FEMA has not explained why some climate products have been hidden from view, but the New England regional director told Nantucket that it is “to ensure the alignment” of FEMA actions with Trump directives.
FEMA quietly removes access to New England coastal erosion hazard tool
Posted inState Government
Opponents knock Healey’s youth mental health plan
With three state-funded youth mental health programs at risk of closing, lawmakers and providers ramped up their opposition this week to Gov. Healey’s proposed budget cuts.
Posted inOpinion
Why I’ll always remember my Parker House breakfast with Phil Johnston
Phil understood that young people aren’t just the future of the party or the nation, they’re a vital part of our present.
Posted inMarijuana
Legislators consider 8 bills to increase cap on cannabis dispensary ownership
Eight bills in this legislative session seek to increase the number of dispensaries or cannabis establishments that any one business can own, but nearly 60 cannabis industry leaders and business owners have come together to oppose the push to increase the cap.
Posted inOpinion
Energy prices are soaring in Massachusetts. Trump’s tariffs are making it worse.
MASSACHUSETTS FAMILIES ARE facing skyrocketing energy bills, and the Trump administration’s reckless energy and trade policies are making it worse. Already, some Bay Staters are paying double what they did […]
Posted inEducation
Push for the ‘right to read’ landing at State House
Just 42 percent of 3rd grade students were proficient in English on the 2024 MCAS. The numbers are far worse for student groups on the bottom end of the state’s yawning achievement gap. Only 24 percent of low-income 3rd graders are proficient in reading, and only 27 percent of Black students and 22 percent of Latinos are reading at grade level.
Posted inTransportation
MBTA caught in tariff crossfire between Trump and China
The MBTA is “actively assessing the impacts — potential or otherwise — on existing and future contracts,” after the news that President Trump will hike tariffs on Chinese goods to 104 percent.
Posted inOpinion
Trump is making the challenges facing nonprofits even tougher
Society expects nonprofit staff—who make up 17 percent of the Massachusetts workforce—to sacrifice wages for the opportunity to advance altruistic causes.
Posted inState House News Service
Former Baker deputy Mike Kennealy launches campaign for governor
A former private equity manager, who spent four years as state housing and economic development secretary under Gov. Charlie Baker, declared his candidacy for governor.
Posted inThe Codcast
Sec. Santiago on improving veterans services
CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith is joined by Jon Santiago, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services, to discuss how the now two-year-old office is progressing, advances at the Commonwealth’s Veterans Homes, how it is responding to threats from Washington, and what work he’s excited about for the future.
Posted inEnvironment
‘We have time to reverse this. We have time to step up’
The Trump administration has begun to pull back on key environmental protections designed to transition the country off of fossil fuels.
Posted inOpinion
Our towns in Western Mass. are getting shortchanged under the reimbursement formula for state-owned land
The report “Pursuing Equitable State-Owned Land Reimbursements for Municipalities” recommends a funding floor to address systemic inequity in the PILOT formula.
Posted inOpinion
Federal nutrition budget cuts will cause real pain in Western Mass.
These cuts would deepen food insecurity across Western Massachusetts and further strain our already overburdened food assistance network.
Posted inHealth Care
Troubled Boston nursing home could face $5 million deficit by end of year
Reviewing financial documents in court, Superior Court Judge Christopher Belezos said the future viability of the Benjamin Healthcare Center must be determined soon.
Posted inEnergy
Tariffs on Canada threaten our energy future and economic growth
THE IMPOSITION OF tariffs on energy imports from Canada jeopardizes both our climate targets and the economic security of millions of residents and businesses across New England and New York. […]
Posted inPolitics
Massachusetts Democrats want delegation to fight Trump. The rest of the state? Not so much.
Given that Massachusetts is one of the deepest blue states, it makes sense that it would be firmly in the vanguard of the resistance to Trump. The challenge for the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation is that the overall Massachusetts electorate is not exactly mounting the barricades.
Posted inPolitics
Super PAC aligned with Mayor Wu receives six-figure donation
AN OUTSIDE GROUP that worked to help Boston Mayor Michelle Wu elect a slate of City Council candidates two years ago has received a six-figure infusion of cash as she […]
Posted inState House News Service
Gov. Healey seeks $756 million for ‘time-sensitive deficiencies’
Healey’s office pitched the $190 million the bill includes for a child care financial assistance program as a way to “support Massachusetts residents at a time of rising costs.”