MASSACHUSETTS STATE GOVERNMENT lost the equivalent of 1,409 full-time employees in one year during the pandemic, the steepest drop in state government employment since the Baker administration intentionally cut the […]
State workforce shrinks to 2012 levels
Posted inHousing, State Government
Baker’s housing efforts meet resistance
IF COUNTLESS OPINION COLUMNS, university studies, and pledges by multiple governors were enough move the needle on housing costs, we’d live in one of the most affordable states in the […]
Posted inOpinion
Inflation having big impact on Mass. public policy
Usually, if your boss offers you a 5 percent raise, that’s good news. Right now, it’s a pay cut, thanks to inflation. That may sound strange, or depressing, but it’s our economic reality.
Posted inCriminal Justice
If public safety is the goal, free prison calls are the answer
Decades of research shows that promoting communication between incarcerated people and their support networks has many benefits, chief among them, improving reentry success upon release and reducing recidivism.
Posted inHealth Care
Baker urges speedy FDA review of Moderna COVID vaccine for kids
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER wrote a letter to President Biden urging the US Food and Drug Administration to quickly consider approving Moderna’s application for a COVID-19 vaccine for children. The state’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Children’s acquisition of Franciscan makes sense
I WRITE TODAY not to bury the leaders of Boston Children’s Hospital, but to praise them. Well, perhaps with some reservations. My reason for saying something nice today about Boston […]
Posted inThe Download
Hoffman’s abrupt exit at cannabis commission remains a mystery
The Cannabis Control Commission is at an inflection point, with all five of the state’s original marijuana regulators having moved on. “Today marks a significant moment for all of us […]
Posted inUncategorized
Hoffman’s abrupt exit at cannabis commission remains a mystery
THE CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION is at an inflection point, with all five of the state’s original marijuana regulators having moved on. “Today marks a significant moment for all of us […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA board member raises safety questions
A MEMBER of the MBTA’s oversight board on Thursday questioned whether all of the people being hired by the transit authority to address safety issues are actually improving safety. At […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, Opinion
What’s causing the infant formula shortage?
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here. A baby formula shortage has added to the woes of American parents already confronted with the pressures of raising […]
Posted inTransportation
Tool cart derailment delays Blue Line reopening 2d time
THE MBTA said on Thursday that it needs to extend the shutdown of service on a portion of the Blue Line a second time because a tool cart being used […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. agrees to pay $56m to settle Holyoke Soldiers’ Home lawsuit
THE STATE HAS AGREED to pay $56 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by veterans who contracted COVID-19 and the families of veterans who died at the Holyoke […]
Posted inThe Download
Budget amendment would create Harmony Montgomery Commission
A week after the state Office of the Child Advocate issued a report about the failure of the child welfare system to protect missing 4-year-old Harmony Montgomery, a state senator […]
Posted inUncategorized
Japanese firm has different plan for Cape power plants
A JAPANESE COMPANY is buying the oil and gas-fired power plants located in Sandwich on the Cape Cod Canal and seeking to repurpose them primarily as a conduit for delivering […]
Posted inUncategorized
Budget amendment would create Harmony Montgomery Commission
A WEEK AFTER the state Office of the Child Advocate issued a report about the failure of the child welfare system to protect missing 4-year-old Harmony Montgomery, a state senator […]
Posted inOpinion
We see sports betting, financial literacy connection
SPORTS BETTING is coming to a town and phone near you. Whether you are on the side of those who want to bring sports betting out of the shadows, like […]
Posted inOpinion
How the gas system can adapt to net zero future
THE FUTURE of natural gas is now at the forefront of state and local climate planning as it has become clear that the combustion of fossil methane and the leakage […]
Posted inThe Download
Toll, gas tax revenues at 95% of pre-COVID levels
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE ROBUST RETURN of crunching highway traffic to the greater Boston area might have made drivers miserable, but there’s a silver lining for transportation officials: many […]
Posted inThe Download
Some tidbits on Senate’s sports betting non-vote
In what may be the ultimate inside story on Beacon Hill, new details are starting to emerge on why the Senate dispensed with a final roll call vote on sports […]
Posted inUncategorized
Some tidbits on Senate’s sports betting non-vote
IN WHAT MAY BE the ultimate inside story on Beacon Hill, new details are starting to emerge on why the Senate dispensed with a final roll call vote on sports […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should retain free meals for all at schools
PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, more than 120,000 children in Massachusetts didn’t know where their next meal was coming from. Since COVID-19 arrived in the US, food insecurity rates in our […]
Posted inTransportation
Poftak confirms FTA safety investigation at MBTA
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FEDERAL TRANSIT officials will meet with T leaders this week to kick off a safety investigation into the agency, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said Tuesday, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Legislature preparing for post-Roe v Wade world
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE is starting to prepare for a post-Roe v Wade world, providing state tax dollars to organizations that help women pay for abortions and investing in security and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate budget focuses on early education, mental health, local aid
THE STATE budget proposal released by the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday largely hews to the same ideology as the plan adopted by House budget writers: Avoid tax […]