WITH THE IMPENDING vote on the so-called millionaire’s tax constitutional amendment, our elected Legislature should reflect on the purpose of our state’s constitution as a guiding document. This examination of […]
Millionaire tax doesn’t belong in Mass. constitution
Posted inPolitics
MassGOP drops plan targeting elected Republicans
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH MASSGOP Chairman Jim Lyons under fire from elected officials in his own party, the State Committee on Wednesday will no longer consider a proposal that […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Compromise on income-based fares
THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board voted unanimously on Monday to direct the transit authority’s staff to develop two options for testing income-based fares, leaving the decision on whether […]
Posted inTransportation
T estimates Red-to-Blue connector cost at $850m
THE MBTA unveiled an $850 million cost estimate for connecting the Red and Blue subway lines at Charles/MGH, a project that, if funding is found, could break ground in 2025 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Capping months of drama, Janey fires White
FIRST CAME THE “blue wall of silence.” Then came the very voluble airing of family laundry, an often cringe-inducing exchange of charges and counter-charges of domestic abuse and marital infidelity […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Tax tutorial by Sen. Adam Hinds
The state is flush with cash right now, but Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield said he doesn’t think that will stop the Legislature this week from passing and sending along […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Now not the time to hike PILOT payments for arts organizations
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, arts nonprofits in Boston were a potent driver of the local economy, supporting at least 45,889 full time jobs, generating over $1.3 billion in spending, and bringing […]
Posted inThe Download
Tax tutorial by Sen. Adam Hinds
The state is flush with cash right now, but Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield said he doesn’t think that will stop the Legislature this week from passing and sending along […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tax tutorial by Sen. Adam Hinds
THE STATE IS FLUSH with cash right now, but Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield said he doesn’t think that will stop the Legislature this week from passing and sending along […]
Posted inEconomy
Pandemic changes Fair Share debate
WHEN A COALITION of labor, clergy, and liberal organizing groups first proposed raising the tax rate on income over $1 million, the year was 2015. The income tax rate was 5.15 […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to prioritize offshore wind supply chain
THE TIME HAS COME to meet the promise of new jobs from the offshore wind industry. The main driver in my legislative support for offshore wind was the potential for […]
Posted inUncategorized
COVID and children: Risks are small, but not zero
NOW THAT Aubrey Samost and her husband are vaccinated against COVID-19, Samost said the Cambridge couple wouldn’t think twice about going out to dinner – except they have a 15-month-old daughter, who is too […]
Posted inOpinion
Solar gone wrong
JESSICA ROBERTSON and Daniel Berwick would be well-advised to take the advice they offer in their recent opinion piece that we should “shift the conversation from where solar shouldn’t go […]
Posted inOpinion
With transportation, we must not return to ‘normal’
First of two parts Welcome back. Welcome back to the post-pandemic world. Welcome back to being with family and friends in person and without masks. Welcome back to dining in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker releases $109m to 4 hard-hit communities
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday released $109 million in federal money for four communities hard-hit by COVID-19, ending a brief spat with the Legislature over the process of appropriating the […]
Posted inThe Download
Pooled COVID testing finally coming to childcare centers
For six months, Massachusetts’ K-12 schools have been able to opt into the state’s free pooled testing program, which lets them test for COVID-19 weekly among large populations of asymptomatic […]
Posted inHealth Care
Pooled COVID testing finally coming to childcare centers
FOR SIX MONTHS, Massachusetts’ K-12 schools have been able to opt into the state’s free pooled testing program, which lets them test for COVID-19 weekly among large populations of asymptomatic […]
Posted inOpinion
The municipal solution to climate change
AROUND THE WORLD, in the White House, and at our State House, leaders are finally beginning to respond to the climate challenge. Here in Massachusetts, we can take pride in […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
State tax revenue surges amid tax hike push
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE DEPARTMENT of Revenue collected more than twice as much money from taxpayers last month than it had anticipated and Massachusetts is now on pace to […]
Posted inTransportation
Rate of deterioration on Turnpike called exponential
STATE TRANSPORTATION officials said the elevated section of the Massachusetts Turnpike between Boston University and the Charles River is deteriorating at an exponential rate. Michael O’Dowd, the Department of Transportation’s […]
Posted inTransportation
On Allston project, tone changes but challenges remain
STATE TRANSPORTATION officials sounded a more optimistic tone Thursday night about reaching a consensus on a design for the Allston I-90 interchange project, but they continued to insist on options […]
Posted inUncategorized
Home delivery of marijuana starting next week
NEXT WEEK, Freshly Baked Company in Taunton will make history when it begins delivering marijuana-infused gummies to any adult purchaser near Taunton. It will be the first time members of the public […]
Posted inThe Download
Lobbying firm, Brayton Point near settlement
A messy legal dispute between the state’s top lobbying firm and the St. Louis company that bought and razed the coal-fired power plant at Brayton Point in Somerset appears to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
We need a new post-pandemic ‘normal’
AFTER MORE THAN a year of restrictions, Massachusetts is returning to something like normal. But the pandemic has made it painfully clear that, for many people, “normal” was never just […]