Massachusetts NAEP scores are down to where they were 20 years ago. The deterioration in the quality of public education in the state had been underway for nearly a decade by the time the pandemic hit.
We need to confront the state’s long decline in student achievement
Posted inEnvironment
Republican and Democratic lawmakers push for a statewide water conservation strategy
After a record fire and drought season in Massachusetts, legislation in the new legislative session aims to empower the state to conserve water during severe drought.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: The tensions and tangles over federal funding
The saying about New England’s fluid weather – wait a minute, and it’ll change – could also apply these days to the pronouncements coming out of Washington.
Posted inOpinion
Here’s how to combat Trump’s coup
As this coup unfolds, the most crucial thing people need to combat it is reliable, centralized information. Consider this an appeal to those of our elected leaders who recognize these events for what they are: We need you to develop a communications strategy with the utmost urgency.
Posted inEducation
National scores show Mass. students leading – with big asterisks
Massachusetts 4th and 8th grade students placed first in the nation in math and reading, but that doesn’t change the fact that our scores have been sliding for years.
Posted inOpinion
Small businesses should not pay for Massachusetts’s $2.1 billion unemployment insurance mistake
The real question is, will state elected officials return to their default settings by expecting job creators to shoulder the burden through higher taxes, or will they learn from past UI missteps and seek meaningful reforms?
Posted inState Government
House Dems restrict shelter eligibility in $425 million bill
Th bill adopts the administration’s recommendation around so-called presumptive eligibility by allowing the state to verify eligibility for shelter benefits during the application process.
Posted inHealth Care
Push continues for brain injury treatment coverage
Sen. Paul Feeney and Rep. Kimberly Ferguson urged survivors Tuesday to share personal stories with lawmakers to help get their brain injury treatment legislation over the finish line in the new session.
Posted inPolitics
More than a year in the making, Josh Kraft launches mayoral bid
The face-off between Josh Kraft and Michelle Wu has no precedent in modern Boston politics.
Posted inEnergy
National Grid pulls plug on a geothermal pilot program in Lowell
One of three geothermal pilot programs in Massachusetts to displace fossil fuels for heating and cooling has been quietly scrapped. National Grid has cited high costs for pulling the plug on its project in Lowell.
Posted inHealth Care
More work needed on affordability in health care, says insurance group leader
In a health care focused episode of the Codcast, an insurers’ perspective on the industry cost crisis.
Posted inOpinion
The dark side of AI: Climate chaos, pollution, and injustice
Unless we have a seat at the table to set regulations, the AI data center boom will hurt Black and brown frontline communities like mine in Roxbury first and worst.
Posted inThe Codcast
Legislating care and cost: the health insurers’ perspective
John McDonough of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute interview Lora Pellegrini, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, to discuss healthcare affordability, regulation, and legislative efforts in Massachusetts. They cover prescription drug pricing, hospital accountability, and the future of the Affordable Care Act, highlighting Massachusetts as a leader in healthcare reform.
Posted inCourts
SJC upholds conviction of officer who used evidence room cash to pay mortgage
Against the backdrop of police reportedly availing themselves of forfeited money, the state’s highest court held that criminal penalties were fairly applied in a West Springfield police department case.
Posted inOpinion
Trump’s reckless attack on birthright citizenship
We fought many battles like this during the first Trump administration, and we expect to fight many more still.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: New nonprofit swings into action on unemployment insurance
How a problem is explained in a poll can sometimes contribute to the result.
Posted inTransportation
Suburban commuter rail stations need more housing density, new report says
“For Greater Boston, leveraging the vast, underdeveloped land around commuter rail stations represents a crucial opportunity to address housing shortages, reduce car dependency, and better utilize existing transit infrastructure,” the report said.