STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE POINTING TO RACISM they have faced during their work on Beacon Hill, a coalition of black state legislative employees urged Democratic leaders to reform hiring practices, […]
Black State House staffers raise voices
Posted inOpinion
Our next plunge: Going big on wind
IT WAS A PLUNGE I’ll never forget – into the Charles River with Gov. Bill Weld in 1996 to celebrate the passage of the Massachusetts Rivers Act. Let’s just say […]
Posted inOpinion
Chelsea officials to Baker: Give us help
The following is a letter sent to Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday by elected officials and other groups in Chelsea. We are residents and supporters of Chelsea, including City Council […]
Posted inEnvironment
House climate change bill calls for roadmap
The House unveiled a climate change bill on Wednesday that directs the executive branch of government to create a roadmap for reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and includes […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
ICE seeks OK to resume courthouse arrests
THE IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS Enforcement agency on Wednesday asked an appellate court to lift a temporary injunction and allow agents to resume making civil arrests of undocumented individuals in and […]
Posted inHealth Care
Congressional hearing explores oversight of soldiers’ homes
AT A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING on Wednesday, the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was held up as a model – a model of what can go wrong when an odd state-federal relationship leaves […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. in middle of Maine power fight
A group of 25 current and former Maine state lawmakers sent a letter to Hydro-Quebec on Wednesday urging the provincial utility to stop meddling in a state election battle spawned […]
Posted inUncategorized
House extends formal sessions past July 31
THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE on Wednesday voted to take the highly unusual step of extending formal sessions past July 31 to give lawmakers more time to complete their work in light […]
Posted inUncategorized
Amendment creating state journalism commission passes
AN AMENDMENT CALLING for a study of the rapidly shrinking landscape of local news in Massachusetts passed the House Tuesday night as part of an economic development bill and now heads […]
Posted inThe Download
Amendment creating state journalism commission passes
An amendment calling for a study of the rapidly shrinking landscape of local news in Massachusetts passed the House Tuesday night as part of an economic development bill and now […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker’s Housing Choice bill short on choice
LET’S START with something everyone agrees on: Massachusetts is in a housing crisis. Now for something that’s up for debate: the solution is to build more market-rate housing across the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Costly connections
AFTER 10 YEARS behind bars, Jurrell Laronal looks back and remembers calls to his partner and stepchildren as one of the few things that kept him sane while bouncing between […]
Posted inHealth Care
Step therapy bill on the move
WHEN SHE WAS 11, Anna Legassie was diagnosed with a rare type of juvenile arthritis. In the 26 years since, there have been 17 times that an insurance company tried […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Lawmakers keep options open for this fall
LAWMAKERS ON TUESDAY released a three-month interim budget to keep the state running through October, and acknowledged that they will have to take the highly unusual step of returning to […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to scrap the state seal
THIS SEPTEMBER will mark 400 years since the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, altering the course of European history, as well as that of indigenous peoples who had lived here for […]
Posted inOpinion
HPC: Health care spending to fall 10% in Mass.
AT LAST WEEK’S Health Policy Commission meeting, agency staff revealed that their current estimate is that total health care spending in the state will decrease 10 percent this year. Few […]
Posted inUncategorized
Why peak electricity usage matters
WITH HOT AND HUMID conditions enveloping New England, demand for electricity across the region hit its highest level so far this year at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. This year’s peak experience […]
Posted inThe Download
Why peak electricity usage matters
With hot and humid conditions enveloping New England, demand for electricity across the region hit its highest level so far this year at about 6:30 p.m. Monday. This year’s peak […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge Joseph loses bid to toss charges against her
SUSPENDED NEWTON District Court Judge Shelley Richmond Joseph and retired court officer Wesley MacGregor will face trial on charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice after US District Court Judge […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
6 lawmakers named to conference committee on police reform
TWO MEMBERS of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus will be part of the group that will hammer out differences between the House and Senate versions of police reform legislation. […]
Posted inHealth Care
COVID-19 cases starting to rise in Mass.
THE NUMBER OF NEW COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts is rising, raising concerns that the coronavirus could be picking up steam again. The number of new confirmed cases averaged nearly 162 […]
Posted inPolitics
Equity concerns imperil Baker housing bill
THE RACIAL RECKONING that is overtaking Massachusetts may have one surprising casualty: Gov. Charlie Baker’s housing bill. After two and a half years, Baker’s “Housing Choices” bill is emerging for […]
Posted inPolitics
Pandemic scrambles the campaign playbook
JOHN WALSH, considered one of the maestros of Massachusetts campaign operations, admits he’s a bit befuddled. The man who helped Deval Patrick rocket from political unknown to two-term governor and […]
Posted inThe Codcast
As local news withers, we’re losing sense of identity
WHEN RICK HOLMES RETIRED as the opinion editor at the MetroWest Daily News in 2017, he was worried about the decline in journalism and what it would mean for local communities. […]