ONLY RESIDENTS with lawful immigration status may apply for a Massachusetts driver’s license. Yet even immigrants who are lawfully present face problems verifying their immigration status to the satisfaction of […]
RMV process for checking immigration status is deficient
Posted inEducation
Information scarce on sexual misconduct at Boston schools
IT’S HARD TO TELL whether the type of sexual behavior that resulted in a recent $650,000 legal settlement at a Boston public school is an aberration or just the tip of […]
Posted inEconomy
The silent majority in support of housing action
RECENT HIGH-PROFILE opposition to new housing has many wondering whether Massachusetts has lost its appetite for ramping up housing production. Last year, we saw the bipartisan passage of the Baker […]
Posted inOpinion
Small dental practices face uncertain future
INDEPENDENT DENTISTS who work in rural areas and suburbs across Massachusetts are in a vulnerable spot. The dental practice landscape is changing, and the small, private practices that are an essential part […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Trial Court chief Paula Carey to retire
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TRIAL COURT CHIEF JUSTICE Paula Carey, one of the most influential figures in the Massachusetts judiciary, plans to retire early next year after the better part […]
Posted inThe Download
Study says 140,000 children lost a caregiver to COVID
A STUDY PUBLISHED by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday quantifies yet another tragic outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic: orphanhood. The study used modeling to […]
Posted inHealth Care
Study says 140,000 children lost a caregiver to COVID
A STUDY PUBLISHED by the American Academy of Pediatrics in the journal Pediatrics on Thursday quantifies yet another tragic outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic: orphanhood. The study used modeling to […]
Posted inTransportation
Some towns yearn for commuter rail silence
TO SOME, locomotives sounding their horns in advance of grade crossings are an important safety measure that also harkens back to railroad heydays gone by. To others, the horns are […]
Posted inOpinion
Neal should broaden tax breaks for solar
IN RECENT MONTHS, communities across Massachusetts have been reeling from the effects of extreme weather. In response, state officials recently announced a series of grants and policy initiatives aimed at combating climate change and […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker appoints new MBTA board
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Thursday announced the formation of a new seven-member board to govern the MBTA, with a state transportation veteran at the helm. The new board will be […]
Posted inThe Download
Juvenile delinquency dropped during pandemic
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC’S disproportionate impact by race has been well-documented in areas including health outcomes, remote work, and education. Now, add one more disparity: juvenile justice. A report released Wednesday […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Juvenile delinquency dropped during pandemic
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC’S disproportionate impact by race has been well-documented in areas including health outcomes, remote work, and education. Now, add one more disparity: juvenile justice. A report released Wednesday […]
Posted inPolitics
Senate approves making voting changes permanent
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE SENATE ON Wednesday went on record supporting the permanent adoption of COVID-era voting allowances like expanded early voting and voting-by-mail, and also adopted policies like […]
Posted inEconomy
Fearing egg shortages, Legislature updates ballot question
A HIGH-STAKES game of chicken between national interests may threaten Massachusetts’s supply of eggs and pork. The Legislature is attempting to resolve the dilemma through some Beacon Hill sausage-making, by […]
Posted inThe Download
Here’s the Diehl with wacky Mass. politics
IT’S OFTEN HARD for outsiders to make sense of Massachusetts, where Democrats reign supreme but Republicans have dominated the governor’s office for more than three decades. Today’s development does little […]
Posted inPolitics
Here’s the Diehl with wacky Mass. politics
IT’S OFTEN HARD for outsiders to make sense of Massachusetts, where Democrats reign supreme but Republicans have dominated the governor’s office for more than three decades. Today’s development does little […]
Posted inTransportation
Poftak: T has some time to address finances
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ACKNOWLEDGING IN THE WAKE of a tumultuous month that a series of safety improvements have been “not enough,” MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said Tuesday that […]
Posted inUncategorized
State is rolling in money
STATE TAX REVENUES continued to surge in September, exceeding forecasts by state officials and far surpassing what the state has taken in during the same month in previous years. The […]
Posted inUncategorized
Rule change paves way for smokable hemp
FOR THE LAST four years, Linda Noel has planted and cultivated hemp, but the Franklin farmer has never been able to sell it because of strict regulations governing how her crop can be used. Now that’s […]
Posted inEconomy
Report urges action on addressing inequities post-COVID
DESPITE A NATIONWIDE reckoning on race, Massachusetts society post-COVID could see even worsening inequities in society based on class and race, if policymakers do not make a conscious effort to […]
Posted inThe Download
Who’s keeping whom in check on Beacon Hill?
Massachusetts, the old adage goes, elects Republican governors to keep the free-spending Democrats on Beacon Hill in check. But lately it seems like the roles are reversed. Every chance Gov. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Who’s keeping whom in check on Beacon Hill?
MASSACHUSETTS, the old adage goes, elects Republican governors to keep the free-spending Democrats on Beacon Hill in check. But lately it seems like the roles are reversed. Every chance Gov. […]
Posted inGambling
With thoroughbreds missing, money piling up in race horse fund
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A RECENT AUDIT of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission found no deficiencies, but Auditor Suzanne Bump said the agency could do a better job of collaborating with […]
Posted inEconomy
Auditor Suzanne Bump chronicles dire state of infrastructure in Western Mass
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS have long bemoaned their standing in “a tale of two Commonwealths.” The urban, eastern part of the state, they say, sucks up most of the attention – […]