STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE US POSTAL INSPECTORS are investigating a summertime incident in which a member of the Governor’s Council allegedly fiddled with a piece of mail in a neighbor’s […]
Postal inspectors probing mailbox incident involving governor’s council member
Posted inHealth Care
MassHealth enrollment surges during pandemic
THE STATE’S MEDICAID program is experiencing a big increase enrollment, with officials worried about its long-term impact on state finances. MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, is meant to cover the lowest income individuals in Massachusetts […]
Posted inThe Download
Could exam school admissions changes have unintended consequences?
COULD THE CURE be as bad as the disease? The Boston School Committee appears to be on track to rush through a major change in the admission procedures for next […]
Posted inEducation
Could exam school admissions changes have unintended consequences?
COULD THE CURE be as bad as the disease? The Boston School Committee appears to be on track to rush through a major change in the admission procedures for next […]
Posted inUncategorized
Marijuana regulators agree to license home delivery
DESPITE CONCERNS BY marijuana shops, municipal officials, and some lawmakers, Massachusetts marijuana regulators voted Tuesday to go ahead with licensing marijuana delivery companies. But the Cannabis Control Commission did make […]
Posted inOpinion
A refreshing non-party-line vote
I AM NOT one for hyperbole, but this is the most contentious election year that I have seen. Republicans versus Democrats. Ideologues on both sides trying to outdo each other […]
Posted inHealth Care
Families of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home vets tell heartbreaking tales
SUSAN KENNEY heard about the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and the rising veteran death toll on the news. Her father, Charles Lowell, lived at the home, yet […]
Posted inEducation
Time to fix the charter school cap
THE STATUTORY RED TAPE restricting the number (and percentage) of students who can attend charter public schools has the Swiftian feel of Lilliputians tying down one of the best solutions […]
Posted inThe Download
Toppling Baker top of mind for Dems
The Democratic Party in Massachusetts is riding high. Heading into the election just two weeks away, party members control the entire congressional delegation, are looking to add to their dominance […]
Posted inPolitics
Toppling Baker top of mind for Dems
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY in Massachusetts is riding high. Heading into the election just two weeks away, party members control the entire congressional delegation, are looking to add to their dominance […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Allston I-90 throat consensus seems very iffy
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Stephanie Pollack has warned that the $1 billion I-90 Allston interchange could be scaled back dramatically if stakeholders are unable to reach consensus on how to rebuild the […]
Posted inEducation
Coalition to press state ed leaders on vocational school admissions
A COALITION OF groups pushing for changes to the admissions policies at Massachusetts vocational technical high schools is sounding the alarm on an issue that got sidetracked by the pandemic, […]
Posted inUncategorized
With eviction ban lifted, landlords have next move
ON THE FIRST business day after the end of a six-month long statewide moratorium on evictions, not much happened. But that could change fairly quickly. The 11,000-plus pending cases that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lawsuit over civil commitments targets Hampden sheriff’s program
A LAWSUIT TO end the practice of confining civilly committed men with substance use disorders in prisons has been expanded to directly target a substance use program at the Hampden County House […]
Posted inUncategorized
Municipal leaders oppose new marijuana delivery licenses
PROPOSED NEW STATE REGULATIONS that would authorize marijuana delivery companies to sell directly to consumers were already drawing fire from marijuana retail stores worried that they will lose business to the […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The two sides of ranked choice voting
Massachusetts voters will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. CommonWealth Magazine · The two […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The two sides of ranked choice voting
Massachusetts voters will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. CommonWealth Magazine · The two […]
Posted inThe Download
The two sides of ranked-choice voting
Massachusetts voters will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. Under ranked-choice voting, as envisioned […]
Posted inPolitics
The two sides of ranked-choice voting
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. Under ranked-choice voting, as envisioned […]
Posted inOpinion
Nursing home residents need more help voting
NEARLY 40,000 citizens in nursing homes across Massachusetts have endured months of harrowing conditions under COVID-19, watching as friends and caregivers succumb, victims of the largest concentration of deaths in […]
Posted inTransportation
T revising ridership projections downward
This story has been updated. MBTA OFFICIALS are revising downward their ridership and revenue projections based on scenario planning that envisions telecommuting becoming “standard practice for the foreseeable future.” State […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Museums refocus and reinvent to survive COVID
JANE PARKER LIVES in Harvard, and over the years, she has visited the neighboring Fruitlands Museum for big events, like February’s Winterfest. In early October, Parker returned to Fruitlands to hike for the […]
Posted inOpinion
Ed Markey’s reckless support for court packing
SINCE THE SAD PASSING of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, headlines have been dominated by Judge Amy Coney Barrett and her nomination to the Supreme Court. I have said publicly that […]
Posted inOpinion
Baker’s ‘miracle budget’ doesn’t rise to the occasion
THE UNVEILING of Gov. Charlie Baker’s revised fiscal year 2021 budget raised eyebrows. Some called it a “miracle budget” because he proposed a balanced budget without large-scale cuts and — […]