GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday signed into law a $47.6 billion state budget for fiscal 2022, which began two weeks ago. While he let most of the budget become law, Baker, who has line-item veto […]
Baker signs budget, takes different tack on tax policy
Posted inTransportation
Feds throw ‘huge wrench’ in I-90 Allston project
THE MOST POPULAR configuration for the I-90 Allston interchange is facing yet another hurdle, as the Federal Highway Administration sent state officials a terse letter saying the current design is […]
Posted inThe Download
In Beacon Hill Twitter battle, State House News Service beats Gov. Baker
Sorry, Gov. Charlie Baker. You may hold the corner office, but you’re only the second most influential voice on Beacon Hill Twitter. First prize goes to the press. In particular, […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
In Beacon Hill Twitter battle, State House News Service beats Gov. Baker
SORRY, GOV. Charlie Baker. You may hold the corner office, but you’re only the second most influential voice on Beacon Hill Twitter. First prize goes to the press. In particular, […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers add $150m to transportation infrastructure bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE passed an infrastructure bill on Thursday that had been under negotiation for several weeks, padding the traditional $200 million in annual financing for local […]
Posted inPolitics
Most mayoral candidates pan the Seaport
THE FIVE CANDIDATES for mayor of Boston all have a problem with the city’s shiniest bauble – the Seaport District. At an in-person forum on development sponsored by the Responsible […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Berkshire district attorney aims to open ‘black box’ of plea negotiationsÂ
MOST CRIMINAL CASES never make it to trial. Nationally, around 90 to 95 percent of cases are resolved through a guilty plea, where the prosecutor and defendant reach a negotiated […]
Posted inEducation
Are exam schools really an academic promised land?Â
AFTER MONTHS OF debate amid heightened attention to racial justice issues, the Boston School Committee approved sweeping changes on Wednesday night to admission rules for the city’s three selective-entry 7-12 […]
Posted inThe Download
Breakthrough cases bad for vaccine messaging
Regular communication and sharing of data have been a key part of the Baker administration’s approach to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. For months, Gov. Charlie Baker gave a COVID briefing […]
Posted inUncategorized
Breakthrough cases bad for vaccine messaging
REGULAR COMMUNICATION and sharing of data have been a key part of the Baker administration’s approach to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. For months, Gov. Charlie Baker gave a COVID briefing […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health care costs keep rising
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE AVERAGE TOTALÂ costs for Massachusetts family health insurance premiums roughly tripled from 2000 to 2019, hitting $21,424 and surpassing the national cost for a new compact […]
Posted inUncategorized
Somerset officials press Baker to intervene at Brayton Point
THE SOMERSET Â Board of Selectmen voted Wednesday night to send a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker urging him to shut down a scrap metal export business that the board says […]
Posted inUncategorized
New Bedford makes offshore wind play
AS COMMUNITIES up and down the East Coast jockey for economic opportunities from the emerging offshore wind industry, New Bedford is trying to stay ahead of the pack by doubling […]
Posted inUncategorized
Budget provision improves tax break for parents, caregivers
WHILE AN EXPANSION of the federal child tax credit is grabbing headlines, a provision giving low-income parents more of a break on their state taxes is sitting on Gov. Charlie […]
Posted inUncategorized
Advocacy groups sue DCF over language services
TWO ADVOCACY GROUPS and a mother who speaks limited English have filed a federal civil rights complaint against the Department of Children and Families, seeking to force DCF to improve […]
Posted inOpinion
Future of Work report part of terrible trend
WHAT KIND of analysis does $1.6 million buy from the world’s most prestigious management consulting firm? Judging by McKinsey & Company’s 82-page report about the future of work in Massachusetts […]
Posted inThe Download
Insurers put squeeze on Biogen Alzheimer’s drug
Call it the first big shot across Biogen’s bow in what may become a multi-billion-dollar war in which the hopes of millions for a way to hold back the ravages […]
Posted inHealth Care
Insurers put squeeze on Biogen Alzheimer’s drug
CALL IT THE first big shot across Biogen’s bow in what may become a multi-billion-dollar war in which the hopes of millions for a way to hold back the ravages […]
Posted inOpinion
Rent control is not the answer for Boston
BOSTON FACES a major choice in this fall’s election: will we commit to making housing in our city truly affordable for all, or will we embrace an outdated housing strategy […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker unsure about state ownership of Brayton Point land
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER says he is not sure whether the state actually owns a key chunk of land at Brayton Point in Somerset, as several town officials have insisted. “We’re […]
Posted inEconomy
‘Future of Work’ report highlights job training, housing needs
SOME 300,000 TO 400,000 people will need to transition to new jobs or industries in Massachusetts over the next decade, and the state will need to produce 200,000 new housing […]
Posted inPolitics
Santiago drops out of Boston mayor’s race
STATE REP. JON SANTIAGO, an emergency room doctor who launched his campaign for mayor of Boston in February after a year on the front-lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, dropped out […]
Posted inThe Download
Souza victory unites Somerset Select Board
Kathy Souza, a candidate for Select Board in Somerset, was asked at a recent debate how she would heal the division in town over a scrap metal export operation at […]
Posted inPolitics
Souza victory unites Somerset Select Board
KATHY SOUZA, a candidate for Select Board in Somerset, was asked at a recent debate how she would heal the division in town over a scrap metal export operation at […]