset who fought back against a scrap metal export operation at Brayton Point that was launched after federal […]
Posted inEnvironment, Media
Top Codcast: Three scrappy women from Somerset
COMMONWEALTH’S MOST POPULAR Codcast of 2022 was an interview with three women from Somerset who fought back against a scrap metal export operation at Brayton Point that was launched after […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Revenge porn bill surfaces in Senate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LAWMAKERS COULD make a late-session push to crack down on distribution of sexually explicit content without a subject’s consent, often referred to as “revenge porn,” after […]
Posted inOpinion
A health care wish list narrowed to one
ABOUT A YEAR AGO, I wrote about seven state governmental policy wishes for 2022 to help rein-in overall health care spendingand to work towards a more affordable health care system in our state. […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker’s take on the state Republican Party
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER would like to see the Massachusetts Republican Party rebuild and recover, but he says it first has to go through a transformation, much as he did after […]
Posted inThe Download
CommonWealth commentary pieces in 2022 poked at conventional wisdom and those in power
WE’RE EAGER TO feature thought-provoking commentary pieces in CommonWealth, which has become one of the state’s leading outlets for vigorous debate and discussion of important issues facing Massachusetts. Looking back, […]
Posted inHealth Care
CommonWealth commentary pieces in 2022 poked at conventional wisdom and those in power
WE’RE EAGER TO feature thought-provoking commentary pieces in CommonWealth, which has become one of the state’s leading outlets for vigorous debate and discussion of important issues facing Massachusetts. Looking back, […]
Posted inGovernment
New England to benefit from federal appropriations law
IN THE FINAL DAYS of the 117th Congress, lawmakers passed a $1.7 trillion Omnibus Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2023, and President Biden signed it into law. Included in this […]
Posted inEducation
BPS parents concerned about safety at school
THE PANDEMIC has put the spotlight on the classroom, with national and statewide test figures showing that students have lost ground in academic subjects. As schools prepare for the new […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State Government, State House News Service
Healey plucks AG aide as energy, environment secretary
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REBECCA TEPPER, currently the chief of the energy and environment bureau in the attorney general’s office, will continue working under Maura Healey in the new year, […]
Posted inThe Download
COVID dominates CommonWealth’s 2022 most-read news stories
The COVID-19 pandemic may no longer be in its most acute stage, but its aftereffects continue to be felt in the Bay State and interest in the disease remains high. […]
Posted inMedia, State House News Service
COVID dominates CommonWealth’s 2022 most-read news stories
The COVID-19 pandemic may no longer be in its most acute stage, but its aftereffects continue to be felt in the Bay State and interest in the disease remains high. […]
Posted inTransportation
3 steps for turning around the MBTA
MONTH-LONG SHUTDOWNS, frequent and serious accidents, a fire on the Orange Line, debilitating worker shortages, and a system so dysfunctional that it was facing takeover by the federal government — […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State Government
Utilities urge DPU to force wind developer’s hand
EVERSOURCE, NATIONAL GRID, and Unitil are urging state regulators to require Avangrid to push ahead with its 1,200-megawatt Commonwealth Wind project even though the company says the price it would […]
Posted inThe Download
Bump says DiZoglio is being ‘well-schooled’ on auditor’s duties
State Auditor Suzanne Bump will leave office in January after 12 years on the job. In an interview on this week’s Codcast, she reflected on her time in office and […]