STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SUPPORTERS OF RANKED CHOICE VOTING plan to file an initiative petition by next week to put the voting reform on the 2020 ballot in case they […]
Ranked-choice may be headed to ballot
Posted inUncategorized
Offshore wind price protection eliminated
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and the Legislature on Wednesday rushed through a measure that eliminates the state requirement that the next offshore wind contract come in at a price lower than […]
Posted inPolitics
A first: Baker signs budget with no spending vetoes
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed the $43.1 billion fiscal 2020 budget on Wednesday without vetoing any spending measures, which may be a first in modern Massachusetts history. House Speaker Robert DeLeo […]
Posted inPolitics
Senator calls for Registry official to go
AS POLICYMAKERS INVESTIGATE how things could have gone so wrong at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday suggested the problems long preceded his administration while a […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers eat away at transparency
WE’RE PRETTY SURE it’s not what our friends at State House News Service had in mind when they dubbed their weekly podcast “State House Takeout.” And if lawmakers haven’t budged on […]
Posted inThe Download
Lawmakers eat away at transparency
We’re pretty sure it’s not what our friends at State House News Service had in mind when they dubbed their weekly podcast “State House Takeout.” And if lawmakers haven’t budged […]
Posted inUncategorized
Numerous warnings about ignored RMV notices
THERE WAS HARDLY ever a time when the Registry of Motor Vehicles properly handled paper notices about out-of-state driving infractions, according to the former registrar Erin Deveney’s testimony before lawmakers […]
Posted inThe Download
SF airport ride-hailing experiment called ‘hot mess’
San Francisco International Airport launched a centralized pickup location for ride-hailing apps last month, and news reports are calling it a “hot mess” during evening hours. Officials at Logan International […]
Posted inTransportation
SF airport ride-hailing experiment called ‘hot mess’
SAN FRANCISCO International Airport launched a centralized pickup location for ride-hailing apps last month, and news reports are calling it a “hot mess” during evening hours. Officials at Logan International […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker developing ‘cure plan’ for Vineyard Wind
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said on Monday that his administration is working with Vineyard Wind to develop a “cure plan” to address the concerns of federal agencies as they review the […]
Posted inPolitics
Trahan, Pressley back efforts to change state non-disclosure policy
TWO STATE LAWMAKERS waging what could be an uphill battle to expose the extent of hush agreements used by state government and put restrictions on the practice throughout Massachusetts received […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker: RMV to fully cooperate at hearing
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said the Legislature’s Transportation Committee should encounter no barriers on Tuesday when it attempts to kickstart an oversight hearing focused on the Registry of Motor Vehicles. “I […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
McGrath provides services for women leaving prison
A LITTLE OVER A YEAR after it closed, a new and improved McGrath House is up and running as the only exclusively female residential reentry program in Massachusetts. McGrath serves […]
Posted inHealth Care
House readies wellness bill before August break
BEFORE BREAKING FOR their unofficial August recess, House lawmakers will take up legislation aimed at finding answers for young people and parents in greatest need of medical care, including mental […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Alex Morse wants to change how Washington works
Alex Morse, the 30-year-old mayor of Holyoke, may look like he’s on a fool’s errand by challenging Rep. Richard Neal in next year’s Democratic primary. After all, just seven months […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Alex Morse wants to change how Washington works
Alex Morse, the 30-year-old mayor of Holyoke, may look like he’s on a fool’s errand by challenging Rep. Richard Neal in next year’s Democratic primary. After all, just seven months […]
Posted inPolitics
Alex Morse wants to change how Washington works
ALEX MORSE, the 30-year-old mayor of Holyoke, may look like he’s on a fool’s errand by challenging Rep. Richard Neal in next year’s Democratic primary. After all, just seven months ago […]
Posted inUncategorized
Bump lagging on required audits
STATE AUDITOR SUZANNE BUMP is way behind in conducting legally mandated audits of state agencies. The auditor is required by state law to audit 210 state agencies every three years […]
Posted inOpinion
Advanced Placement inconsistency is troubling
OVER 2.8 MILLION HIGH SCHOOL students this month received their Advanced Placement (AP) results, test scores that will reflect their proficiency in college-level curricula in subjects ranging from calculus to […]
Posted inOpinion
Deep poverty increases risk of child welfare system involvement
EVEN THE MOST LOVING PARENT is challenged to provide quality care for his or her child when he or she is struggling with the many ways in which poverty constrains his or her choices. Here in Massachusetts, there is no reason anyone should […]
Posted inEducation
After showdown, all systems go at New Bedford charter school
THE CONTENTIOUS SHOWDOWN over a controversial New Bedford charter school plan may have faded from view, but the nuts-and-bolts work of getting a new school up and running has continued […]
Posted inEducation
Coordinating services for students pays huge dividend
THE BOSTON TEACHERS UNION recently joined the chorus of educational and civic leaders calling for better ways of addressing students’ comprehensive needs so that they are ready to learn and engage […]
Posted inPolitics
Mass Cultural Council weathers Boston Herald storm
STATE BUDGET-WRITERS put a gloss of stringency on their handling of the Massachusetts Cultural Council budget, but ultimately imposed few real restrictions on how the council conducts itself aside from […]
Posted inThe Download
You call that extortion?
Was Boston Calling’s hiring of union labor in 2014 an extorted demand? Or a bargaining chip? While federal prosecutors continue to make their case that it was the former, a […]