It’s nice to have money to play with. Under pressure, House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on a $4 billion spending bill, which was released Wednesday evening and which lawmakers […]
Compromise ARPA spending bill emerges $180m bigger
Posted inThe Download
Baker’s exit ends era, opens doors
It’s the news all of the Massachusetts political world has waited for, and now that it’s here, it will set off a flurry of activity on the state’s political landscape. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Compromise ARPA spending bill emerges $180m bigger
IT’S NICE TO HAVE money to play with. Under pressure, House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on a $4 billion spending bill, which was released Wednesday evening and which lawmakers […]
Posted inPolitics
A hole in the middle
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S announcement that he won’t seek a third term – and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito’s decision not to try to succeed him – not only creates a void […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker, Polito say 8 years is enough
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER recalled a backyard party in the fall with many of his staff where his wife said the biggest challenge associated with public life is not being present […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. egg market about to get scrambled
EGGS ARE A SYMBOL of birth, rebirth, and hope and are featured in recorded history of ancient cultures in Greece and China. In Massachusetts, however, eggs are currently a symbol […]
Posted inPolitics
Healey calls Baker ‘valued partner’
ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey, a Democrat who many believe is preparing a run for governor, issued a statement on Wednesday calling Gov. Charlie Baker a “valued partner,” while two of […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker, Polito say they won’t seek re-election
IT’S THE NEWS all of the Massachusetts political world has waited for, and now that it’s here, it will set off a flurry of activity on the state’s political landscape. […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. urgently needs a Plan B for TCI
THE CANCELLATION of the Transportation Climate Initiative (TCI), a centerpiece of the Commonwealth’s efforts to combat climate change, is deeply disappointing, because transportation causes over 40 percent of all greenhouse […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Negotiators reach ARPA spending bill deal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE AND SENATE leaders said Tuesday night that they had struck a deal to spend $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act and state tax surplus […]
Posted inEnvironment
Power politics in Maine
MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIALS are counting on a Maine court to overturn a law passed in early November by 59 percent of Maine voters so a power line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker clarifies stance on vaccine QR codes
A DAY AFTER Gov. Charlie Baker revealed that states are in discussions about a scannable code that could be used as proof of COVID vaccination, the Republican governor clarified that […]
Posted inThe Download
Was Baker talking a bit of trash about Healey?
Gov. Charlie Baker was talking on Monday about what makes him run for elected office, but it seemed like he also could have been talking a bit of trash about […]
Posted inPolitics
Was Baker talking a bit of trash about Healey?
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER was talking on Monday about what makes him run for elected office, but it seemed like he also could have been talking a bit of trash about one of […]
Posted inHealth Care
Staffing woes plague mental health agencies
THERE IS NO question that the residential treatment facilities operated by The Home for Little Wanderers for teenagers with mental health problems are desperately needed. The current mental health crisis […]
Posted inEconomy
No answers yet on unemployment insurance trust fund
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION said on Monday that it still hasn’t completed a financial accounting of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund and may not be ready with one anytime soon. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker says deal coming ‘soon’ on universal vaccine proof
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said Monday that a deal could be reached “soon” with a number of other states to create a scannable code that could be used to prove someone has been vaccinated. “We’ve been working […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The bullseye on Mass General Brigham’s back
Mass General Brigham, the state’s largest hospital system and its largest employer, has been down this road before. CommonWealth Magazine · The bullseye on Mass General Brigham’s backIn 2015, when […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass General Brigham has bullseye on its back
Mass General Brigham, the state’s largest hospital system and its largest employer, has been down this road before. In 2015, when it went by the name of Partners HealthCare, the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass General Brigham has bullseye on its back
MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM, the state’s largest hospital system and its largest employer, has been down this road before. In 2015, when it went by the name of Partners HealthCare, the […]
Posted inOpinion
Learning the ins and outs of charging your car
OVER THE NEXT few weeks, thousands of motorists will be traveling the highways of Massachusetts and beyond to see friends and family for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Amidst the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Massachusetts distributes 80 percent of money for foster kids
MASSACHUSETTS HAS DISTRIBUTED about 80 percent of the $7.9 million it was given by the federal government to help current and former foster children during the pandemic, and it has a little over […]
Posted inOpinion
The all-EV approach won’t work
THERE’S A LOT of federal and municipal leadership in Massachusetts working hard to address the existential problem of global warming and the local public health crisis being caused by long-term […]
Posted inOpinion
Benjamin LaGuer and the cruel reality of medical parole
THE CRUELTY Benjamin LaGuer endured through a lifetime of privation, isolation, and vilification lasted until the day he died in prison in the early morning hours after the 2020 election […]