The Download: State board approves lottery admissions for vocational high schools
State board approves lottery admissions for vocational high schools
In the end, no one seems entirely happy with the outcome, and in the messy give and take of democratic decision-making that’s often hailed as a sign that the system is working.
Senators get ‘enough yeses’ to add $43.5 million to budget
The Senate Ways and Means Committee proposed an underlying budget that started at $61.32 billion, as Democrats forge ahead with their spending appetite despite modest state tax revenues and federal funding uncertainty.
Flooding in Massachusetts drains money, energy, and resources
Studies show that extreme precipitation and flooding are increasing in the Northeast and that coastlines are becoming more vulnerable due to changing frequency and intensity of storms and severe rain.
Massachusetts is under economic attack
The Trump administration is waging economic warfare against Massachusetts by turning political points into lethal policies that weaken higher education, life sciences, maritime trade, and tourism — key pillars of our economy that account for about one-third of the state’s gross domestic product.
‘Always been a free market guy’: Mike Kennealy talks running for governor and being a Republican in Mass.
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Gintautas Dumcius talks with gubernatorial hopeful Mike Kennealy about running as Republican against Gov. Maura Healey, his platform, and his history in the Baker administration.
71 years later, Massachusetts must deliver on the promise of Brown vs. Board of Education
71 years after Brown — and 50 years after the beginning of Boston busing — Massachusetts schools remain deeply segregated by race and class.
New England AGs to Trump: ‘Bring it on’
Attorneys general, advocacy organizations, and individuals have leveled dozens of lawsuits at the Trump administration. They say that executive actions targeting immigration, the global economy, public health and scientific research funding, higher education, and marginalized groups are “unlawful” and “damaging.”
City finances top of mind in early days for Boston mayoral candidates
FOUR YEARS AGO around this time, mayoral candidates in Boston and elsewhere found themselves staring at computer screens and pitching themselves to voters who were considering who should succeed Marty […]
Spending push interrupted by executive branch hiring freeze
Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday paused executive branch hiring due to what her office described as “widespread economic uncertainty at the national level and a tightening budget outlook.”
Boston pushes forward on ranked-choice voting
Boston City Councilors voted 8-4 in favor of a home rule petition that would begin the process of implementing ranked-choice voting in the capital city, setting up a potential clash with an often disinterested Legislature.
The Commonwealth has the money to protect the common wealth
While Gov. Healey is right that Massachusetts can’t make up the $16 billion in federal funds the state receives annually from the federal government, we have to be prepared to protect our people from the worst of the harm coming from Trump.
Healey unveils new energy affordability legislation
“I believe that this legislation is going to give us the tools that we need to create more accountability for our utilities and maximize every single ratepayer dollar,” said Gov. Maura Healey, at a press conference announcing her new energy affordability legislation in Leominster.
Voters support more action to boost housing, new poll finds
Some 57 percent of voters think that the cost of housing is a “a big problem” in their own communities, according to a new poll conducted by the MassINC Polling Group for Abundant Housing Massachusetts, and 68 percent think there aren’t enough affordable homes in their own cities or towns.
A statewide nicotine ban? Why stop there?
Many of the things adults choose to do are dangerous. Are we going to ban them all?
Greater Boston municipal leaders recommit to climate goals
“While this federal administration trades the truth for profits, we will continue showing the nationthat we are still fighting for a better, brighter future,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Monday at the Museum of Science where 17 municipal leaders signed a commitment to climategoals.
Wu administration puts City Hall attorney on leave amid his mayoral run
A City Hall spokesperson said the law department must be perceived as non-political by the mayor’s cabinet chiefs.