A PRISONER in his 80s at the state prison in Norfolk died of COVID-19 on Friday, the ninth inmate to die in the custody of the Department of Correction since the […]
MCI-Norfolk prisoner in his 80s dies of COVID-19
Posted inOpinion
Don’t place too many restrictions on telehealth
FOR DECADES, Massachusetts has been known for having the best health care in the world. As doctors who’ve practiced medicine for a combined 40 years in the Commonwealth, we have […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to build on Mass. registered apprenticeship program
THE AMERICAN WORKFORCE is at a crossroads. It’s understandable that a lot of workers to feel like there’s no place left for them in the 21st Century economy, given the jobs […]
Posted inOpinion
Elderly challenges go well beyond COVID
THE EMERGENCE of promising vaccines to fight COVID-19 is certainly good news, but those older adults on fixed or limited incomes will continue to face serious issues in daily living […]
Posted inUncategorized
Initial 300,000 vaccine doses will be used as first shot
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER filed a COVID-19 vaccination distribution plan with the federal government on Friday that calls for distributing the 300,000 doses expected to arrive this month as the first […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers swiftly pass delayed FY21 budget bill
THE HOUSE AND SENATE made quick work on Friday of passing a $46.2 billion state budget for fiscal 2021, sending it to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk, despite some controversy over a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tran’s campaign donates $5,000 to legal defense fund
THREE DAYS AFTER losing his bid for reelection, Sen. Dean Tran of Fitchburg transferred $5,000 from his campaign account to a separate legal defense fund account. Tran’s legal defense fund […]
Posted inEconomy
State budget raises welfare grants for poor families
POOR FAMILIES AND older adults getting cash assistance from the state are likely to see a boost in their payments this January – a boon to struggling families from a […]
Posted inThe Download
How to diversify the medical marijuana industry
Massachusetts marijuana regulators have done yeoman’s work to diversify the cannabis industry, taking numerous steps to ensure that small and minority-owned businesses have an opportunity to enter the legal marijuana […]
Posted inUncategorized
How to diversify the medical marijuana industry
MASSACHUSETTS MARIJUANA regulators have done yeoman’s work to diversify the cannabis industry, taking numerous steps to ensure that small and minority-owned businesses have an opportunity to enter the legal marijuana […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA service cuts called unnecessary
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA OVERESTIMATED its budget deficit and could erase its argument for a controversial package of service cuts by using a less conservative outlook, according to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Consensus budget ups spending by 6.5%
NEGOTIATORS FROM the House and Senate reached an agreement Thursday evening on a $46.2 billion final budget for fiscal 2021. Both the House and Senate are planning Friday afternoon votes. […]
Posted inHealth Care
State’s 2d surge is not the same as 1st
THE STATE’S SECOND SURGE is continuing to build in intensity, with the number of cases starting to accelerate well beyond levels experienced during the first surge. But the outcomes of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
What a Biden administration could mean for policing
LOOK FOR THE terms “procedural justice” and “police legitimacy” to re-enter the vocabulary of the West Wing. As the incoming Biden administration forms its policy on policing in the US, […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker expecting vaccines for 150,000 people this month
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said he expects the state to receive 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of the month, enough to treat 150,000 people since the initial treatments […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Even in Mass., 1 in 4 think election not fair
JOE BIDEN won Massachusetts — by a lot, more even than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, more even than Barack Obama in 2012 or 2008. You have to go back […]
Posted inUncategorized
A ‘dream come true’ in Wrentham
KIM BASSIGNANI grew up in a four-bedroom raised ranch in Norfolk. Her father, Larry, a Navy veteran injured on a construction project while in the service, used his disability payments […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker’s starter house effort a bust
WITH THE COST of buying a home in Eastern Massachusetts continuing to soar further out of reach for many families, a Baker administration plan designed to spur construction of affordably […]
Posted inThe Download
Now is not the time to give in to ‘COVID fatigue’
You’ve had too much screen time on Zoom and Netflix. The tree is decorated, and daily Facetimes with the family have lapsed. Maybe you think it’s a good time to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Now is not the time to give in to ‘COVID fatigue’
YOU’VE HAD TOO MUCH screen time on Zoom and Netflix. The tree is decorated, and daily Facetimes with the family have lapsed. Maybe you think it’s a good time to […]
Posted inTransportation
Poll shows little support for MBTA service cuts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MAJORITY of Massachusetts residents believe that if the MBTA sharply cuts back on services to balance its budget next year those commuting options will not […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Defendant demands in-person, not virtual, day in court
Just a quick reminder that we’re running our final CommonWealth fundraising campaign of 2020. It’s called Give a Little, Get a Lot, because a donation of just $25 could help […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DOC: Few prisoners would qualify for home confinement
UNDER PRESSURE to release prisoners to home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Correction is downplaying the program’s impact, saying only about 20 to 25 of the […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should follow California’s lead on contractors
WITH THE 2020 Massachusetts election behind us, state lawmakers have returned to Beacon Hill to finish one unprecedented session, while also preparing to begin the next. Health care, policing, and […]