THIS SPRING, as flowers and trees begin to bloom in New England, our clean energy industry is also ready to blossom after decades of delays and setbacks. Last month Gov. […]
The real work begins now on climate change
Posted inOpinion
Legislative fixes for essential worker problems
ESSENTIAL WORKERS have always played a significant role in our society, but their roles were especially amplified since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elected officials, the public, and many […]
Posted inUncategorized
State regulators weigh how to expand hemp sales
WHEN THE STATE budget passed in December, lawmakers tucked into it a provision meant to be a lifeline for struggling hemp farmers in Massachusetts, allowing farmers to sell their products […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker retreats more on biomass power plants
REACTING TO STRONG public opposition, the Baker administration on Friday continued its retreat from measures that would have allowed a power plant fueled by wood to be constructed in Springfield. […]
Posted inThe Download
Do Fattman, Eldridge donations follow similar pattern?
Sen. Jamie Eldridge of Acton was a big supporter of his former State House aide, Danillo Sena, when Sena ran for a House seat last year. According to Sena’s campaign […]
Posted inPolitics
Do Fattman, Eldridge donations follow similar pattern?
SEN. JAMIE ELDRIDGE of Acton was a big supporter of his former State House aide, Danillo Sena, when Sena ran for a House seat last year. According to Sena’s campaign […]
Posted inOpinion
Can Mass General Brigham integrate?
Perhaps its’s real this time, and not just rhetoric. I am referring, of course, to the recent media stories that Mass General Brigham, more than 25 years after its creation, […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate change law codifies environmental justice
MASSACHUSETTS RECENTLY took a significant step towards addressing the problem of climate change, passing An Act Creating a Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy. In addition to important provisions aimed at […]
Posted inEnvironment
Somerset coming apart at the seams
THE SOUTH COAST community of Somerset seems to be pulling apart at the seams, as rancor over stop-gap development at Brayton Point prompted the chair of the Board of Selectmen […]
Posted inEducation
Equity in access to advanced academics is vital
FOR FOUR YEARS RUNNING, Massachusetts was first in the nation for students succeeding in Advanced Placement. This year, our ranking dropped to No. 3. While the spread was small – […]
Posted inThe Download
Lack of mental health beds means long ER waits
Four years ago, a Pittsfield woman named Christine told MassLive about her experience waiting with her young son in the hospital emergency room for three days until the hospital could […]
Posted inHealth Care
Lack of mental health beds means long ER waits
FOUR YEARS AGO, a Pittsfield woman named Christine told MassLive about her experience waiting with her young son in the hospital emergency room for three days until the hospital could […]
Posted inHealth Care
HPC traces racial impacts of COVID
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HISPANIC AND BLACK patients represented a disproportionate share of COVID-19 hospitalizations in 2020, as did patients from lower-income communities, according to a new state report. Staff […]
Posted inHealth Care
House budget calls for publicizing 2017 law
THE HOUSE BUDGET proposal includes an outside section requiring the state’s commissioner of public health to launch a public information campaign promoting the availability of 12-month prescriptions for birth control. […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Tax breaks not on House budget chief’s radar
THE HOUSE’S TOP budget official said his spending plan for fiscal 2022 doesn’t address outdated or ineffective tax breaks highlighted in a recent commission report and he doesn’t plan to […]
Posted inUncategorized
House budget boosts spending, keeps fed funds in reserve
HAPPY DAYS are here again. That may not be the case for most Massachusetts residents, still in the grip of the COVID pandemic, but it appears to be the case […]
Posted inOpinion
Why racial oversamples in polling make sense
A RECENT AND SUDDEN change to polling approaches has greatly expanded what we know about public opinion here in Massachusetts. The rapid expansion of “oversampling” happened during the nationwide upheaval […]
Posted inEnvironment
Now is the time to invest in climate resilience
GOV. BAKER’S RECENT signing of a sweeping climate bill into law codifies emissions reduction targets, expands clean energy, improves the efficiency of new building stock, and uplifts environmental justice communities. […]
Posted inThe Download
Defund the police, or defang the gangs?
THE “DEFUND THE POLICE” slogan, born out of anguish and anger over police killing of unarmed black men, has existed uneasily alongside another painful reality: the predominantly black neighborhoods that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Defund the police, or defang the gangs?
The “defund the police” slogan, born out of anguish and anger over police killing of unarmed black men, has existed uneasily alongside another painful reality: the predominantly black neighborhoods that […]
Posted inEducation
State proposes sweeping change to vocational school admissions
FOUR YEARS AFTER elected officials and advocates began calling for changes to state regulations governing admission to vocational-technical high schools, Education Commissioner Jeff Riley is proposing a sweeping update to […]
Posted inOpinion
Spilka backs ‘moonshot’ to address caregiving crisis
What follows is an excerpt of Senate President Karen Spilka’s speech on Tuesday to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. I have been particularly struck by the statistics on the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Angry Somerset residents elect ally to select board
SOMERSET VOTERS, angry about noisy and dirty businesses operating out of an industrial site that was supposed to be a staging ground for the state’s offshore wind industry, elected an […]
Posted inUncategorized
What you need to know about COVID-19 variants
MASSACHUSETTS HAS some of the highest numbers of COVID-19 variants of any state in the country. Some of the variants that exist today are more contagious and may cause more […]