A MASK-WEARING House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday presided over what he called a “historic day” – the first time the Massachusetts House has voted on a bill remotely. “It’s […]
Massachusetts House holds first remote session
Posted inCriminal Justice
Mentoring kids — from a distance
EMMETT FOLGERT HAS gone with the flow for nearly 40 years at the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, a Fields Corner outpost that has helped generations of young people find a positive […]
Posted inEducation
Voc-tech woes continue at Boston’s Madison Park
AMIDST ALL THE TURMOIL and angst that has turned the world as we know it upside down, we long for signs of normal life, some sort of consistency that can be […]
Posted inThe Download
Voc-tech woes continue at Boston’s Madison Park
Amidst all the turmoil and angst that has turned the world as we know it upside down, we long for signs of normal life, some sort of consistency that can […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
April tax collections off $2.3b
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE TAX COLLECTIONS tumbled in April by more than $2.3 billion compared to last April, another sign of the damage inflicted on the economy and the […]
Posted inEconomy
Sewing machine firm expands into PPE
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday showcased a Fall River sewing machine manufacturer that has expanded during the COVID-19 crisis into the production of personal protection equipment and is now expecting […]
Posted inUncategorized
Several probes launched into violence at Bristol County Jail
SEVERAL OFFICIALS and agencies are launching inquiries into the violence that erupted at the Bristol County Jail on Friday night, sending three immigration detainees to the hospital and causing $25,000 worth of […]
Posted inEconomy
Marijuana companies beg for state relief money
IT TOOK TWO YEARS from the time Angela Brown applied for a license to sell recreational marijuana to the time she got final approval to open T. Bear’s manufacturing plant […]
Posted inEducation
Time for Mass. to up its online learning game
MASSACHUSETTS IS ROUTINELY cited as having one of the nation’s most innovative economies. The cornerstone of that innovation is education – both K-12 and colleges and universities. There too Massachusetts has […]
Posted inEducation
Price hikes hurt families – but is it illegal?
SARAH JENNISON, a disabled mother living in Wareham, skipped buying the four-pack of toilet paper she saw listed on Facebook Marketplace for $20. But Jennison is immunocompromised with a seven-year-old […]
Posted inPolitics
Super PAC tied to Baker raises $177,500
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER may be preoccupied with dealing with COVID-19, but his political operation is remaining busy. Massachusetts Majority, a super PAC with close ties to Baker, raised $177,500 during March […]
Posted inThe Download
Super PAC tied to Baker raises $177,500
Gov. Charlie Baker may be preoccupied with dealing with COVID-19, but his political operation is remaining busy. Massachusetts Majority, a super PAC with close ties to Baker, raised $177,500 during […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Biz group: Delay ed and pension funding
State House News Service DELAYING THE IMPLEMENTATION of a new school funding law and reducing a planned boost in state pension system contributions are among the ideas a business-based budget […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA treading in uncertain waters
TO HELP WITH THE STATE’S reopening, the MBTA is preparing to restore service to pre-COVID levels to accommodate social distancing but does not expect to see large numbers of riders […]
Posted inUncategorized
COVID-19 benchmarks continue in good direction
AS KEY COVID-19 benchmarks continue to trend downward, hundreds of people gathered in front of the State House on Monday to pressure the Baker administration to start reopening the state […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge rejects bid to broaden Hodgson deposition
A FEDERAL JUDGE on Monday rejected demands by lawyers for immigration detainees at the Bristol County Jail to broaden a scheduled deposition of Sheriff Thomas Hodgson to include the circumstances […]
Posted inPolitics
House Democrats, Republicans reach rules compromise
AFTER A TESTY battle that lasted for several days, Republicans and Democrats in the Massachusetts House have agreed to a compromise on rules that will allow them to debate bills […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Sweden’s coronavirus gamble
SWEDISH CULTURE AND the country’s national psyche are often described using the word lagom, which defies simple translation, but is defined variously as “just the right amount,” “in balance,” or “moderation.” […]
Posted inHealth Care
Sweden’s coronavirus gamble
SWEDISH CULTURE AND the country’s national psyche are often described using the word lagom, which defies simple translation, but is defined variously as “just the right amount,” “in balance,” or […]
Posted inThe Download
Sweden’s coronavirus gamble
Swedish culture and the country’s national psyche are often described using the word lagom, which defies simple translation, but is defined variously as “just the right amount,” “in balance,” or […]
Posted inOpinion
We cannot return to pre-COVID congestion
WE HAVE BECOME ACCUSTOMED to describing 21st Century innovations as “disruptive” to established practices and behaviors. Yet in this era of disruptive technology, historic inertia has prevented or slowed the […]
Posted inTransportation
Empty roads lead to higher rate of traffic fatalities
THE COVID-19 pandemic is having another deadly side-effect – a higher rate of fatalities on the state’s roads. The shutdown of Massachusetts to reduce the spread of the virus cut […]
Posted inUncategorized
Northampton mayor has personal experience with COVID-19
Sixth in a series on municipal leaders across Massachusetts and how they’re contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are previous stories on Chelsea City Manager Tom Ambrosino, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, a second […]
Posted inOpinion
Jerry Seinfeld was right
THESE ARE TIMES that none of us have seen before. Amid the radical uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic, fear has reared its ugly head medically, economically, financially, politically, and socially. […]