The Download: Betting (on) the farm
Betting (on) the farm
The latest data from the US Agricultural Census show more than 100,000 acres of farmland in Massachusetts have been lost since 1997. That’s an average of losing just under 15 acres of farmland a day, roughly double the rate of farmland loss nationwide.
Filling the teacher gap
With an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 teacher vacancies in Massachusetts, I am heartened to see our elected leaders beginning to take critical steps to attract more people to the profession
‘Trying to do more with less’: Massachusetts prepares for inflation with proposed road funding bill
A bill proposed by Gov. Maura Healey would borrow $1.5 billion over the next five years to fund reconstruction and repairs to municipally-owned roads and bridges.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s big question on climate
“It’s a transition, but we all have to be more thoughtful,” she said recently.
House leader looks to put brakes on vocational school admission changes
A top House leader is looking to upend the years-long process to adopt new admissions policies governing the state’s vocational high schools.
Higher ed board approves new guidelines for students with disabilities
A 2022 law was passed to create more higher education opportunities for students with “severe intellectual disabilities, severe autism spectrum disorders and other severe developmental disabilities.”
Managed retreat: not if, but when?
CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith is joined by Kristin Uiterwyk, director of the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston, and Chris Krahforst, Director of Climate Adaptation and Conservation for the town of Hull, to discuss managed retreat in Massachusetts coastal communities threatened by rising waters and shrinking sands.
In the fight for a more sustainable future, we can’t afford to leave underserved communities behind
Since Massachusetts wants to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, we can’t afford to leave any homeowners behind in pursuing clean energy improvements.
Should Massachusetts implement a program providing universal basic income?
The difference of opinion over UBI generally comes down to what’s valued most by either side of the argument: reducing the effects of poverty now or increasing self-sufficiency in the future.
FEMA quietly removes access to New England coastal erosion hazard tool
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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.
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.