THE MASSACHUSETTS Department of Public Utilities on Thursday ordered the state’s natural gas utilities to jointly hire consultants and come up with a way to dramatically phase down or eliminate […]
DPU orders gas utilities to rethink their future
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Staffing our democracy in the COVID era
WHEN WE LEARNED that there was a high likelihood of a poll-worker shortage stemming from COVID-19, advocacy organizations like MassVOTE , Common Cause Massachusetts, and Scholars Strategy Network joined forces to address it. Traditionally, […]
Posted inPolitics
Enviro groups split on state Senate battle
TWO OF THE STATE’S leading environmental groups are split on which candidate is the best to represent the Plymouth and Norfolk Senate district, which includes six coastal communities dealing with […]
Posted inThe Download
Role of school rapid testing debated
IT WAS THE end of March when the state’s Department of Public Health began reporting more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus daily. Schools were shuttered, students were home, and […]
Posted inEducation
Role of school rapid testing debated
IT WAS THE end of March when the state’s Department of Public Health began reporting more than 1,000 new cases of coronavirus daily. Schools were shuttered, students were home, and […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing homes lacked PPE in Aug., report says
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A NEW REPORT measuring personal protective equipment shortages at nursing homes nationwide found that 8 percent were without one or more types of PPE in August. […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop the cuts, tap the UMass stabilization fund
The following was written as an open letter to the Legislature by UMass-Dartmouth’s contingent English faculty, with Eric Casero, a lecturer in the English Department, as the point of contact. […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker PAC spends more backing GOP candidates
A SUPER PAC with close ties to Gov. Charlie Baker poured another $373,000 into state races over the last several days, nearly all of it to support Republicans. The latest […]
Posted inThe Download
Shots fired — at cars and the media
GUNFIRE RANG OUT yesterday afternoon in the Back Bay. The casualties? Several cars — and confidence among some in the media’s coverage of gun violence. No one was hit in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Shots fired — at cars and the media
GUNFIRE RANG OUT yesterday afternoon in the Back Bay. The casualties? Several cars — and confidence among some in the media’s coverage of gun violence. No one was hit in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker nominates Kimberly Budd as chief justice
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday nominated Associate Justice Kimberly S. Budd, the only person of color on the Supreme Judicial Court, to become chief justice — the highest judicial position […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
2 prisoners test positive at MCI-Norfolk
TWO PRISONERS have tested positive for the novel coronavirus at MCI-Norfolk, a medium security prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts. Officials said the inmates tested positive in the past week and were […]
Posted inEducation
For Catholic schools, class is in session — and in person
WHILE THE SCHOOL YEAR has been upended for thousands of public school students across the state, Corrin Stokes’s school day this fall looked largely the same as it did last […]
Posted inUncategorized
Pass the stuffing on Zoom this year
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER urged Massachusetts residents to celebrate Thanksgiving differently this year, limiting any gatherings to people you live with or with whom you are regularly in contact. Any bigger […]
Posted inHealth Care
Holyoke Soldiers’ Home staffers tell their stories
A UNION OFFICIAL who represents nurses at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home on Tuesday described a continuing culture of fear among employees, which has resulted in an unwillingness to speak out […]
Posted inEducation
MCAS exams coming in spring, education officials say
TOP MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATION officials on Tuesday insisted MCAS exams will be held next spring and urged districts to conduct in-person learning even if they are located in communities at high […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC: Insurers don’t have to cover medical marijuana
MASSACHUSETTS INSURERS cannot be required to cover medical marijuana expenses, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday. The SJC upheld the ruling of a Department of Industrial Accidents’ board, which found […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker calls ranked-choice voting too complicated
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said on Tuesday that he opposes ranked-choice voting because it’s too complicated for both voters and election officials to carry out. The governor said voting is already complicated […]
Posted inThe Download
Five candidates vie for North Shore seat
Rep. Ted Speliotis of Danvers is stepping down after 23 years in office, and the race to replace him has become one of the most interesting in the state. Five […]
Posted inPolitics
5 candidates vie for North Shore seat
REP. TED SPELIOTIS of Danvers is stepping down after 23 years in office, and the race to replace him has become one of the most interesting in the state. Five […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mass. judge stays Fair Housing Act changes
A FEDERAL JUDGE on Sunday night issued a temporary injunction barring the federal government from moving ahead with an overhaul of the 52-year-old Fair Housing Act that would have increased […]
Posted inEconomy
Added unemployment benefits pass swiftly
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS MANY AS 17,000 unemployed Massachusetts residents could become eligible for thousands of dollars in additional unemployment benefits under legislation that swept through the House and […]
Posted inArts and Culture
How we’re staying afloat at the New England Aquarium
THIS YEAR’S rapid-fire turn of events is stunning. Minute to minute, day by day, we face a new reality. It’s no different leading one of Boston’s most popular and beloved cultural […]
Posted inTransportation
T faces $850,000 judgment in ‘grudge’ case
THE STATE APPEALS COURT on Monday upheld a judgment of more than $850,000 against the MBTA for allowing a manager with a 10-year-old grudge against a fellow employee to use […]