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 […]
The dysfunctional geography of ancient borders in a modern pandemic
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 […]
Posted inHealth Care
Amid pandemic, health care visits still haven’t rebounded
THE NUMBER OF people seeking health care in Massachusetts dropped dramatically when the coronavirus pandemic hit – and eight months later, it still hasn’t totally rebounded, according to new data from the Health […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate passes its own abortion budget amendment
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE approved an abortion access budget amendment on Wednesday that is similar to but not identical to an amendment passed by the House last week. The amendment, which […]
Posted inHealth Care
State will roll out rapid testing in 134 school districts
STATE OFFICIALS ARE rolling out a rapid testing program in 134 school districts, where students who show symptoms of COVID-19 will be able to get test results in just 15 minutes. […]
Posted inTransportation
Pollack punts on Allston I-90 project
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Stephanie Pollack said she intends to postpone until next summer the selection of a preferred design for the so-called throat section of the I-90 Allston interchange, and may […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Death of Fall River boy puts DCF in spotlight again
THESE FACTS ARE clear, according to the police: David Almond, a 14-year-old autistic boy, and his twin brother Michael, also autistic, were horribly neglected in the home where Almond’s father […]