John McDonough of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute sit down with Amy Rosenthal, executive director of Health Care for All, to discuss the potential impacts of a second Trump term on Medicaid and Medicare in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts health care concerns under Trump 2.0
Posted inTransportation
Healey task force on transportation funding will miss its December 31 deadline
The task force Gov. Maura Healey created to propose a new funding model for transportation in Massachusetts is going to miss its end-of-2024 deadline.
Posted inImmigration
‘Eso no va a ser bonito’
Los defensores de los inmigrantes piensan que exista la posibilidad de que New Bedford será un blanco clavo en una gran lista de lugares clavos en una nueva campaña de deportación baja la nueva administración.
Posted inThe Codcast
Outgoing Rep. Bill Straus considers the fate of Mass. transportation
CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith interviews Rep. Bill Straus of the 10th Bristol district on past, present, and future transportation issues in Massachusetts.
Posted inPolitics
Leaving Beacon Hill after 32 years, Rep. Straus looks down the road
REP. BILL STRAUS would like everyone to stop talking about commuter rail. Not the system, of course. The Mattapoisett representative, who decided not to seek reelection after holding the 10th […]
Posted inMedia
CommonWealth Beacon’s best Codcasts of 2024
Looking back at 2024 through our favorite podcasts of the year.
Posted inImmigration
‘It’s not going to be pretty’
Immigrant advocates have good reason to think New Bedford may figure prominently on a list of places that will be targeted under an aggressive deportation campaign by the new Trump administration.
Posted inOpinion
The best CommonWealth Beacon commentary of 2024
A robust exchange of views is crucial to a healthy democracy, and we try to do our part by providing a forum for well-argued commentary that reflects a broad range of perspectives on issues facing the Commonwealth. Here is our top 10 list of CommonWealth Beacon commentary for 2024, either individual pieces or a group of them on a topic.
Posted inMedia
The top ten CommonWealth Beacon stories of 2024
ALL ROADS lead to home, or perhaps the nearest T station. Housing and transportation are both issues that roiled policymakers on and off Beacon Hill, as state officials sought to […]
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: What they read this year on and off Beacon Hill
CommonWealth Beacon rounds up the end-of-year reading lists for politicians and policy leaders across the state.
Posted inHealth Care
‘We need more people to work’
In rural locations such as areas of Cape Cod and western Massachusetts, community health centers face significant workforce challenges amid a statewide primary care physician shortage.
Posted inHousing
Winthrop rejects MBTA Communities zoning plan
With the December 31 MBTA Communities Act deadline fast approaching for 129 cities and towns, the Winthrop town council has rejected the only viable zoning plan that would allow the community to comply with the law, which was passed to help alleviate the housing shortage plaguing Massachusetts.
Posted inOpinion
How Frank Bellotti helped launch my career — and saved my life
Frank Bellott, who died at 101, led a large, impactful life, not because of its extraordinary length, but because of what he did, and the ways he served as a role model and mentor, and shaped much of Massachusetts public life over more than three decades.
Posted inEducation
Where does MCAS ballot question leave the high school grad requirement? It’s far from clear
Voters opted last month to scrap the state’s MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement. Exactly what will be required of students in its place in order to receive a diploma seems as clear as mud.
Posted inOpinion
Putting the public back in public transit
We need a long-term plan to fix transportation in all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. And it’s going to cost money.
Posted inEnergy
State announces $3.5 million fund for stakeholders to intervene in the utility siting process
A new fund, expected to be up and running in March of 2026, aims to help balance the influence of utility companies and impacted communities – funding groups who would legally be able to participate or intervene in utility siting decisions but for the cost.
Posted inOpinion
White Stadium plan even more questionable now
Mayor Wu, a major cheerleader for the project, has dug in her heels (perhaps in quicksand), saying the city is committed to paying for half the project, “no matter what it costs.”
Posted inThe Codcast
Parking minimums are out in Somerville
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith chats with Somerville City Council President Ben Ewen-Campen about Somerville’s zoning amendment to eliminate parking minimums for new development.