WITH SCHOOLS ACROSS the state grappling to address the learning loss tied to pandemic-related school closures and disruptions, the state education department is working to set goals for student achievement […]
State ed board members rip slow pace of learning recovery targets
Posted inPolitics
Mariano says House will review 2 election results
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TOP HOUSE DEMOCRATS plan on Wednesday to task a special committee with examining the results of two elections decided by microscopic margins following recounts, a process […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service, Transportation
Baker making last-minute appointments as he exits
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is making some last-minute appointments to boards and commissions as he prepares to leave office. Last week, the governor named outgoing state rep Timothy Whelan of Barnstable […]
Posted inOpinion
Solving the MBTA Communities zoning puzzle
IN 2021, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts adopted the MBTA Communities zoning law requiring municipalities served by the MBTA to zone districts “of reasonable size” for multi-family housing at a “gross density” of […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
Baker bids farewell
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER, who often called the “blocking and tackling” of state government the centerpiece of his approach in office, on Tuesday began a two-day process of saying a public […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Power grid put under stress over Christmas holiday
A correction has been added to the story. OVER THE CHRISTMAS holiday, the New England power grid relied heavily on oil to meet the region’s electricity needs and for a […]
Posted inThe Codcast
‘Political hobbyism’ arrives at the workplace
CommonWealth Magazine · ‘Political hobbyism’ arrives at the workplace
Posted inThe Download
Companies are talking up politics – but is it mostly hot air?
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
Companies are talking up politics – but is it mostly hot air?
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 […]
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, […]