GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S effort to bolster the state law allowing defendants to be held before trial has been shelved for now by lawmakers, who call it an unwarranted overreach, but […]
Baker’s dangerousness bill divides DA candidates
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker’s dangerousness bill divides DA candidates
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S effort to bolster the state law allowing defendants to be held before trial has been shelved for now by lawmakers, who call it an unwarranted overreach, but […]
Posted inGambling
Lottery reports record revenue, prize payouts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FISCAL YEAR 2022 was another record-setting one for the Massachusetts Lottery with all-time highs for total revenue, prizes paid out, and commissions or bonuses paid to […]
Posted inMarijuana
Some advice for crafting final cannabis reform bill
AFTER YEARS OF ADVOCACY by community members, entrepreneurs, Cannabis Control Commissioners, and lawmakers, the Legislature is finally on the verge of passing comprehensive cannabis reform legislation that will help deliver […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Baker signs law banning hairstyle discrimination
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday signed the CROWN Act into law, making Massachusetts the 18th state to ban discrimination based on “natural hairstyles.” The governor held a joyous bill signing […]
Posted inPolitics
Dental ballot question summary challenged on ‘false statements’
THE OPPONENTS of a ballot question that would regulate dental insurance are asking the Supreme Judicial Court to force Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin to change the wording of […]
Posted inThe Download
Groups seek to keep Trump off 2024 ballot due to insurrection
Amid a national progressive campaign to keep former president Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot, should he choose to run again, Massachusetts’s top elections official says it’s not so simple […]
Posted inPolitics
Groups seek to keep Trump off 2024 ballot due to insurrection
AMID A NATIONAL progressive campaign to keep former president Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot, should he choose to run again, Massachusetts’s top elections official says it’s not so simple […]
Posted inPolitics
Handful of Democrats called out for voting to suspend rules
A CONSERVATIVE advocacy group on Monday called out a handful of Democratic lawmakers who in early 2021 voted for more time to study bills coming out of conference committees but […]
Posted inHealth Care
Lawmakers reach agreement on abortion legislation
WITH THE CLOCK ticking down on the Legislature’s two-year session, House and Senate leaders announced on Monday that negotiators have reached agreement between the two branches on a bill to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker not giving up on dangerousness bill, despite study order
THE WOMAN, who survived domestic violence, said she risked her safety, allowed herself to be vulnerable, and emotionally relived her abuse to advocate on behalf of Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill […]
Posted inThe Download
Sen. Markey seeks to pack ‘illegitimate’ Supreme Court
US Sen. Ed Markey has emerged as one of the most forceful critics of the US Supreme Court after recent decisions on abortion, gun licensing, and environmental protection. Markey has […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Sen. Markey seeks to pack ‘illegitimate’ Supreme Court
US Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, has emerged as one of the most forceful critics of the US Supreme Court after recent decisions on abortion, gun licensing, and environmental […]
Posted inGovernment
Sen. Markey seeks to pack ‘illegitimate’ Supreme Court
US SEN. ED MARKEY has emerged as one of the most forceful critics of the US Supreme Court after recent decisions on abortion, gun licensing, and environmental protection. Markey has […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Boston police captain cleared of most charges
A BOSTON POLICE captain who was on paid leave for 2½ years for violating the rules of conduct returned to work earlier this year and then scored a major victory […]
Posted inOpinion
Merging MBTA with DOT is a bad idea
THE JOINT COMMITTEE on Transportation seems to want to have its proverbial cake and eat it too. At its recent oversight hearing, House Committee Co-Chairman William Strauss suggested that the […]
Posted inOpinion
MBTA service levels need to be restored asap
LET THIS SINK IN for a second: The MBTA this week announced that it won’t be able to return the subway system to regular service frequencies before Labor Day, and […]
Posted inOpinion
Period poverty is a reproductive justice issue
IT ISN’T JUST abortion: period poverty is a reproductive justice issue. In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, people are looking to state legislatures to further […]
Posted inEconomy
How foreign private equity hooked New England’s fishing industry
BEFORE DAWN, Jerry Leeman churned through inky black waters, clutching the wheel of the fishing vessel Harmony. The 85-foot trawler, deep green and speckled with rust, was returning from a […]
Posted inThe Download
Judiciary seeks to join modern era with $164m bond bill
When I recently sought a public document from a state court, the clerk asked me to request it by fax. In 2022, who operates via fax? Reporters are not alone […]
Posted inCourts
Judiciary seeks to join modern era with $164m bond bill
WHEN I RECENTLY sought a public document from a state court, the clerk asked me to request it by fax. In 2022, who operates via fax? Reporters are not alone […]
Posted inOpinion
National Grid has a vision for fossil-free heat
FOR THOSE INCLINED to reference Greek mythology when discussing Massachusetts energy policy, the attributes of Greek architecture may provide a better blueprint. Striving towards precision and excellence, the architects of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lawmakers pass moratorium on prison expansion
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IT’S ALMOST TIME for Gov. Charlie Baker to decide exactly what he thinks about a legislative mandate preventing his administration from studying or constructing new correctional […]
Posted inGuns
House passes gun bill as amendment to bond legislation
THE MASSACHUSETTS House on Thursday quickly introduced and passed provisions tightening gun licensing standards in response to a recent US Supreme Court decision. With just 10 days to go before […]