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 […]
Mass. in middle of Maine power fight
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. […]
Posted inOpinion, Race/Racism
Zoning is major artery of systemic racism
LAST WEEK, US Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson announced the administration would be ending Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) regulations, referring to them as “a waste of […]
Posted inOpinion
A chance to address racial inequity at its roots
RACIAL INEQUITY in Massachusetts is largely attributable to discriminatory housing policies. High levels of segregation keep people of color from experiencing equal access to employment and educational opportunities, clean air […]
Posted inUncategorized
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. […]
Posted inThe Download
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 […]
Posted inBook Review
Scary headlines
GHOSTING THE NEWS Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy By Margaret Sullivan 105 pages, Columbia Global Reports WHEN THE OWNERS of the Middlesex News acquired the Waltham News-Tribune, […]
Posted inPolitics
Kennedy says Markey vote shows need for change
JOE KENNEDY is fond of saying there is more to being a US senator than filing bills and taking votes, but during a televised debate with Ed Markey Sunday night […]