GORDON VAN WELIE, the president and CEO of ISO-New England, says there are four pillars that support the regional power grid his organization oversees, and all four are showing signs […]
The air traffic controller of electricity
Posted inUncategorized
Runner attempts 24-hour run to raise mental health awareness
BILL WELLS has run marathons, ultramarathons, and even a 100-kilometer race. On Saturday, April 23, he will try to achieve a new milestone: he plans to run for 24 hours […]
Posted inOpinion
Nursing home situation grows dire again
IT’S BEEN TWO LONG, arduous, and devastating years since Massachusetts, the country, and indeed the world, were thrown into a terrifying situation as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through our communities. […]
Posted inOpinion
When driving, get out of the bubble
IT’S NOT OFTEN that I get a warm fuzzy feeling while driving these days. With new cars that are designed to go faster, seal off the outside world, and are […]
Posted inOpinion
Too many containers are being burned, buried, littered
CLIMATE CHANGE is wreaking havoc on our planet, particularly in the Northeast region. A recent report from the United Nations found that climate change is accelerating at a shocking clip. The UN’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Public health system at a turning point
FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS, the first full week of April has been designated as National Public Health Week. This year, it comes at a critical turning point for the future of […]
Posted inThe Download
Changing incarceration trends lead to prison closure
The Massachusetts Department of Correction on Thursday made a surprising announcement: MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole will stop housing prisoners over the next two years. The reason the department gave was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Changing incarceration trends lead to prison closure
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT of Correction on Thursday made a surprising announcement: MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole will stop housing prisoners over the next two years. The reason the department gave was […]
Posted inOpinion
Senate plan puts too much emphasis on electric vehicles
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Thursday rolled out Senate Bill 2819, “An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward.” The bill was apparently meant to showcase the Senate as leading the way for […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State preparing to close down Walpole prison
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE OFFICIALS plan to wind down operations at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole, one of the state’s oldest correctional facilities. The Department of Correction on Thursday announced […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate passes a marijuana equity bill
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Thursday passed a bill that takes significant steps toward helping minority entrepreneurs and those affected by prior enforcement of drug laws break into the legal marijuana […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Holocaust museum planned for downtown Boston
TWO BOSTON AREA philanthropists have purchased an $11.5 million building on the Freedom Trail with the ambitious goal of creating a Holocaust museum in downtown Boston. “We’ve been all around […]
Posted inOpinion
Dealing with crowding on the Minuteman Bikeway
ON A WEEKEND in early March, the weather broke; the temperature was in the high 50s and New Englanders were out en masse walking, running, and cycling while we all […]
Posted inEnvironment
Senate climate bill goes granular, ups electric vehicle rebates
SENATE LEADERSHIP unveiled a very prescriptive $250 million climate change bill on Thursday that would direct Gov. Charlie Baker and his successor to boost rebates for zero emission vehicles, allow […]
Posted inThe Download
Bump says auditor cannot audit Legislature
Back in 2010, the last time the state auditor’s job was up for grabs, CommonWealth went out on the hustings to see what the candidates were talking about. It turned […]
Posted inPolitics
Bump says auditor cannot audit Legislature
BACK IN 2010, the last time the state auditor’s job was up for grabs, CommonWealth went out on the hustings to see what the candidates were talking about. It turned […]
Posted inEnvironment
Wu wants to test electric school buses
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON WILL ROLL in a small number of electric school buses next school year in a pilot program geared toward fully electrifying the city’s fleet in […]
Posted inOpinion
Moving the needle on climate change by not eating
WE HAD PROTESTED. We had lobbied, called, emailed, and written. We had marched, rallied, and chanted. We had sat in, blocked, disrupted, and gotten arrested. None of it had stopped the insanity. […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Republican accuses Dems of flipflopping on staff unionization
DURING A DEBATE on House rules in January 2019, Rep. Shawn Dooley, a Norfolk Republican, introduced an amendment that would allow House employees to unionize. The amendment was overwhelmingly rejected, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Chicopee school superintendent arrested for lying about threatening messages
THE CHICOPEE SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT was arrested Wednesday for sending threatening messages to a candidate for the Chicopee police chief position then lying about it to FBI investigators. Lynn Clark, 51, […]
Posted inEducation
State takeover of school districts no ‘silver bullet’
A YEAR AGO this month, the state board of education took up a proposal to temporarily suspend annual performance reviews of Massachusetts school districts because the MCAS test they would […]
Posted inThe Download
A bump in State House press presence
THERE’S AT LEAST some good news about the news business for a change. According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, the total number of statehouse reporters nationwide […]
Posted inUncategorized
A bump in State House press presence
THERE’S AT LEAST some good news about the news business for a change. According to a new report from the Pew Research Center, the total number of statehouse reporters nationwide […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Mass. receives $525m under opioid settlement
BOSTON UNIVERSITY STATEHOUSE PROGRAM STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS in Massachusetts will receive $525 million to combat opioid abuse as part of a settlement with four of the nation’s largest drug […]