STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ALL HOUSE SESSIONS would permanently be livestreamed, committee chairs would have discretion to hold hybrid-format hearings, and published committee votes would not require the disclosure of […]
House set to debate rules, extend emergency
Posted inOpinion
AG could give big lift to supervised drug sites
PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE’S Empire of Pain describes Attorney General Maura Healey’s quest, not just for financial restitution from members of the Oxycontin-promoting Sackler family but also to expose their deep […]
Posted inUncategorized
Jockeying starts over how to spend $5b in federal aid
CHRIS CARLOZZI, state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, wants at least $1 billion. That’s what he thinks government should spend to help replenish the unemployment insurance trust […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker administration breaks silence on Brayton Point
The Baker administration, after months of silence, issued a cryptic statement suggesting it is reviewing the legal status of a controversial scrap metal operation using a state-owned pier at Brayton […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker administration breaks silence on Brayton Point
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION, after months of silence, issued a cryptic statement suggesting it is reviewing the legal status of a controversial scrap metal operation using a state-owned pier at Brayton […]
Posted inOpinion
A recipe for fixing the restaurant industry
WE’RE HEARING cheers of people saying the world is finally back to normal, that we can go back to living our lives the way we did before the pandemic. I […]
Posted inEducation
Community colleges see steep drop in Black, Latinx enrollment
AT ROXBURY COMMUNITY COLLEGE – where attendees are predominantly low-income students of color – enrollment was down by 20 to 25 percent last year. The college’s president, Valerie Roberson, wasn’t […]
Posted inOpinion
Despite COVID, we must prioritize sexual health
COVID-19 has permeated every level of every health system across the globe, overwhelming already overburdened health care workers and exposing existing faults within health systems—in addition to posing new barriers […]
Posted inOpinion
Standardized testing is not the way forward
AS WE EMERGED from the pandemic’s constraints, we finally had the freedom to book dinner reservations and plan a summer vacation, but in the midst of that liberation, our students were obligated […]
Posted inOpinion
Despite vaccines, COVID-19 testing remains priority
WHEN THE NEWS BROKE late last year that multiple pharmaceutical companies had successfully developed vaccines for COVID-19, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, there was light at the […]
Posted inOpinion
Promising to be champion of small business
MASSACHUSETTS IS at an inflection point. Decisions we make as we emerge from quarantine will define the character of the Commonwealth for decades. Small businesses should be at the center […]
Posted inTransportation
Weekend commuter rail resumes on all lines
THE MBTA is resuming service on all commuter rail lines this weekend, and even launching trains to Needham on Sundays in a way the community opposes. The T suspended weekend […]
Posted inOpinion
Bus is finally getting the respect it deserves
A FEW YEARS AGO I started dating someone who joked that if she ever asked me to marry her it would have to be on the 111 bus because I […]
Posted inUncategorized
House rules proposal suggests permanent hybrid hearings
THE MASSACHUSETTS House is considering making several changes to its rules that would make the legislative branch’s proceedings more accessible permanently – including for those outside the building. A draft memo on […]
Posted inGambling
VaxMillions not driving up shots yet
THE NEW VaxMillions lottery so far isn’t driving up the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in Massachusetts. In the week before Gov. Charlie Baker announced the lottery on June 15, 175,071 […]
Posted inPolitics
Chang-Diaz emphasizes the urgency of now
WHEN IT COMES to taking on the problems facing the state, Sonia Chang-Diaz regards patience far more as vice than virtue. A call for a more aggressive approach to everything […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health Equity task force report goes far beyond health care
A HEALTH EQUITY TASK FORCE formed by legislation during the COVID-19 pandemic went beyond its charge of examining COVID-related health disparities and issued a sweeping report Thursday that digs into […]
Posted inOpinion
A better way to deal with Boston exam school admissions
IT IS DISTRESSING to watch the debate over Boston exam school admissions divide the city. The focus on how to allocate a fixed number of seats has created a zero-sum […]
Posted inOpinion
Low-income commuter rail fares are a no-brainer
LAST MONTH, members of the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board took one last stand to advance a low-income fare program before their tenure over the agency expired. The board […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Mass Reboot: Home
The coronavirus pandemic has often served as a magnifying glass, accentuating and amplifying existing trends in our society. CommonWealth Magazine · Mass Reboot Episode 2: HomeWith housing, for example, COVID-19 […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass Reboot: Home
The coronavirus pandemic has often served as a magnifying glass, accentuating and amplifying existing trends in our society. With housing, for example, COVID-19 showed us what we already suspected – […]
Posted inOpinion
Boston Police need policies for dealing with children
After this commentary piece was submitted, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission issued guidance on how police forces in Massachusetts should deal with minor children. To read the guidance, […]
Posted inEconomy
Mass Reboot: Home
THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic has often served as a magnifying glass, accentuating and amplifying existing trends in our society. With housing, for example, COVID-19 showed us what we already suspected – […]
Posted inEducation
Boston School Committee votes to extend superintendent’s contract
THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE voted Wednesday night to extend Superintendent Brenda Cassellius’s contract by two years, giving the city’s school leader a vote of confidence after an initial two years […]