NEW GOVERNORS RARELY ascend to the office as smoothly as Maura Healey. With several cabinet picks still to be announced as she takes office on Thursday, she is essentially working […]
With a clean slate, Healey has running room to act on urgent issues
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Healey goes with interim secretary of health, human services
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV.-ELECT MAURA HEALEY will start her term as governor with an interim secretary of health and human services, acknowledging that she needs more time to find […]
Posted inOpinion
Seeking predictable permitting for new housing
Third in a five-part series. IF YOU LIVE in an affluent suburb of Boston, your municipality is probably not using as-of-right zoning to permit construction of apartments or condos. If […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Healey’s office asks SJC to reinstate charges in Soldiers’ Home deaths
MISMANAGEMENT AT THE Holyoke Soldiers’ Home undoubtedly contributed to the high COVID-19 death toll there in the first days of the pandemic. The question before the state’s highest court is […]
Posted inEconomy, State Government, Technology
Healey names cabinet secretaries for economic development, technology
ONE DAY BEFORE she is slated to be sworn in as governor, Maura Healey continued to fill out her cabinet roster, naming a business veteran to helm economic development and […]
Posted inState Government
Lawmakers fail to agree on “sexting” bill
A FLURRY OF last-minute lawmaking left a slew of bills on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk on Wednesday, but lawmakers denied the outgoing governor a final legislative win when they failed […]
Posted inThe Download
State ed board members rip slow pace of learning recovery targets
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 […]
Posted inEducation
State ed board members rip slow pace of learning recovery targets
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 […]
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 […]