LEGISLATIVE LEADERS say they are optimistic the State House will begin reopening to the public in February. Senate President Karen Spilka made the announcement following a State House meeting between […]
Spilka says State House likely to reopen in Feb.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Commission probes uneven sheriffs’ spending
THE BRISTOL COUNTY sheriff’s department spends around $50,000 per year for each inmate it incarcerates, and around $1,000 per inmate on programming. The Barnstable County sheriff spends twice that – […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Making sense of COVID policies in schools
Students are contracting COVID-19, occasionally in school – but medical experts say school is the safest place for kids. Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against COVID, though children […]
Posted inThe Download
Making sense of COVID policies in schools
Students are contracting COVID-19, occasionally in school – but medical experts say school is the safest place for kids. Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against COVID, though children […]
Posted inEducation
Making sense of COVID policies in schools
STUDENTS ARE CONTRACTING COVID-19, occasionally in school – but medical experts say school is the safest place for kids. Parents are urged to vaccinate their children against COVID, though children […]
Posted inOpinion
Why hospital ERs are filled beyond capacity
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC, which has afflicted more than 68 million people and caused more than 850,000 deaths in the United States, continues to serve as a giant stress test for […]
Posted inArts and Culture
DCR ghosts artist group in Hull
A FEW YEARS AGO, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation put an early 1900s dilapidated, long-vacant building it owns across from Nantasket Beach in Hull out to bid for […]
Posted inOpinion
Make Mass. a leader in reproductive freedom
FORTY-NINE YEARS ago today, the United States Supreme Court issued its historic ruling in the case of Roe v. Wade, confirming that access to abortion is a right guaranteed by […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass General Brigham makes its case for expansion
IN AND AROUND Boston, the quality of our hospitals and the talent of our doctors, nurses, and medical personnel has never been in doubt. Rather, the question has always been […]
Posted inEconomy
Unprecedented federal funding is chance to push for priorities
WE ALL WORRY, too many get sick, and all of us are limited by the COVID crisis. We all shudder at what might happen in the 2022 and 2024 elections. […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Municipal officials slam Polito local aid projection
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH STATE TAX REVENUES continuing to blow past projections, municipal leaders said Friday they are disappointed in Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito’s forecast that cities and towns […]
Posted inOpinion
A lot can change when it comes to rivers
SIXTEEN YEARS BEFORE the passage of the revised Clean Water Act, 5-year-old Mark threw a rock into the Nashua River in Leominster, one of the 10 most polluted waterways in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Stairway death of BU professor called accident
LAW ENFORCEMENT officials have concluded the death of Boston University professor David K. Jones last fall was an accident, caused when he ducked around a fence blocking access to a […]
Posted inThe Download
Costly ballot fights ahead on gig economy, income tax amendment
A ballot question that would classify Uber and Lyft workers as independent contractors while granting them certain workplace benefits is shaping up to be the biggest and most expensive fight […]
Posted inPolitics
Costly ballot fights ahead on gig economy, income tax amendment
A BALLOT QUESTION that would classify Uber and Lyft workers as independent contractors while granting them certain workplace benefits is shaping up to be the biggest and most expensive fight […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
FERC declines to revoke Weymouth compressor certificate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A CONTROVERSIAL NATURAL GAS facility in Weymouth can continue to operate after federal regulators on Thursday declined to revoke the project’s authorization, dealing another blow to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Marijuana regulators support updates to drugged driving laws
SINCE MASSACHUSETTS LEGALIZED recreational marijuana, Gov. Charlie Baker has been pushing the Legislature to also update the state’s laws against driving under the influence of drugs. But a lengthy […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nearly half of COVID hospitalizations called ‘incidental’
CLOSE TO HALF of the patients being hospitalized in Massachusetts for COVID-19 are incidental cases, meaning they tested positive for the virus while being treated primarily for other issues. The […]
Posted inPolitics
In first campaign stop, Healey stays on script
IN HER FIRST public appearance as a candidate for governor, Maura Healey waved off talk that she’s the front-runner in the race – but very much acted that way, sticking […]
Posted inThe Download
MBTA proposes narrowly targeted fare changes
The MBTA and its new oversight board have shied away from broad discussions about eliminating fares or discounting fares for low-income riders, but on Thursday they set in motion an […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA proposes narrowly targeted fare changes
THE MBTA and its new oversight board have shied away from broad discussions about eliminating fares or discounting fares for low-income riders, but on Thursday they set in motion an […]
Posted inPolitics
Healey launches run for governor
ENDING MONTHS OF speculation, Attorney General Maura Healey announced her candidacy for governor on Thursday, declaring she’s ready to take the passion she’s brought as “the people’s lawyer” to the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Needham police officer charged with insider trading
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TWO MEN from Needham, one of them a police officer, and a Rhode Island man were arrested Wednesday in connection with an alleged conspiracy to trade […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mass General Brigham backs real estate transfer fee
MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM, the state’s largest private employer, on Wednesday urged passage of legislation that would allow Massachusetts communities to assess fees on higher-end real estate transactions to support the […]