CONGRESSWOMAN AYANNA PRESSLEY released a plan to reform the criminal legal system that she’s calling “bold and progressive,” dubbing it the “People’s Justice Guarantee.” The wide-ranging resolution calls for reducing […]
Pressley goes ginormous on criminal justice reform
Posted inThe Download
Pressley goes ginormous on criminal justice reform
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley released a plan to reform the criminal legal system that she’s calling “bold and progressive,” dubbing it the “People’s Justice Guarantee.” The wide-ranging resolution calls for reducing […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House bans flavored vaping and tobacco products
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE voted Wednesday to ban the sale of flavored vaping and tobacco products — including mint and menthol cigarettes — and to impose an […]
Posted inTransportation
Chamber backs free bus service in Worcester
TUCKED INSIDE this week’s transportation funding proposal from the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce was an unusual request. In addition to offering support for a statewide tolling initiative, a hike […]
Posted inUncategorized
Homeland Security proposes tougher work permit rules for asylum seekers
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY proposed a new policy on Wednesday that denies work permits to asylum seekers who cross the border illegally and increases from six months to a […]
Posted inPolitics
Kaufman: ‘No diversity of opinion’ in DeLeo’s inner circle
FORMER REP. JAY KAUFMAN continued his recent lambasting of House Speaker Robert DeLeo during a panel discussion Wednesday about the lack of racial and gender diversity in Massachusetts government. The […]
Posted inTransportation
DeLeo unsure about tax bill timeline
HOUSE SPEAKER Robert DeLeo expressed some uncertainty Wednesday afternoon about whether the House will be able to advance a tax package before the end of the year. “Right now we’re […]
Posted inPolitics
A Patrick run lands locally with a thud
WE HAVE developed a reputation for oozing warmth and encouragement for Massachusetts candidates that is second only to our good manners on the road, so let’s go straight to the […]
Posted inThe Download
A Patrick run lands locally with a thud
We have developed a reputation for oozing warmth and encouragement for Massachusetts candidates that is second only to our good manners on the road, so let’s go straight to the […]
Posted inPolitics
In Mass., white pols dominate state and local politics
THE PREDOMINANCE OF white male politicians in positions of power in Massachusetts may be a symptom of the way elections are run, according to a report released Wednesday entitled MassForward. […]
Posted inOpinion
House hit as authoritarian, top-down organization
WE HAVE WORKED in and around the Massachusetts State House for years. As legislative staffers, lobbyists, and grassroots advocates, we’ve collectively attended thousands of meetings with members of the Massachusetts […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Weymouth gas project gets final state OK
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A CONTROVERSIAL NATURAL GAS PROJECT planned for a densely populated waterfront area cleared the final major permitting hurdle Tuesday, further riling opponents who had hoped state […]
Posted inPolitics
Money talks (most of the time) in mayor elections
IN 28 CONTESTED MAYORAL RACES, the candidate who spent the most money emerged victorious 82 percent of the time, according to figures compiled by the state Office of Campaign and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Supreme Court hears DACA arguments
ALMOST 6,000 MASSACHUSETTS immigrants — and 660,000 nationwide — are on edge, waiting for the US Supreme Court to determine their fate. The nation’s high court heard arguments on Tuesday from […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Monica Bharel, realistic optimist
Monica Bharel, the state’s public health commissioner, is definitely a glass-half-full type of person. On the Health or Consequences edition of the Codcast with Paul Hattis of Tufts University Medical […]
Posted inHealth Care
Monica Bharel, realistic optimist
MONICA BHAREL, the state’s public health commissioner, is definitely a glass-half-full type of person. On the Health or Consequences edition of the Codcast with Paul Hattis of Tufts University Medical […]
Posted inThe Download
Monica Bharel, realistic optimist
Monica Bharel, the state’s public health commissioner, is definitely a glass-half-full type of person. On the Health or Consequences edition of the Codcast with Paul Hattis of Tufts University Medical […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Film tax credit sunset looms
THE CHAIR OF THE SENATE WAYS AND MEANS Committee sounds as if he is in no hurry to eliminate the sunset provision contained in the state’s film tax credit law. […]
Posted inOpinion
Mystic + Malden: A development case study
GREATER BOSTON is adding jobs and population, but not enough housing and too much traffic. How do we accommodate development to improve our lives? A proving ground for aspiring city […]
Posted inOpinion
My priorities in the Higher Education Act
RECALL FOR A MOMENT sitting at your kitchen table in August of 2008 reading the paper. What are the headlines? “Presumptive Democratic Nominee Barack Obama Readies for Democratic National Convention […]
Posted inOpinion
Is Baker launching a new state political party?
AFTER MONTHS OF CONFLICT between Gov. Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts Republican Party, a powerful new super PAC that backs candidates Baker supports has stepped into public view and gotten […]
Posted inOpinion
Building connectedness with star power
FOR A COUPLE OF DECADES, planners, environmentalists, and housing advocates have been singing the praises of transit oriented development (TOD) because mixed-use development by public transportation is good for the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Picking up the PACE for elder care
JAMES WOODBERRY, wheelchair bound and severely depressed, struggled to find hope. Overwhelmed by his condition and a complex health system, the 80-year-old Boston resident and his family faced a grim […]
Posted inOpinion
Bump follows lead of DAs
STATE AUDITOR SUZANNE BUMP has joined the debate over the legal status of the advisory sentencing guidelines that the state’s Sentencing Commission issued two years ago. Her audit of the […]