Considering the case of a man secretly recorded by an officer’s cell phone without a warrant, the Supreme Judicial Court concluded that because Boston police made an illegal audio recording, the video captured alongside it should also be kept out of evidence under the wiretap statute.
SJC tosses warrantless secret video recording
Posted inOpinion
The Allston I-90 project: once again off the rails
It was disappointing when Secretary of Transportation Monica Tibbits-Nutt announced that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation was embarking on a path forward for Allston Landing that backtracked on prior commitments to the impacted communities and may jeopardize (and in some ways reverse) the project’s commitment to providing important environmental, economic, and social justice outcomes.
Posted inState Government
In Boston tax drama, Collins steps into the spotlight
A player who has avoided prime time finally stepped out into the open this week.
Posted inState Government
Democrats redirect savings deposit to balance state budget
Lawmakers moved Monday to redirect more than half a billion dollars headed for the state’s long-term savings account and instead use it to close a budget gap and fund some additional spending.
Posted inOpinion
Question 1 delivered a harsh verdict on the Legislature
Overwhelming public support for Question 1 suggests state legislators may need to do some soul-searching about how to address the public’s concerns about state government.
Posted inThe Codcast
How accountable care organizations serve MassHealth patients
This week on The Codcast, John McDonough of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute chat with Christina Severin, president of Community Care Cooperative (C3). They discuss the role of accountable care organizations in coordinating high quality care for MassHealth patients, the transformation of Neighborhood Health Plan, and looking ahead at health care challenges under a second Trump term.
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. accountable care organizations expand their reach
As the health care industry transforms in the age of telehealth and rattles under staffing strains, experts point to the accountable care organization model as a growing and essential piece of the puzzle.
Posted inThe Codcast
The next battle over abortion rights
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith sits down with Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, to discuss how abortion advocates are gearing up for a second Trump term. They dig into Project 2025 plans to dismantle reproductive rights, the need for state action, and strategic messaging for the next four years.
Posted inOpinion
A right turn for Democrats is a wrong turn
As progressive stalwarts like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont have emphasized, lack of trust or goodwill from voters stems from the Democratic Party’s history of not delivering on its promises to working people.
Posted inEducation
A charter school battle in Lynn
At issue is the wording of a regulation adopted following passage of 2010 law that allowed for an expansion of charter schools in Massachusetts.
Posted inOpinion
Scrapping its use as graduation requirement won’t improve MCAS. Here’s what will.
Both sides of the Question 2 debate have said the MCAS test itself isn’t perfect. It is time for a serious conversation about a better approach.
Posted inTransportation
Regional transit agencies are getting state funding to go fare-free. The T won’t be on the list.
Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said while 13 of the 15 Massachusetts regional transit authorities can now provide year-round fare-free bus service, thanks to state grants, that won’t be happening anytime soon at the MBTA, the state’s largest transit agency.
Posted inOpinion
We can fix what ails our community hospitals
The Steward Health Care crisis has left many Massachusetts residents with the belief that when a hospital enters bankruptcy, it is never to emerge again. Heywood Healthcare – the nonprofit community hospital and health care system that I lead – is proof that this doesn’t have to be the case.
Posted inEnvironment
2024 fire season in Massachusetts burns more acres in 2 months than previous 2 years
More acres burned in wildfires in October and November of this year across Massachusetts than have burned in the past two years combined. Chief Fire Warden David Celino said that 2024 “sticks out like a sore thumb.”
Posted inHealth Care
Second Trump term has Mass. abortion advocates on edge
Rebecca Hart Holder, the president of Reproductive Equity Now, says Massachusetts needs to brace for possible assaults from the incoming Trump administration on the state’s ability to offer services not only to its own residents but to the thousands who have turned to Massachusetts for abortions in the past two years.
Posted inOpinion
Trump’s mass deportation order would create a disaster for communities – and a crisis of legitimacy for local police
Trump’s promise to deport one million undocumented residents per year will compromise public safety and create a crisis of legitimacy for many municipal police departments in the Commonwealth and across the US.
Posted inBallot Questions
Political Notebook: Amid ballot fight, teachers union dipped into legislative races
THE FINAL TALLY isn’t in yet, but the latest numbers show the Massachusetts Teachers Association spent more than $15 million on Question 2, their successful ballot measure to neuter the […]