Sustainable investing has never been about sacrificing returns for virtue. It has always been about aligning capital with long-term value creation.
Socially responsible investing still makes sense — and cents
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. bottle deposit system continues nosedive, hitting new low last year
Out of the 10 states that have a “bottle bill,” including neighboring New York, Vermont, and Connecticut, Massachusetts has the lowest redemption rate.
Posted inOpinion
Proposed Mass Save cuts are a short-sighted move that will cost ratepayers – and the environment – more in the end
The desire to address affordability concerns may be well-intentioned, but we must resist doing that by raiding the energy efficiency programs that have done the most to keep energy bills down for decades.
Posted inEconomy
‘Blunt optimist’: Mass. insurance commissioner Michael Caljouw tries to manage sea change in the industry
Caljouw sat down to discuss how his office is navigating a changing landscape.
Posted inPolitics
House Republicans have a big decision in 2027 after Brad Jones retires
House Minority Leader Brad Jones will not seek another term, creating a vacuum atop the chamber’s small GOP caucus for the first time since George W. Bush’s first term with major implications on how Republicans work with the Democratic supermajority.
Posted inThe Codcast
The Bay State angle into the US Senate housing bill
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Matt Noyes, director of state and federal advocacy for the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA). They dig into the Bay State implications of the sprawling bipartisan “meatball” of a housing bill that recently passed the US Senate, and take a look at how efforts at home might interact with federal policy.
Posted inOpinion
Proposed rollback of Mass. health aide program previews the coming pain from Medicaid cuts
Cuts to home care are merely a precursor to the devastation that will follow as Medicaid cuts reach our hospitals, community health centers, and nursing homes.
Posted inBallot Questions
Dueling housing ballot measures collide with frustrated lawmakers
While rent control proponents acknowledged the need for more housing production, they argued that the state cannot build its way out of the crisis and that supply-oriented solutions like the starter home proposal are not sufficient on their own. Rezoning proponents, meanwhile, warned that if lawmakers did not enact the lot size change, voters may opt for price controls on rents they say would stifle the housing production market.
Posted inOpinion
The growing case for single-staircase buildings as one answer to our housing crisis
Nearly every other state in New England — Vermont dating back decades, and Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut more recently — has either changed or committed to changing its building code to allow four stories to be served by a single stairway.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Eager to be counted — on largely symbolic vote
The House’s vote on cuts to the Mass Save energy efficiency program provided a chance for several representatives in the midst of election fights to stake out a position they might soon tout on the campaign trail.
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to pay at the wheel, not at the pump
As vehicles become more fuel-efficient and electric vehicle adoption increases, the state will continue to collect proportionally less in gas taxes as drivers have less or no need to fill up at the pump.
Posted inEnergy
Tucked in House energy bill, a ‘big breakthrough’ on competitive electric suppliers
Now that the House took concrete steps to rein in competitive suppliers through the current energy legislation under debate, there could be a path forward this year to taking action.
Posted inOpinion
It’s not too late for Ed Markey to pass the torch
As he approaches his 80th birthday, the time has come to put the common good ahead of personal ambition – and for Sen. Markey to step aside and make room for the next generation of leadership.
Posted inEnergy
Shifting politics around data centers scramble Healey AI push
A backlash to data centers is scrambling whether and how the AI industry takes hold in Massachusetts, how it plays politically for Democrats in a deep-blue state, and how state officials manage the tradeoffs.
Posted inHistory
Underappreciated and poorly understood, Evacuation Day commemorates a pivotal moment in American history — and an unsung Boston hero
What is Evacuation Day anyway, and why is it such a big deal that it’s a holiday (in Suffolk County)? That question has long bewildered newcomers to Massachusetts – and more than a few long-term and lifelong denizens as well.
Posted inBallot Questions
More than paychecks at stake in legislative stipend ballot question
A ballot question aiming to reform the Legislature’s controversial system of stipends would reach beyond capping the value or number available. It would also require legislative committees to follow new review and voting procedures as a prerequisite to earning bigger paychecks.
Posted inOpinion
In the AI age, human skills are even more crucial in the workplace. That must be part of our schools’ career-readiness focus.
Massachusetts employers told us that as technology advances, the hardest skills to find are not technical — they are human.
Posted inCourts
Supreme Judicial Court says it’s up to Legislature, not judiciary, to set pay for court-appointed lawyers
Justices were wary of overstepping the “separation of powers” in a bid for courts to increase pay for attorneys who represent indigent defendants.
Posted inThe Codcast
Immigration enforcement and declines in public school enrollment
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Hallie Claflin discuss Claflin‘s latest piece on how immigration enforcement step ups are impacting school enrollment. They zero in on the state’s Gateway Cities, which are home to a disproportionate share of Massachusetts‘s immigrant population and are sounding the alarm over the psychological and fiscal effects of federal enforcement actions on their school communities.
Posted inEducation
‘Climate of fear’: Student enrollment declining amid Trump’s immigration crackdown
Overall, public schools across Massachusetts — which has become a target of President Trump’s crackdown on immigration — lost over 15,000 students from fall 2024 to fall 2025, according to state data released in January. That brings total enrollment in the state to its lowest level in over three decades.
Posted inOpinion
Passing end-of-course assessments should be part of new graduation requirements
Students should be required to pass end-of-course assessments to measure whether they have mastered core academic content and foundational skills that prepare them to think critically, creatively, and innovatively. These assessments would provide a clear, consistent, and objective signal of readiness regardless of where the student lives or their socioeconomic status.
Posted inBallot Questions
Mass. Senate asks top state court to examine constitutionality of legislative reform ballot questions
For the first time in a decade, lawmakers exercised their authority to seek an advisory opinion from the state’s highest court, asking justices whether a pair of ballot questions on course to reach voters in November raise constitutional concerns.
Posted inState House News Service
Doula certification effort set for launch this spring
“The Department of Public Health is working with MassHealth to implement more than 20 provisions within the 2024 maternal health law designed to bolster access to services and tackle racial disparities in care outcomes.”
Posted inEnvironment
Ratepayer revolt: Has the affordability debate soured Mass. on climate commitments?
Fighting climate change was once a badge of honor in Massachusetts, embraced by virtually all Democrats and even a lot of Republicans. But as households grapple with soaring energy bills, elected officials have become much more squeamish about the topic.