GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said a relatively small number of state unemployment claims were approved last week because of a screening process designed to weed out a rising tide of fraudulent […]
Baker says fraud rampant with unemployment insurance
Posted inEducation
Amid COVID-19, staffing woes plague childcare centers
BETWEEN ITS SIX large childcare centers in Boston and Cambridge, Nurtury Early Education has had to shutter eight classrooms during the pandemic – which translates to serving around 70 fewer children. […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Retiring rep, rep-elect share insights on State House opacity
Some of the shortcuts in the democratic process we have come to take for granted – consolidated budget amendments, limitations on debate, and conference committees resolving differences in House and […]
Posted inThe Download
Retiring rep, rep-elect share insights on State House opacity
Some of the shortcuts in the democratic process we have come to take for granted – consolidated budget amendments, limitations on debate, and conference committees resolving differences in House and […]
Posted inPolitics
Retiring rep, rep-elect share insights on State House opacity
SOME OF THE SHORTCUTS in the democratic process we have come to take for granted – consolidated budget amendments, limitations on debate, and conference committees resolving differences in House and […]
Posted inArts and Culture
The dysfunctional geography of ancient borders in a modern pandemic
LOOKING AT AN aerial photograph or walking down a side street, you’d be hard-pressed to find the border between Waltham’s South Side neighborhood and West Newton. The residential areas on both […]
Posted inOpinion
Greenwashing the MBTA’s hybrid buses
“At Silver Line Way, you will hear the bus’s engine shut down for just a moment, as it converts to diesel power for the rest of the trip to Logan […]
Posted inOpinion
Teens need our help coping with COVID
BEING A TEENAGER has never been easy. These days, the challenge of developing and maintaining a healthy self-image is even more challenging in an era where life is dominated by […]
Posted inOpinion
Are workplaces as safe as the governor says?
AS THE RATE of COVID-19 infection in Massachusetts has begun rising again, Gov. Charlie Baker claims that the workplace “does not show up as the big driver” of new cases. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Poll: Residents divided on policy response to evictions
AN ONLINE POLL of 1,000 residents indicates 28 percent support resuming the state’s ban on evictions, 29 percent back increased state funding for landlords and tenants, 28 percent favor a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lack of ID unnecessary hurdle after prison
BY THE TIME Joseph completed his sentence at the Boston Pre-Release Center in May, his Massachusetts ID had expired. He could not start his new job as a meat clerk in a grocery […]
Posted inOpinion
Contracting with private providers could avert MBTA cuts
IN RESPONSE TO a collapse in MBTA service in the winter of 2015, the newly formed Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) set the authority on a course of bold […]
Posted inThe Download
House, Senate budgets contain plenty of policy proposals
So much for a “narrow” budget. When the House and Senate Ways and Means committees released their fiscal 2021 budget proposals, both were relatively narrow with few policy initiatives. Chairs […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House, Senate budgets contain plenty of policy proposals
SO MUCH for a “narrow” budget. When the House and Senate Ways and Means committees released their fiscal 2021 budget proposals, both were relatively narrow with few policy initiatives. Chairs […]
Posted inOpinion
5 keys to building health equity in Mass.
SINCE MARCH, the COVID-19 pandemic has tested our health care system. Our hospitals, health care workers, first responders, medical researchers, labs, and public health leaders have exhibited heroism and innovation […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Congressional reps back calls for more inclusive State House
EIGHT OF MASSACHUSETTS’S nine members of the US House of Representatives have signed a letter to State House leaders in support of a group of Beacon Hill staff members of color, who demanded reforms to […]
Posted inTransportation
With travel way down, Massport to cut workforce 25%
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FACING MASSIVE financial strain inflicted by the pandemic, the Massachusetts Port Authority plans to slash its workforce by about 25 percent through a combination of voluntary […]
Posted inUncategorized
Red communities double; Lawrence cases keep rising
THE NUMBER of communities considered high risk for COVID-19 doubled again this week, while the number of deaths statewide continued to creep upward at a much slower pace. Three weeks […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mass. hemp farmers view amendment as lifesaver
MASSACHUSETTS HEMP FARMERS are lobbying for a seemingly simple change in state policy that would vastly expand the market for their product. But the change – which would let hemp […]
Posted inThe Download
In-person learning now considered ‘high risk’ by CDC
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL for Disease Control and Prevention quietly removed controversial guidelines from its website promoting in-person learning in schools, and instead is now listing it as “high […]
Posted inEducation
In-person learning now considered ‘high risk’ by CDC
THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL and Prevention quietly removed controversial guidelines from its website promoting in-person learning in schools, and instead is now listing it as “high risk. The disputed […]
Posted inEnvironment
Climate initiative could push gas prices higher than forecast
A REGIONAL EFFORT led by Gov. Charlie Baker to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by putting a price on the carbon in vehicle fuels is likely to drive up the price […]
Posted inEducation
Parents frustrated, concerned with pandemic school year, poll finds
THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of Massachusetts K-12 students are either learning remotely from home or in a hybrid model that mixes in-person and at-home instruction, and most parents have a dim […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker administration crafting home confinement guidelines
WITH COVID-19 infections rising at state prisons, the Department of Correction is preparing to expand testing at the facilities and taking initial steps to release prisoners to home confinement. The […]