WITH 17 PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT, a recession, and a global pandemic, does Massachusetts need to be raising more money right now to fix the state’s ailing transportation system? CommonWealth Magazine · […]
Sharp split on need for new transpo revenues
Posted inThe Download
Sharp split on need for new transpo revenues
With 17 percent unemployment, a recession, and a global pandemic, does Massachusetts need to be raising more money right now to fix the state’s ailing transportation system? CommonWealth Magazine · […]
Posted inThe Download
Sharp split on need for new transpo revenues
With 17 percent unemployment, a recession, and a global pandemic, does Massachusetts need to be raising more money right now to fix the state’s ailing transportation system? CommonWealth Magazine · […]
Posted inEconomy
Tenant purchase legislation could stave off displacement
FOR THE TIME BEING, the COVID-19 epidemic in Massachusetts has begun to wind down. However, even if we keep the virus under control, it has already has set in motion […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Craft brewers, wholesalers strike distribution deal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CRAFT BREWERS AND the state’s beer wholesalers have reached a deal that would resolve a decade-long dispute over distribution rights centered around when a brewer can sever […]
Posted inPolitics
Is Karyn Polito angling for a third term — or a first?
ON THE WALL behind her desk, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito keeps the official portrait of former Republican Gov. Paul Cellucci, one of her political mentors, the man who first encouraged […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Why humanities and culture must be part of pandemic healing
AS THE REOPENING of Massachusetts unfolds, the health of every resident should remain the top priority. Gov. Baker’s plan emphasizes a reliance on data, vigilant adherence to safety protocols, and a […]
Posted inEconomy
Trump labor secretary spreads dangerous misinformation
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S secretary of labor, Eugene Scalia (yes, he’s the son of the late Supreme Court justice), has been on the road this month, touting the return of American workers […]
Posted inHealth Care
Don’t let pharmaceutical companies exploit the COVID-19 pandemic
THIS WEEK WE PASSED yet another somber milestone: 13 million global cases of COVID-19. Over 25 percent of confirmed infections are in the United States. While the global scientific community […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mail-in ballot applications on their way to voters
SECRETARY OF STATE William Galvin has started mailing out applications for absentee ballots to all registered voters in Massachusetts, and all the applications should be sent out by Tuesday. If that […]
Posted inHealth Care
$176 million lawsuit filed against Holyoke Soldiers’ Home officials
THE FAMILY OF a veteran who died of COVID-19 at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is filing a class action lawsuit against former Superintendent Bennett Walsh, former Secretary of Veterans’ Services […]
Posted inUncategorized
Groups seek to add immigrant driver’s license authorization to police bill
AS THE HOUSE GATHERS testimony on a policing reform bill passed earlier this week by the Senate, S.2820, some immigrant and worker groups are calling for the legislation to add language to […]
Posted inThe Download
Groups seek to add immigrant driver’s license authorization to police bill
As the House gathers testimony on a policing reform bill passed earlier this week by the Senate, S.2820, some immigrant and worker groups are calling for the legislation to add language […]
Posted inEnvironment
Why we must fight climate change amid the pandemic
A COLLEGE STUDENT in Easton asked me whether I thought that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we could still get the country and the world to focus on the climate crisis. […]
Posted inEducation
Undoing racism at UMass Boston and beyond
IN THE MIDST of a nationwide crisis emanating from systemic racism, the University of Massachusetts Boston faced its own crisis: the staging of police forces on campus, preparing to quell […]
Posted inHealth Care
$1.1 billion budget bill packed with local earmarks
THE LEGISLATURE SENT Gov. Charlie Baker a $1.1 billion supplemental budget bill on Thursday, an indication of the staggering sums the state is spending responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The 57-page […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker concerned about feds ending CDC’s coronavirus data role
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said he was “very concerned” about a sudden shift in federal rules that requires all coronavirus data be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Veterans tell Baker: Listen to us
A DAY AFTER independent investigator Mark Pearlstein released his scathing report on what went wrong with the coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, Gov. Charlie Baker released a bill that would implement […]
Posted inThe Download
Veterans tell Baker: Listen to us
A day after independent investigator Mark Pearlstein released his scathing report on what went wrong with the coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, Gov. Charlie Baker released a bill that would […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Frontline behavioral health workers are saving lives, too
WE ARE LIVING in the age of crisis. An opioid epidemic. A global pandemic. Systemic racism. Each event will forever spark meaning and historical remembrance in our national conscience. Taken […]
Posted inEnvironment
Pandemic demands rethinking costly Transportation Climate Initiative
COMMUTES ONCE MEASURED in miles, hours and aggravation have changed to steps, minutes, and tranquility for those who continue to work from home post-pandemic. This is […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Pandemic devastating to arts and culture sector
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE ARTS AND culture sector, a major piece of the Massachusetts economy, will need hundreds of millions of dollars and multiple years to recover from the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Collins faces heat over vote on policing reform bill
WHEN THE VOTE finally came in the wee hours of Tuesday morning on a vigorously debated police reform bill, the measure easily cleared the state Senate by a 30-7 margin. But […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
What happened to the transportation revenue bill?
LESS THAN FIVE months ago, frustrated drivers and transit riders saw a glimmer of hope that a major infusion of cash might soon be on its way to shore up the state’s ailing transportation system. The Massachusetts House – […]