A new statewide housing assessments finds almost half of all vacant homes are being reserved for seasonal or part-time use, worsening an “existential crisis” for small tourism-centered towns.
Vacation home trends add to Massachusetts housing crunch
Posted inOpinion
Thieves are stealing $1 million a month from Mass. SNAP recipients — and there is an easy fix to stop it
Every month in Massachusetts, tech-savvy thieves wipe out roughly 1,700 low-income families’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. We can easily fix this.
Posted inEconomy
Boston office tower going on the auction block
In the biggest sign yet of persistent trouble in Boston’s commercial real estate market, a 36-story office tower that boasts more than 1 million square feet of prime class A office space is heading for auction.
Posted inGovernment
Behind the scenes of the fight over accessory dwelling units
“This one-size-fits-all ADU law completely disregards local zoning regulations without considering the specific needs of individual cities and towns,” Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan wrote.
Posted inOpinion
We must push back on attack on sanctuary cities
Sanctuary policies do not prevent federal immigration enforcement; they simply keep local law enforcement focused on public safety rather than acting as ICE agents.
Posted inThe Codcast
The case for banning smart phones in schools
CommonWealth Beacon editor Laura Colarusso sits down with state Senator John Velis to discuss the growing issue of smart phone addiction among youth, its impact on mental health, and a new bill aimed at addressing these concerns.
Posted inMarijuana
Regulators take aim at ‘wild west’ of cannabis host community agreements
State regulators tackle “wild west” of municipalities trying to squeeze as much money as possible out of cannabis companies but industry leaders say that it is “two years too late.”
Posted inOpinion
RFK Jr.’s embrace of junk science is bad for families like mine dealing with autism
With last week’s confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s highest health care official believes in junk theories about our wellbeing.
Posted inOpinion
Harvard, other Mass. institutions should clean up their own backyard before trumpeting clean energy efforts elsewhere
Investments by Harvard, MIT, Mass General Brigham and others in clean energy are great, but that ignores the fact that Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals are powered by a harmful fossil-fuel plant in the heart of Boston.
Posted inHousing
Compassion and costs collide in shelter debate
State leaders continued to struggle this week to balance the commitment to sheltering homeless families with fiscal concerns about runaway costs.
Posted inState Government
Redacted filing sheds some light on O’Brien firing
A REDACTED COPY of Treasurer Deborah Goldberg’s decision to fire Shannon O’Brien as chair of the Cannabis Control Commission was filed in court this week, but the treasurer is asking […]
Posted inTransportation
This is one of the biggest decisions the MBTA will make in the next five years
The commuter rail system sees 550,000 weekly passengers and the MBTA officials want to see even higher numbers, part of an effort to ease traffic congestion by making the commuter rail a more attractive alternative.
Posted inOpinion
The case for more Black lobbyists
Massachusetts has elected a Black governor, a Black attorney general, Black state senators and state representatives. There are Black heads of departments and secretariats. But there are virtually no Black lobbyists on Beacon Hill.
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. ‘eds and meds’ sector in the cross hairs
Greater Boston’s acclaimed universities, hospitals, and affiliated research institutions are the fuel that has made the region a juggernaut of the 21st century knowledge economy. Now they are making it a target.
Posted inEnergy
Three federal grants targeting diesel fuel emissions are now unavailable to Massachusetts
“Even today as we speak we have not had funding turned back on for a number of areas,” said Gov. Maura Healey. “And that is very disruptive. It’s harmful to our state, our residents, to our businesses, and to our economy.”
Posted inHealth
Eight Massachusetts communities crack down on youth tobacco use
Nicotine-free generation policy spreads to more communities as legislators push a statewide ban for people born after the year 2005.
Posted inGovernment
The pandemic led to more access to local town meetings. Beacon Hill will decide what comes next.
If local officials weren’t livestreaming democracy before the pandemic, Massachusetts officials smoothed the path to the new paradigm by creating new provisions under the state’s Open Meeting Law.