WITH THE COVID-19 pandemic upending judicial proceedings, courts have ruled that under certain circumstances, a criminal trial can be held via Zoom. Now the same question is arising in Juvenile […]
Can a parent’s right to a child be terminated via Zoom?
Posted inOpinion
Huge upside to new MBTA upzoning guidelines
IN THE 2021 Greater Boston Housing Report Card, the Boston Foundation highlighted how the pandemic has amplified what was already one of Greater Boston’s most pressing needs – adequate housing supply in […]
Posted inOpinion
Use our forests to fight climate change
TWO BILLS NOW before the Legislature — H.912, An Act Relative to Forest Protection and H.1002, An Act Relative to Increased Protection of Wildlife Management Areas — would help to […]
Posted inOpinion
Telehealth works, don’t mess it up
COVID-19 HAS ALTERED all of our lives in devastating ways, and has fundamentally changed healthcare in the United States. One silver lining is a change that has dramatically improved healthcare […]
Posted inBook Review
The Quabbin lesson of doing big things (mostly) together
BEFORE THE FLOOD Destruction, Community, and Survival in the Drowned Towns of the Quabbin By Elisabeth C. Rosenberg 232 pages, Pegasus Books TODAY IT MIGHT be hard to imagine something […]
Posted inOpinion
Moment of truth for state’s health cost benchmark
A MOMENT OF TRUTH is now here for Mass General Brigham, as well as for the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, the Department of Public Health, and for health insurance premium […]
Posted inPolitics
Former Republican state senator Dean Tran will run for Congress
FORMER REPUBLICAN state senator Dean Tran of Fitchburg is running for Congress against incumbent Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan. Tran, whose ethical issues marred his tenure in the Senate before he […]
Posted inThe Download
The Mass General Brigham debate goes on
The Health Policy Commission’s double-barreled attack on Mass General Brigham dominated the headlines earlier this week, but the truth is the commission — as influential as it is — is […]
Posted inHealth Care
The Mass General Brigham debate goes on
THE HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION’S double-barreled attack on Mass General Brigham dominated the headlines earlier this week, but the truth is the commission — as influential as it is — is […]
Posted inPolitics
House stands firm against same-day voter registration
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S MOSTLY successful experiment with voting-by-mail during the COVID-19 pandemic would become a permanent option for voters in future elections, but House lawmakers on Thursday […]
Posted inTransportation
T board blesses $500m transfer for capital programs
THE BOARD of the MBTA on Thursday endorsed a staff plan to transfer $500 million from the transit authority’s operating budget to its capital budget to move forward on a […]
Posted inOpinion
House should pass same-day voter registration
LAST WEEK, Congress and the Biden Administration failed to advance federal voting rights legislation, prompting pundits and politicians to re-iterate the necessity of advancing legislation to strengthen voting rights and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Marijuana industry ‘fixes’ moving in the Legislature
A COMPREHENSIVE BILL that would address several major problems that marijuana regulators and industry experts have pinpointed in the legal cannabis industry is starting to move in the Legislature. The Joint Committee on […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Education, Transportation
Millionaire’s tax opponents sue over ballot language
OPPONENTS OF THE so-called “millionaire’s tax” filed a lawsuit Thursday asking the Supreme Judicial Court to change the summary of the constitutional amendment that will appear on the November 2022 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Souza-Baranowski prison to introduce officer-worn body cameras
SOME CORRECTION OFFICERS at Souza-Baranowski prison will begin wearing body cameras this summer, under a new pilot program being launched by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA ridership down sharply over last month
MBTA RIDERSHIP across all modes took a sharp tumble in January, reversing gains made slowly over the last 10 months. MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak called the decline significant, and […]
Posted inThe Download
House, Senate differ on COVID spending, voting rights
The House and Senate may agree on broad contours of policy, but when it comes to actually passing bills, the devil’s in the details. That truism is on full display […]
Posted inPolitics
House, Senate differ on COVID spending, voting rights
THE HOUSE AND SENATE may agree on broad contours of policy, but when it comes to actually passing bills, the devil’s in the details. That truism is on full display […]
Posted inEconomy, Race/Racism
Combating climate change could yield societal change
IT IS HARD to miss the urgent calls to do something about global warming. The Paris Agreement, Greta Thunberg, President Biden’s infrastructure legislation — the unusual climate patterns and the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Koonce, seeking commutation, takes full responsibility for killing
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FACING THE PROSPECT of a commutation that would make him eligible for parole after three decades behind bars, convicted murderer Thomas Koonce said Wednesday that he […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker budget includes $700m tax break proposal
IN HIS FINAL budget proposal before leaving office, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday included nearly $700 million worth of tax cuts for Massachusetts residents, setting up a debate over tax policy with […]
Posted inThe Download
Michelle Wu’s vax dilemma
MICHELLE WU is signaling that she won’t back down from a fight – but also would desperately like to avoid one. As she navigates the latest of the many big […]
Posted inHealth Care
Michelle Wu’s vax dilemma
MICHELLE WU is signaling that she won’t back down from a fight – but also would desperately like to avoid one. As she navigates the latest of the many big […]
Posted inEducation
Due to lack of interest, 2 MCAS science exams scrapped
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE BOARD of Elementary and Secondary Education agreed Tuesday to phase out two of the MCAS science exams currently offered to high schoolers, even as […]