Permanent mail-in voting is now the law in Massachusetts – unless Republican Party chair Jim Lyons has his way. The conservative GOP chair filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Judicial […]
MassGOP challenges vote-by-mail law
Posted inCourts, State Government
MassGOP challenges vote-by-mail law
PERMANENT MAIL-IN voting is now the law in Massachusetts – unless Republican Party chair Jim Lyons has his way. The conservative GOP chair filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Judicial […]
Posted inGuns
Mass. concealed-carry law threatened by Supreme Ct. decision
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN A RULING praised by gun rights advocates, the US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down New York’s concealed-carry gun licensing law with a decision that […]
Posted inTransportation
More bad news for T: Haymarket shuts down
THE MBTA shut down Green and Orange Line subway service through Haymarket Station Thursday evening after HYM, the developer of the Government Center Garage, said columns supporting the garage and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Report backs smaller women’s prison to replace MCI-Framingham
MASSACHUSETTS IS MOVING forward with plans to study replacing the MCI-Framingham women’s prison after a report issued by an independent consultant recommended moving the female inmates to a new facility […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA outlines hybrid approach on rail electrification
THE MBTA’S current plan for electrifying its commuter rail system calls for a hybrid approach using trains that draw power from overhead wires but also have the capability of running […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA ramping up hiring efforts in control center
MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Steve Poftak said a hiring blitz, complete with the offer of $10,000 signing bonuses, has attracted roughly 30 potential job recruits for the operations control center, where […]
Posted inCourts, Education
SJC slams Harvard, but says university can keep slave photos
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL Court on Thursday revived a lawsuit brought by a woman who claims Harvard University caused her emotional distress when she sought information about and the return of […]
Posted inThe Download
Senate staff get raises and pay scale changes – but no union
Massachusetts Senate staff seeking to unionize have gotten a big portion of what they want – minus the union. Senate President Karen Spilka on Wednesday announced a new compensation system […]
Posted inPolitics
Chang-Diaz discontinuing campaign for governor
SEN. SONIA-CHANGE DIAZ said she is discontinuing her campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor but keeping her name on the ballot while campaigning for other candidates who share her […]
Posted inState Government
Senate staff get raises and pay scale changes – but no union
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE staff seeking to unionize have gotten a big portion of what they want – minus the union. Senate President Karen Spilka on Wednesday announced a new compensation system […]
Posted inTransportation
84% of Mass. residents support low-income fare
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS overwhelmingly support a discount for low-income riders of the MBTA, according to a new poll. The poll indicates 56 percent of residents strongly support and 27 percent somewhat […]
Posted inOpinion
Legislature should fund low-income fares for MBTA, RTAs
IN OUR COMMUNITY of Chelsea, transit is a lifeline to thousands of people who rely on it to get to school, work, and other critical appointments. Often these are essential […]
Posted inTransportation
Biden, Baker aligned on gas tax holiday
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S call for gas tax suspensions at the federal and state level is changing the rhetoric around tax relief in Massachusetts, but not Democratic opposition on Beacon Hill. Initially, […]
Posted inEducation
Grants that sustained state’s childcare industry set to expire
SINCE BETH SIDEL opened 4 The Love of Learning Preschool in Montague a dozen years ago, she has almost always had a waiting list. But since the pandemic, she has […]
Posted inPolitics
Bucking party, Baker makes vote-by-mail permanent
DESPITE CONCERNS by members of his own party, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, signed a law Wednesday making voting by mail permanent. Massachusetts allowed early voting by mail for the […]
Posted inPolitics
SJC approves millionaire tax ballot summary
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Wednesday decided that the summary of a ballot question raising taxes on income over $1 million can go forward as written, stating that the money […]
Posted inThe Download
Leominster group pursuing fourth casino region
A group of Leominster business officials, with the help of former Senate president and now lobbyist Stan Rosenberg, is pursuing a long-shot, end-of-the-legislative-session bid to create a fourth casino region […]
Posted inGambling
Leominster group pursuing fourth casino region
A GROUP of Leominster business officials, with the help of former Senate president and now lobbyist Stan Rosenberg, is pursuing a long-shot, end-of-the-legislative-session bid to create a fourth casino region […]
Posted inCourts, State House News Service
SJC agrees to hear moot DiMasi case
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A YEAR AND A DAY after the case was rendered moot by the calendar, the Supreme Judicial Court last week decided that it will nonetheless rule […]
Posted inOpinion
Why abandoned pier in Charlestown matters
THERE IS A GREAT deal of uncertainty in the US economy with rising energy costs and inflation, and our city of Boston is grappling with a host of issues such […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers eye $250m for East-West rail
A TRANSPORTATION BOND BILL headed for a vote this week in the House includes language authorizing $250 million in spending on East-West rail, but nothing about the creation of a […]
Posted inThe Download
Getting a handle on FTA’s to-do list for MBTA
The Federal Transit Administration gave the MBTA a safety to-do list last week, with each task assigned its own timetable. The MBTA had 48 hours to come up with a […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers plan T safety hearings, call for $400m in extra aid
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS jumped into the fray over MBTA safety on Tuesday, announcing plans to hold oversight hearings on the transit authority in the coming weeks and to pass legislation appropriating […]