BEFORE THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION freed the slaves, before Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman, there was Mum Bett. A Black slave in the Sheffield home of Colonel John Ashley, a prominent Berkshire […]
Sheffield statue to honor Mum Bett, 1st Mass. slave to sue for freedom
Posted inEconomy
Baker urged to clear up unemployment insurance fund confusion
A SENIOR ANALYST at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center who is following the debate over the solvency of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund urged the Baker administration on […]
Posted inHealth Care
We owe our nation’s veterans top-notch health care
AS WE HONOR our nation’s veterans, there are important developments on the horizon regarding how and where Massachusetts’ veterans will access health care and medical services. In 2018, the Maintaining […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Senate passes ARPA spending bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER WADING THROUGH hours of debate and considering hundreds of amendments, the Senate late Wednesday night unanimously approved a $3.82 billion package to steer special federal relief […]
Posted inEconomy
Unemployment insurance deficit may have vanished
This story has been updated with a Baker administration response. THE DEFICIT in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, expected by some to run into billions of dollars eventually, has apparently […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker refiles marijuana-impaired driving bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday announced that he is taking another run at passing a bill to stop people from driving while impaired by marijuana. Baker said the bill will […]
Posted inArts and Culture
It’s time to end gun violence – on movie sets
A 16-YEAR-OLD BOY shivers. It’s cold, dimly lit, and windy outside an old, abandoned city warehouse. He should have worn more than his thin hooded sweatshirt. He pulls the hood […]
Posted inThe Download
Could infrastructure bill put East-West rail on track?
IT’S A REALLY big deal,” said Eric Lesser. The Longmeadow state senator seemed to be channeling Joe Biden’s famous line whispered to Barack Obama at the signing of the Affordable […]
Posted inTransportation
Could infrastructure bill put East-West rail on track?
“IT’S A REALLY big deal,” said Eric Lesser. The Longmeadow state senator seemed to be channeling Joe Biden’s famous line whispered to Barack Obama at the signing of the Affordable […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
What’s next after stunning Maine rebuke
LAST TUESDAY’S stunning rebuke by Maine voters of a utility transmission project has dramatic implications for Massachusetts’ clean energy and climate strategy. The so-called New England Clean Energy Connect transmission […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. climate agenda takes Election Day hits
ONE OF THE MOST consequential results for Massachusetts from last Tuesday’s election actually occurred in Maine. By a margin of approximately 59-41 percent, Maine residents voted to prohibit Central Maine […]
Posted inPolitics
Fall River’s fate unclear as power players divided
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DEBATE OVER HOW the South Coast cities of New Bedford and Fall River should be represented in Congress continues to divide the state’s political power players, […]
Posted inHealth Care
Senate unveils major mental health bill
LEADERS IN THE Massachusetts Senate on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive mental health bill, which would set a floor for the rates insurers must pay for mental health services, address the […]
Posted inThe Download
Strange bedfellows on fed infrastructure bill
They say politics can make strange bedfellows, and the vote over the weekend on President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill was no exception. The bill passed 228-206 with the help […]
Posted inTransportation
Strange bedfellows on fed infrastructure bill
THEY SAY politics can make strange bedfellows, and the vote over the weekend on President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill was no exception. The bill passed 228-206 with the help […]
Posted inOpinion
College market to accept SNAP benefits
WHENEVER I TALK about food insecurity I ask people to take a moment and think about how it feels to be hungry. I mean, really hungry. Not just like you’re running late […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Utilities defend energy efficiency plan
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GETTING MORE people to adopt electric heat sources in place of fossil fuel-powered sources is a crucial part of the effort to meet the state’s new […]
Posted inUncategorized
2 more House lawmakers provide proof of vaccination
TWO MORE STATE representatives provided proof over the weekend that they have received COVID-19 shots, leaving the House with only five of its 160 members out of compliance with the […]
Posted inThe Codcast
What will Boston’s new Wuniverse bring?
In her victory speech after cruising to a landslide win in the Boston mayor’s race, Michelle Wu spoke of the urgency of “bold” change to “meet the moment” the city […]
Posted inThe Download
What will Boston’s new Wuniverse bring?
In her victory speech after cruising to a landslide win in the Boston mayor’s race, Michelle Wu spoke of the urgency of “bold” change to “meet the moment” the city […]
Posted inPolitics
What will Boston’s new Wuniverse bring?
IN HER VICTORY speech after cruising to a landslide win in the Boston mayor’s race, Michelle Wu spoke of the urgency of “bold” change to “meet the moment” the city […]
Posted inOpinion
Getting to yes on electricity transmission infrastructure
Second in a series ANY VISION of the future decarbonized power system is sure to include hundreds of wind turbines dotting the Atlantic Ocean to power homes and businesses across […]
Posted inHealth Care
Hospitals help mental health patients – by sending them away
THE 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL was stuck in a hospital emergency room waiting for mental health services, after she found a sharp object in school and tried to hurt a teacher. The […]
Posted inOpinion
At Mass General Brigham, when is enough enough?
ON AUGUST 19, 2003, I stood in the operating room of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. My wife was lying supine on a table in front of me and […]