STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE OUTLOOK FOR the already-delayed transition to entirely new Orange and Red line fleets continues to grow worse. After previously delaying the project’s targeted end date […]
More delays for new Orange and Red line cars
Posted inEducation
MCAS scores show major drop since 2019
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT REMAINS well below where it was in 2019, indicating a steep loss in learning during the pandemic that has yet to be made up, according to statewide MCAS […]
Posted inEducation
A tipping point for school accountability?
THIS FALL BROUGHT the first opportunity since 2019 for students in Massachusetts to enjoy a “normal” first day of school. The joy of learning is returning to Commonwealth classrooms, and […]
Posted inEducation
Union leader blasted for dismissing focus on college and careers
THE SUCCESSION OF state legislators and teachers who testified before the state board of education last month came with detailed arguments against a proposal to raise the minimum passing score […]
Posted inThe Download
Polito praises Driscoll’s experience – but won’t endorse
WHEN THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION created a Seaport Economic Council in 2015, chaired by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, one of its first appointed members was Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. In 2019, […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
Polito praises Driscoll’s experience – but won’t endorse
WHEN THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION created a Seaport Economic Council in 2015, chaired by Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, one of its first appointed members was Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll. In 2019, […]
Posted inPolitics
AG candidates agree to debate
AFTER WEEKS OF deflecting calls to debate her Republican opponent, Andrea Campbell, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, has agreed to face-off with Jay McMahon in a debate hosted by […]
Posted inOpinion
Overextended MBTA is moving in right direction
ONLY A GOVERNOR not seeking re-election could close the Orange Line for a month. We need further bold steps like that — further bold steps to simplify the challenges that […]
Posted inHealth
Medicaid waiver makes money available for housing, nutrition
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT on Wednesday approved a five-year, $67 billion agreement with the state of Massachusetts that will govern how the state administers its Medicaid program. Gov. Charlie Baker said […]
Posted inThe Download
Some ballot questions could draw blank stares
ALONG WITH ELECTING candidates to statewide and local offices, voters will be asked to decide four ballot questions in November. Two of them – whether to raise income tax rates on […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Government, Politics
Some ballot questions could draw blank stares
ALONG WITH ELECTING candidates to statewide and local offices, voters will be asked to decide four ballot questions in November. Two of them – whether to raise income tax rates […]
Posted inOpinion
It pays to hire people with disabilities
NOW HIRING! The help wanted signs are everywhere these days, whether it’s the local sandwich shop around the corner or the high-tech Fortune 500 company. Today, there are nearly twice […]
Posted inGambling
Lottery facing headwinds, sales down
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY and an expanding menu of gambling options send lottery sales into a slide in Massachusetts and across the country, Massachusetts officials are thinking […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass General Brigham cost containment plan approved
A FAIRLY MUTED Health Policy Commission on Tuesday unanimously accepted a first-of-its kind cost containment plan put forward by Mass General Brigham, ending a nine-month process to rein in spending […]
Posted inThe Download
Here are some ways to lower your electric bill
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS HAVE some options to avoid – or at least sidestep for awhile — the sky-high electricity rates coming this winter. National Grid provided a glimpse of what’s coming […]
Posted inEconomy, Energy
Here are some ways to lower your electric bill
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS HAVE some options to avoid – or at least sidestep for awhile — the sky-high electricity rates coming this winter. National Grid provided a glimpse of what’s coming […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Nurses need more than a wellness program
IMAGINE YOU ARE a nurse at a Massachusetts hospital. Your 12-hour shift just turned into a 14-hour shift against your will. You’ve barely had time to hydrate, or even use […]
Posted inImmigration
Baker once again refuses to criticize DeSantis
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER once again declined to criticize Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for airlifting Venezuelan immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, saying he doesn’t want to get caught in the […]
Posted inHealth, State Government
Lessons learned from failed birth control law
DRAWING LESSONS from a Massachusetts birth control law that failed to work as planned, a reproductive rights group released a toolkit on Monday offering a series of recommendations to lawmakers […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Top Baker aide sees ‘herd mentality’ in shrinking press corps
CommonWealth Magazine · Top Baker aide sees ‘herd mentality’ in press corps
Posted inThe Download
Top Baker aide sees ‘herd mentality’ in shrinking press corps
A top aide to Gov. Charlie Baker says the shrinking press corps covering state policy and politics in Massachusetts is having a major impact on how news is reported. Tim […]
Posted inMedia
Top Baker aide sees ‘herd mentality’ in shrinking press corps
A TOP AIDE to Gov. Charlie Baker says the shrinking press corps covering state policy and politics in Massachusetts is having a major impact on how news is reported. Tim […]
Posted inOpinion
Trees in New England are in trouble
DESPITE THE RECENT RAIN, most of New England remains in the throes of a persistent drought – including an extreme drought in Boston and surrounding areas. For many, droughts may […]
Posted inPolitics
Two surgeons who are moms jump into politics
UNTIL SHE STARTED a PAC to elect candidates to Congress, Dr. Anahita Dua had little exposure to the world of politics. Dua is a vascular surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, […]