AS FANTASTICAL as the idea sounds, a bill that would establish a state-backed loan fund to help marijuana businesses was reported favorably out of a legislative policy committee this week. […]
Should state finance marijuana businesses?
Posted inEducation
Boston officials unveil new student privacy policy
BOSTON SCHOOL OFFICIALS are preparing to unveil a new, stricter student privacy plan intending to clarify what information federal immigration officials can access. But at a briefing for reporters on […]
Posted inTransportation
House OKs $18b transportation bond bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A DAY AFTER VOTING to raise taxes and fees by as much as $600 million per year, the Massachusetts House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a roughly […]
Posted inPolitics
Election highlights deep Mass. GOP divisions
THE MASSACHUSETTS REPUBLICAN PARTY appears to be a mess. The party, which currently claims only about 10 percent of the state’s registered voters, is splintering into pieces. There’s a wing […]
Posted inOpinion
All committee votes should be made public
THERE ARE MANY THINGS current legislators can do to advance the bipartisan value of transparency in government. An increasing number of us are already making progress. As a champion of […]
Posted inEconomy
Let’s make workers’ comp work
FOR MORE THAN 100 years, injured workers in Massachusetts have been parties to the “grand bargain” known as workers’ compensation. On the one hand, employers bear responsibility for providing insurance to […]
Posted inPolitics
Warren ends campaign, declines to endorse for now
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN ended her presidential campaign Thursday, after devastating losses at the ballot box on Super Tuesday, but declined to endorse either of the remaining candidates. Warren, speaking to […]
Posted inThe Download
Arroyo: Racism is public health crisis in Boston
Race has long created a divide between what should be and what is. In Boston, that has translated into a struggle to achieve racial parity in exam schools. It has […]
Posted inUncategorized
Arroyo: Racism is public health crisis in Boston
RACE HAS LONG CREATED a divide between what should be and what is. In Boston, that has translated into a struggle to achieve racial parity in exam schools. It has […]
Posted inTransportation
House passes transportation bill with minor tweaks
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE of Representatives approved a major tax bill Wednesday night that Democratic leaders say will generate more than half a billion dollars for transportation […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker fails to gain ground in state GOP
COMPLETE ELECTION RESULTS were still not available last night, but Republican insiders said Gov. Charlie Baker appeared to lose ground Tuesday night in his bid to seize control of the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Ex-Souza prisoner says he was abused
A FORMER PRISONER at the Souza Baranowski Correctional Center who was released on February 14 said on Wednesday that he was subjected to abuse by tactical forces in the wake […]
Posted inUncategorized
Farm food benefits program revived
AFTER A NEARLY two-week hiatus, Massachusetts plans to use $2 million in new state funds to restart a program that lets SNAP recipients receive additional money to buy fresh produce. […]
Posted inOpinion
In transportation debate, don’t forget low-income fares
IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE to riders and elected officials alike that our public transit systems are in need of transformative change. But often lost in the conversation about fixing the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker calls on schools to cancel all trips abroad
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday urged the state’s colleges and high schools to cancel all organized trips abroad, as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expands its travel […]
Posted inOpinion
Corrections data raise big questions
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM rolled through state legislatures with unusual bipartisan support throughout the 2010s. There was rare consensus on what would happen: Rolling back tough-on-crime-era policies that spiked prison populations […]
Posted inTransportation
In Newton, a super Tuesday for pro-growth side
ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL, and for some residents in Newton that meant yesterday’s Super Tuesday vote in the presidential primary took a backseat to a question of what would happen in […]
Posted inThe Download
In Newton, a super Tuesday for pro-growth side
All politics is local, and for some residents in Newton that meant yesterday’s Super Tuesday vote in the presidential primary took a backseat to a question of what would happen […]
Posted inPolitics
PAC with ties to Baker sees mixed results
A SUPER PAC closely aligned with Gov. Charlie Baker saw mixed results Tuesday night. A Democrat the PAC supported easily won the state rep seat from Melrose, but the PAC’s […]
Posted inPolitics
Biden surge swamps Warren in her home state
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN lost her home state of Massachusetts in Tuesday’s presidential primary to former vice president Joe Biden, in a surprise victory for Biden and a devastating blow to […]
Posted inPolitics
Political notes: It’s now a Biden-Sanders nomination battle
THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL contest turned into a two-man race as former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders divided the spoils of Super Tuesday balloting across 14 states, setting […]
Posted inOpinion
Transpo answer: Regional ballot initiatives
YEARS AGO, Denny Zane was stuck on a Red Line train that stalled over the frozen Charles River. Without thinking, he began to hum “people get ready, there’s a train […]
Posted inOpinion
Citizens United gaining super PAC adherents
ON JANUARY 21, 2020, the famous US Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission (Citizens United), celebrated its tenth birthday! As the court decision matures, so do […]
Posted inPolitics
Warren downplays ‘do or die’ Super Tuesday
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN knows that Super Tuesday is “a big deal” with the large number of delegates at stake in the Democratic presidential race, but she declined to say whether […]