STATE REVENUES keep rolling along. Budget officials on Friday revised upward their revenue forecast for the current fiscal year by $1.5 billion and then projected the state’s tax take would rise 2.7 percent in the next fiscal […]
State budget writers forecast continued growth in tax revenues
Posted inThe Download
Labor unions top PAC fundraising
Organized labor, always a powerful force in Democratic-dominated Massachusetts, continues to hold sway heading into the 2022 election season – and nowhere is that clearer than in fundraising. The Office […]
Posted inPolitics
Labor unions top PAC fundraising
ORGANIZED LABOR, always a powerful force in Democratic-dominated Massachusetts, continues to hold sway heading into the 2022 election season – and nowhere is that clearer than in fundraising. The Office […]
Posted inEducation
It’s time to revamp the student loan system
WHEN IT COMES to student loans, President Biden is acting like Lucy removing the football just as naïve Charlie Brown is persuaded to kick it. Every time the president sets […]
Posted inOpinion
John Muir’s view of wilderness is just plain wrong
THE IDEA that to “preserve” or “protect” a piece of land means it must be devoid of human influence (other than recreation) is a legacy of the white supremacy on […]
Posted inOpinion
Pass the ACT rule, we need more electric trucks
SEVERAL STATES across the nation are on the verge of adopting life-saving policies that will help slash diesel truck pollution and pave the way for climate action and healthier communities. […]
Posted inEducation
Navient will repay Mass. student borrowers $43.2m
MASSACHUSETTS STUDENT loan borrowers whose private loans were serviced by Navient will get $41 million of those loans forgiven, under a national settlement announced Thursday by Attorney General Maura Healey. […]
Posted inThe Download
Report says millionaires tax would raise $1.3 billion
A new report released by an independent think tank found that passing the so-called “millionaires tax” would raise an estimated $1.3 billion annually beginning in 2023. The number is lower […]
Posted inBy The Numbers
Report says millionaires tax would raise $1.3 billion
A new report released by an independent think tank found that passing the so-called “millionaires tax” would raise an estimated $1.3 billion annually beginning in 2023. The number is lower […]
Posted inTransportation
Poll: 79% back discounts for low-income T riders
A NEW STATEWIDE poll indicates overwhelming support for offering discounts to low-income riders on public transportation and strong but less support for eliminating fares all together. The poll of 1,026 […]
Posted inUncategorized
Sweeping offshore wind bill headed toward House
THE LEGISLATURE’S energy committee approved a bill Wednesday evening that would give the state’s Clean Energy Center a major role in the development of the offshore wind industry and tap […]
Posted inTransportation
Regional bus ridership down 52 percent from pre-pandemic levels
LIKE MANY TRANSIT systems nationwide, ridership on the state’s regional bus systems cratered during the early days of the pandemic. Ridership has rebounded at Regional Transit Authorities, according to a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker commutes sentences of two men convicted of murder
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday commuted the sentences of two men who were convicted of murder. the first commutations the Republican governor has issued since he took office. “I believe […]
Posted inPolitics
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll joins surge of lieutenant governor hopefuls
RARE HAVE SO many been so eager to win an office with so few powers accorded to it. Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll announced her run for lieutenant governor yesterday, making […]
Posted inThe Download
Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll joins surge of lieutenant governor hopefuls
Rarely have so many been so eager to win an office with so few powers accorded to it. Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll announced her run for lieutenant governor yesterday, making […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Offshore wind policy fight takes center stage
A LONG-BREWING fight over state energy policy moved into the spotlight on Tuesday as key players laid out their positions in what promises to be an interesting debate over the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Report slams sheriffs over campaign money from contractors, employees
A NEW NATIONAL report says campaign contributions to county sheriffs, including in Massachusetts, are rife with potential conflicts of interest from donors who stand to benefit from contracts or other […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker, Democratic legislators clash on virus response
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER often says he and his political opponents will “agree to disagree.” That could have been the mantra of Tuesday’s oversight hearing of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on […]
Posted inEnvironment
Power grid copes with cold by burning oil, coal
THE NEW ENGLAND power grid on Tuesday coped with unusually cold temperatures and outages at several power plants and transmission lines by bringing additional power plants online and relying on […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Federal lawsuit alleges brutal abuse by Souza-Baranowski officers
A FEDERAL LAWSUIT filed by Prisoners’ Legal Services on Monday alleges brutal, violent, and racist behavior by correctional officers at the Souza-Baranowski prison, giving a rare look at the alleged […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker prioritizes rapid tests, buys 26m more
MASSACHUSETTS WILL GET 26 million rapid antigen tests over the next three months, which it will distribute primarily to K-12 schools and childcare facilities, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Tuesday. “Rapid […]
Posted inThe Download
News not as bleak as it appears on COVID front
The news seems particularly bleak on the COVID front, with case counts rising rapidly and hospitalizations hitting levels not seen since last winter’s surge. But amid the rising alarm over […]
Posted inHealth Care
News not as bleak as it appears on COVID front
THE NEWS seems particularly bleak on the COVID front, with case counts rising rapidly and hospitalizations hitting levels not seen since last winter’s surge. But amid the rising alarm over the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mariano eyes vaccine mandate for public access to State House
HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano said on Monday that lawmakers will likely require members of the public to show proof of vaccination if and when the State House reopens. Mariano made […]