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. […]
Consensus budget ups spending by 6.5%
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 […]
Posted inEducation
As students leave district schools, charters and vocational schools see growth
MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC SCHOOLS have seen a large decline in enrollment this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But the drop is not spread evenly across the public school system. Both charter schools and […]
Posted inThe Download
Vaccination catch-22 in black community
WITH TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT that the United Kingdom has approved use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, the first Western country to sign off on mass use of an immunization, the crucial effort […]
Posted inHealth Care
Vaccination catch-22 in black community
WITH TODAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT that the United Kingdom has approved use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, the first Western country to sign off on mass use of an immunization, the crucial effort […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Police reform milestones and missed opportunities
Hey there – Just a quick reminder that we’re running our final CommonWealth fundraising campaign of 2020 — it’s called Give a Little, Get a Lot. If you’ve enjoyed our […]
Posted inHealth Care
Vaccine panel prioritizes health care workers, long-term care residents
Hey there – Just a quick reminder that we’re running our final CommonWealth fundraising campaign of 2020 — it’s called Give a Little, Get a Lot. If you’ve enjoyed our comprehensive […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC considers Healey’s demand for Facebook documents
MASSACHUSETTS’S HIGHEST COURT will decide whether Attorney General Maura Healey can demand internal information from Facebook to investigate whether the company misused users’ personal data. In March 2018, news outlets […]
Posted inThe Download
The Fattmans highlight the power of campaign cash
The state’s Republican power couple – Stephanie and Ryan Fattman of Sutton – knows how to win elections. The trick appears to be to raise a lot of money, spend […]
Posted inPolitics
The Fattmans highlight the power of campaign cash
THE STATE’S Republican power couple – Stephanie and Ryan Fattman of Sutton – knows how to win elections. The trick appears to be to raise a lot of money, spend […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Compromise police reform bill reported out
AFTER FOUR MONTHS of closed-door negotiations, six members of the House and Senate reported out compromise police reform legislation on Monday that establishes a certification system for officers and punts […]
Posted inUncategorized
Healey not saying why she didn’t join Apple lawsuit
ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey is refusing to say why she never joined a large coalition of attorneys general who sued Apple and recently won a $113 million legal settlement, which […]
Posted inEnvironment
Top Baker aide says full steam ahead with TCI
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S top environmental official indicated on Monday that the administration is moving full steam ahead with a regional effort to put a price on the carbon contained in […]