DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY from the New England power grid fell to an all-time low on Sunday, a reflection of the weather and the region’s embrace of solar power. Sunday was […]
NE power grid demand falls to its lowest level ever
Posted inDrug Addiction
Meth use poses rising threat in Massachusetts
THE SCOURGE of opioid addiction has made headlines for years, as state policymakers aim to reduce the epidemic of overdose deaths. Less noticed – but still highly dangerous – is […]
Posted inOpinion
Finding teachers of color starts with mentoring
THE PANDEMIC has taken a terrible toll on school children, costing them not just in lost time learning, but in the socialization skills necessary to succeed. For students of color, […]
Posted inOpinion
I assume my patients have been sexually assaulted
I AM A FORMER captain in the US Air Force, where I worked as both a research physicist and as an advocate for sexual assault victims in the military. Today, […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Senate passes license bill with veto-proof majority
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A LONG-DEBATED PROPOSAL to expand driver’s license access to undocumented immigrants took a major step toward becoming law on Thursday, clearing the Senate with a strong […]
Posted inUncategorized
Report says DCF needs to incorporate family input into policies
EVA LIVES in Central Massachusetts with her four children, ages seven to 11. About a year after her youngest was born, she was in her mid-20s and struggling with postpartum […]
Posted inThe Download
Wu calls MGH project a ‘catalytic investment’
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is calling the construction of two connected towers at Massachusetts General Hospital a “catalytic investment” that could not only boost health care in the city but […]
Posted inHealth Care
Wu calls MGH project a ‘catalytic investment’
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu is calling the construction of two connected towers at Massachusetts General Hospital a “catalytic investment” that could not only boost health care in the city but […]
Posted inUncategorized
CommonWealth wins six awards from New England newspaper association
COMMONWEALTH WON SIX AWARDS, including four first-place designations, from the New England Newspaper & Press Association in its Better Newspaper Competition. The awards were for articles written between August 1, […]
Posted inUncategorized
With tax revenues soaring, Spilka calls for relief package
MASSACHUSETTS TAX revenues continued to soar in April, astonishing experts who track the numbers and prompting Senate President Karen Spilka to announce that she intends to push for some sort […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Child Advocate says ‘system failed’ Harmony Montgomery
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES and the court system valued the rights of Harmony Montgomery’s parents more than Harmony’s wellbeing, according to a damning 101-page report issued Wednesday by […]
Posted inEducation
Poll: Parents still struggling with COVID aftershocks on children
BOSTON UNIVERSITY STATEHOUSE PROGRAM ALMOST HALF of parents across the state remain concerned about their child’s mental health as a result of school disruptions caused by COVID-19, according to a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
What finally put undocumented immigrant driver’s license bill in play?
THE FIRST TIME a bill was proposed in Massachusetts to let immigrants without legal status obtain a driver’s license was in 2003. Since then, bills have regularly been introduced, languished […]
Posted inThe Download
For GOP candidates, no news apparently good news
IT SEEMS LIKE an odd strategy for a party that claims only 9 percent of the state’s registered voters and is a decided underdog in polling match-ups looking ahead to […]
Posted inPolitics
For GOP candidates, no news apparently good news
IT SEEMS LIKE an odd strategy for a party that claims only 9 percent of the state’s registered voters and is a decided underdog in polling match-ups looking ahead to […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
US Senate committee deadlocks on Robinson
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A US SENATE COMMITTEE split evenly along party lines on whether to advance Massachusetts Rep. Maria Robinson’s nomination for a federal energy job, teeing up another […]
Posted inUncategorized
Officials reassure Mass. residents on abortion rights, gird for battle
A SMALL GROUP of top Massachusetts elected officials hastily gathered in front of the State House on Tuesday morning to reassure residents that abortion rights will remain intact in the […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
For mothers with history of opioid use, a non-judgmental lifeline
ELIZABETH MURDZIA, who stopped using heroin during pregnancy with the help of methadone, remembers rocking her newborn as he underwent methadone withdrawal at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. Murdzia, 29, […]
Posted inEconomy
Nantucket voters send short-term rental regs back for more work
AFTER CONTENTIOUS months of debate, Nantucket voters at town meeting Monday night passed basic regulations for short-term rentals, but declined to take any action on dueling proposals that would have […]
Posted inThe Download
Two MBTA bus routes back to pre-COVID ridership levels
Free fares have a way of drawing riders to a bus route, but there are other ways to attract passengers as well. In a presentation to the MBTA board last […]
Posted inTransportation
Two MBTA bus routes back to pre-COVID ridership levels
FREE FARES have a way of drawing riders to a bus route, but there are other ways to attract passengers as well. In a presentation to the MBTA board last […]
Posted inOpinion
With e-cigarettes, we’re going in the wrong direction
“Don’t be a butthead.” “Smoke free is the way to bee.” The ugly truth. Even with decades of memorable warning campaigns and shocking data, people are still taking up the […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should seek fed grants on I-90 Allston this month
WHEN OPPORTUNITY knocks, it’s a good idea to open the door. The federal government, thanks to underappreciated efforts by Congressional Democrats and strong presidential leadership, is now accepting applications for […]
Posted inGambling
Questions continue on lack of sports betting roll call in Senate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATE PRESIDENT Karen Spilka on Monday defended the Senate’s decision to pass legislation legalizing sports betting without making individual senators’ votes known. Spilka for weeks had […]