STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES WILL vote Thursday on a wide-reaching veterans bill that also features a gambling expansion proposal that is unpopular in the Senate and could create “complexity” […]
House bids for slots in veterans halls
Posted inCourts
SJC hears arguments on whether to allow permanent voting by mail
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT is poised to decide whether to overturn the new law allowing Massachusetts residents to vote by mail for any reason. Gov. Charlie Baker on June 22 signed […]
Posted inOpinion
Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz: Why I’m asking for your time instead of your vote
I ANNOUNCED THAT I was running for governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts one year ago to the day last week. I got into the race before Gov. Charlie Baker […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Senate approves pandemic policy extensions bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DURING ITS FIRST session of the final month of serious legislating, the Massachusetts Senate on Tuesday released and passed a bill further extending some pandemic-era policies. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
She recorded her abuser, then she faced charges
THE WOMAN’S HUSBAND pushed her down on her bed and placed a pillow over her face. He threatened her and the couple’s young child, according to court findings granting the […]
Posted inOpinion
Side of toxic chemicals with those fries?
MANY OF US enjoy the time-saving benefits of purchasing prepared meals. Ordering takeout also allows Massachusetts residents to support the many restaurants that have been hit hard by the coronavirus […]
Posted inTransportation
Déjà vu for Congressman Lynch
IT’S A BIT of déjà vu for US Rep. Stephen Lynch. Last year, he was upset with the MBTA because it had received billions in federal aid but was nevertheless […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should decriminalize sex work
AS THE AFTERSHOCK from the reversal of Roe. v Wade continues, Massachusetts has the opportunity to increase bodily autonomy and safety to women and gender-diverse residents. Massachusetts should decriminalize sex work […]
Posted inCourts
Tran calls gun theft indictment politically motivated
AFTER CONGRESSIONAL candidate Dean Tran was indicted on charges that he stole a gun from an elderly constituent, Tran defiantly issued a statement slamming Attorney General Maura Healey for “partisan […]
Posted inOpinion
Look at the history: Taxes do make the wealthy migrate
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS in November will consider a constitutional amendment that would impose an annual 4 percent surcharge on incomes over $1 million. The debate over the surcharge and the merits […]
Posted inOpinion
What the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment expansion means for gun safety
THE SUPREME COURT ruled last week, in New York Rifle and Pistol Ass’n v. Bruen, that all “law-abiding” Americans have a right to carry a gun outside the home for self-defense. […]
Posted inOpinion
Gun rights threaten our civil rights
WE HAVE A RIGHT to free speech. It is perhaps our most celebrated right as Americans. But no one has the right to cry “fire” in a crowded theater. Every right […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Baker tax relief bill clears committee mostly intact
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE’S Revenue Committee advanced a $600 million tax relief package on Friday, but the panel’s House chairman said the measure remains a work in progress. […]
Posted inGuns
Congressional candidate Dean Tran indicted for theft
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL candidate and former Fitchburg state senator Dean Tran was indicted Friday on charges that he stole a firearm from an elderly constituent, then misled investigators about the incident. […]
Posted inOpinion
“We cannot lose our hard-fought equality”
SINCE 1973, access to abortion care has been a constitutional right in America. This past week, the Supreme Court took that right away, the first time ever that the Court […]
Posted inState Government
Long to-do list for end of legislative session
IT’S JULY 1, and this month is shaping up to be an enormously busy one on Beacon Hill. There’s one month until the Legislature wraps up its business for the […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State House News Service
State sets carbon targets for 2025, 2030
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS IS committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent compared to 1990 levels by the middle of this decade and by the minimum 50 […]
Posted inEducation
Senate seeks greater public funding of childcare
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE LEADERS on Thursday unveiled a proposal to inject significant sums of public money into the state’s childcare system, which has traditionally been mostly privately funded. The Senate plan […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to build stable, supportive housing in Massachusetts
COVID-19 HAS LAID bare the inadequacy of a safety net system here in Massachusetts, from workforce shortages to the lack of a viable public health response for adults, youth, and […]
Posted inEducation
Mary Skipper selected as new Boston school superintendent
HOURS AFTER SHE was selected as Boston’s next school superintendent, Mary Skipper pledged to focus on improving special education and English language instruction in the district. “That’s one out of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Andrea Campbell wants to cap gun purchases, expand assault weapons ban
DEMOCRATIC ATTORNEY general candidate Andrea Campbell will release her first in-depth policy plan on Thursday – a gun violence prevention plan that includes a mix of enforcement of current laws […]
Posted inHealth Care
House passes abortion provider protections as advocates clamor for more
THE MASSACHUSETTS House on Wednesday passed a bill protecting Massachusetts abortion providers from adverse consequences by other states and requiring insurers to cover abortion care. Yet even with the Legislature’s […]
Posted inTransportation
Lynch optimistic about bringing back T retirees
US REP. STEPHEN LYNCH is optimistic the MBTA and its unions can find a way to bring retired subway dispatchers back on the job to help raise staffing levels in […]
Posted inTransportation
Poftak gets nearly $80,000 in bonus payments
MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Steve Poftak, who is steering the beleaguered transit authority through safety and budgetary challenges, received nearly $80,000 more in his paycheck earlier this year in the form […]