LOTS OF ATTENTION has been paid to Massachusetts’ unprecedented spending, made possible by once-in-a-lifetime federal largesse to pay for COVID-19-related needs. Behind the scenes, Massachusetts has also been saving. The […]
Mass. rainy day fund hits highest level ever
Posted inTransportation
T’s largest union signs new contract
THE MBTA board of directors on Thursday approved a new two-year contract with its largest union that provides 2.5 percent annual wage increases and one-time allotments per employee of $2,000 […]
Posted inHealth Care
Vaccine mandates kick in as hospitals struggle with staffing
DOUGLAS BROWN, president of UMass Memorial Community Hospitals, put it bluntly: “We’re going through the worst staffing crisis in our history.” Yet, UMass fired more than 200 employees earlier this […]
Posted inEnvironment
Maine judge deals blow to Mass. climate change plan
A MAINE JUDGE dealt a blow on Thursday to a key Massachusetts initiative to address climate change by importing hydroelectricity via a 145-mile transmission line running from Quebec down to […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Removal of Mass. and Cass encampment long overdue
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu’s plan to clear tents from the Mass. and Cass homeless camping site by January 12 is long overdue. If only it had been done earlier, the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker cries at emotional domestic violence roundtable
It is hardly unusual for Gov. Charlie Baker to cry in public. But on Wednesday, after a gut-wrenching hour listening to stories from survivors of domestic violence, the governor not […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker cries at emotional domestic violence roundtable
IT IS HARDLY UNUSUAL for Gov. Charlie Baker to cry in public. But on Wednesday, after a gut-wrenching hour listening to stories from survivors of domestic violence, the governor not […]
Posted inPolitics
Chang-Diaz backs green new deal
ADVOCATES FOR a “green new deal” in Massachusetts gained another major backer on Thursday, as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sonia Chang-Diaz came out in support of fare-free public transit and rapid deployment […]
Posted inEducation
Time for action to increase teacher diversity in Mass.
SHANICE MAXWELL, the 8th grade English language arts teacher at Dearborn STEM Academy in Boston, tells a story of a Black 8th grader who walked into class on the first […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
Back to the future: Red Sox launching booster facility
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE START of next year’s baseball season may be in jeopardy, but the turnstiles will be turning again at Fenway Park when it is expected to […]
Posted inHealth Care
Report finds Hispanic residents have harder time getting health care
HISPANIC RESIDENTS IN Massachusetts have experienced some of the most significant struggles in obtaining timely, affordable health care in an appropriate setting, according to a study released Thursday by the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Maine judge to rule quickly on transmission line injunction
MAINE DISTRICT Court Judge Michael Duddy said on Wednesday that he would rule in the next two days on whether to grant a preliminary injunction putting on hold a law […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Mariano sees offshore wind as top priority
HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano recently announced that he planned to seek a second two-year term as speaker in January 2023. But Mariano, 75, made clear in an interview on The […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu finds a high price to being nice
EVERYONE IS TALKING about how no one is talking to Michelle Wu. Never mind the controversy over her proposal to house homeless people in a vacant hotel near the troubled […]
Posted inThe Download
Wu finds a high price to being nice
Everyone is talking about how no one is talking to Michelle Wu. Never mind the controversy over her proposal to house homeless people in a vacant hotel near the troubled […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu raises fare-free snafu with Buttigieg
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu took her bid for three fare-free bus routes to Washington on Tuesday, briefing US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on a snag caused by guidelines issued by […]
Posted inEducation
Some Mass. college degrees pay off – but many others don’t
DOES ATTENDING college pay off? It depends which college you go to and what you study, according to a new report released by College101, a nonprofit focused on higher education advocacy. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Healey appeals dismissal in Soldiers’ Home case
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey announced Tuesday that she is appealing the recent dismissal of grand jury indictments against two former Holyoke Soldiers’ Home officials in connection […]
Posted inPolitics
Edwards beats D’Ambrosio in special election primary for state Senate
BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR Lydia Edwards rode a wave of progressive support – and high-profile endorsements that included both of the state’s US senators and Boston’s new mayor – to defeat […]
Posted inOpinion
Deciphering T-speak on fare-free bus, capital transfer
RECENT REPORTS coming out of the MBTA illuminate deeply flawed thinking about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s free bus plan and raise serious concerns about the transit agency’s ability to leverage […]
Posted inThe Download
Process overtakes promise on ARPA spending bill
It started out as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — the chance to spend billions of dollars in unexpected federal and state funds to accomplish real change in Massachusetts – but as […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Process overtakes promise on ARPA spending bill
IT STARTED OUT as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — the chance to spend billions of dollars in unexpected federal and state funds to accomplish real change in Massachusetts – but as […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker signs $4b ARPA bill with slight tweaks
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Monday signed into law a $4 billion spending bill, while vetoing several commissions that he worried would slow down the process of distributing the money. “The […]
Posted inTransportation
Wu’s $8m fare-free bus plan hits snag
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu is still hoping to launch fare-free buses for two years on three MBTA routes, but it appears her proposal has hit a major snag. Federal Transit […]