IN THE EARLY HOURS of Wednesday morning, the Massachusetts Legislature wrapped up its two-year session with a flurry of last-minute lawmaking that didn’t end until 4:41 a.m. Major compromise bills […]
Lots of bills land on Baker’s desk
Posted inPolitics
Mariano elected speaker again; Spilka, too
REP. RONALD MARIANO of Quincy was sworn in as House speaker on Wednesday promising honesty and straight talk, a leadership team that reflects the chamber’s diversity, and strong oversight of […]
Posted inTransportation
Legislature proposes new Uber, Lyft fees
THE LEGISLATURE approved new fees on Uber and Lyft rides Wednesday morning and required the companies to provide much more detailed information on rideshare drivers and their work activities. The […]
Posted inThe Download
For Mariano, the spotlight isn’t kind
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OFTEN count for a lot, and for Ron Mariano that’s probably not a good thing. The new House speaker gave an interview to Channel 5 reporter Sharman Sacchetti […]
Posted inPolitics
For Mariano, the spotlight isn’t kind
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OFTEN count for a lot, and for Ron Mariano that’s probably not a good thing. The new House speaker gave an interview to Channel 5 reporter Sharman Sacchetti […]
Posted inPolitics
Where deadlines, rules, time are malleable
THE 2019-2020 legislative session was scheduled to end on Tuesday, but there was still work to be done at midnight so lawmakers kept extending the session into the wee hours […]
Posted inTransportation
House, Senate finish by moving finish line
WITH SOME LEGISLATIVE sleight of hand, the House and Senate extended their sessions from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and succeeded in passing most of the major pieces of legislation […]
Posted inOpinion
May 1 melee at the Bristol Cty. Jail was not unique
AS MASSACHUSETTS Attorney General Maura Healey recently found, corrections officers at the Bristol County Jail on May 1 used excessive use of force to quell a nonviolent demonstration by non-criminal […]
Posted inEducation
Riley pushes lower-stakes MCAS test
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THIS YEAR’S MCAS exams will be conducted this spring but will feature “significantly” reduced testing time for third through eighth graders and no schools will be […]
Posted inEducation
Voc-tech schools thriving despite pandemic strictures
HANDS-ON EDUCATION plays a critical role at Massachusetts regional vocational-technical high schools, where students alternate weekly between academics and shop classes. Given that reality, you’d think the schools would be particularly […]
Posted inThe Download
Sweating it out on Beacon Hill like it’s July
THE WEATHER IS cold, Christmas lights are still up. But on Beacon Hill, the mood is more like July 31 – the traditional last day of formal sessions during the […]
Posted inPolitics
Sweating it out on Beacon Hill like it’s July
THE WEATHER IS cold, Christmas lights are still up. But on Beacon Hill, the mood is more like July 31 – the traditional last day of formal sessions during the […]
Posted inTransportation
Economic development, transpo bills coming down to wire
A FAR-REACHING climate change bill that could affect almost every facet of daily life whisked through both branches of the Legislature on Monday and landed on the governor’s desk, but […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Four prisoners die of COVID-19 during holiday week
FOUR PRISONERS at Massachusetts penal institutions succumbed to COVID-19 during the past week, bringing the total number of deaths under the jurisdiction of the Department of Correction to 15 for […]
Posted inOpinion
Baker is wrong to subsidize wood burning
GOVS. CHARLIE BAKER of Massachusetts and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan were featured US officials at the fifth anniversary celebration of the Paris Climate Agreement. Their presence demonstrated that state leaders, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Climate bill would clear up solar tax confusion
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE is set to clarify a confusing and outdated tax law, which had been stymying solar projects around the state. A compromise hammered out between the state’s assessors […]
Posted inHealth Care
Sudders ‘comfortable’ with vaccine reporting lag
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION says it has shipped 287,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to providers in Massachusetts but only 116,071 doses have been administered to patients so far. Gov. Charlie Baker […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker says Biden won ‘fair and square’
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER took aim at President Trump and members of his own party on Monday for continuing to challenge the results of the presidential election. “President-elect Joe Biden won […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Sens.-elect Gomez, Cronin stress equity
When the next Senate is sworn in Wednesday, it will have two new members: John Cronin, a Democrat from Lunenburg, and Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat. Gomez, the body’s first […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Sens.-elect Gomez, Cronin pledge focus on equity
When the next Senate is sworn in Wednesday, it will have two new members: John Cronin, a Democrat from Lunenburg, and Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat. CommonWealth Magazine · Sens.-elect […]
Posted inEconomy
SJC says Uber agreements with riders unenforceable
THE AGREEMENT UBER users must sign before registering with the ride-hailing service – the detailed fine print listed under “terms and conditions” – is not binding in Massachusetts because it is not provided […]
Posted inThe Download
New senators Cronin, Gomez pledge focus on equity
When the next Senate is sworn in Wednesday, it will have two new members: John Cronin, a Democrat from Lunenburg, and Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat. Gomez, the body’s first […]
Posted inPolitics
New senators Cronin, Gomez pledge focus on equity
WHEN THE NEXT Senate is sworn in Wednesday, it will have two new members: John Cronin, a Democrat from Lunenburg, and Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat. Gomez, the body’s first […]
Posted inEducation
How do you teach hands-on voc tech remotely?
BIOTECH TEACHER Arlyssa LaPorte sits at a desk in her classroom at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, with one camera pointed at her face and another at her […]