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.
Regional transit agencies are getting state funding to go fare-free. The T won’t be on the list.
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 […]
Posted inOpinion
Always broke: The MBTA’s long-running theme
History offers important lessons to learn, or at least not repeat, as the T approaches yet another budget year with a projected deficit looming.
Posted inTransportation
More MBTA shutdowns expected in 2025
MBTA riders who slogged through this year’s shutdowns should brace themselves for more next year, though they’ll be more limited in scope and duration, according to transit officials.
Posted inEducation
Early child care system has a workforce problem
MASSACHUSETTS’ CHILD CARE system serving the state’s most vulnerable children has seen improvement in recent years, but a new report warns that issues with recruiting and keeping workers could undermine […]
Posted inBy The Numbers
To understand 2024 results, hindsight is not 2020
This year’s Massachusetts results are much more on par, in terms of turnout and outcome, with every other presidential election so far this century — other than 2020. In that way, they represent more of a reversion to the mean than a shift to the right.
Posted inGovernment
Emergency shelter commission backs recommendations for $1B program
A special commission tasked with offering solutions to the state’s overwhelmed emergency housing assistance program voted on Tuesday to approve a report with a series of recommendations, but no clear roadmap.
Posted inEducation
Vocational admissions debate getting heated
As state officials move closer to considering changes to admission policies governing vocational high schools, including potentially requiring the use of a blind lottery system to award seats, the temperature of the debate is getting turned up.
Posted inOpinion
Governor should strip anticompetitive ticketing provision from economic development bill
Gov. Healey should send an amended version of the bill back to the Legislature to protect fans from the Ticketmaster monopoly and so that consumers can continue to freely shop around for tickets versus having a single source.
Posted inOpinion
A chance for an education reset
Massachusetts should significantly increase the rigor and relevance of its aspirations so that a high school degree reflects real readiness for success today. It would represent a missed opportunity to revise graduation measures without asking ourselves broadly as a state what the degree itself should mean for an individual student and for the public good.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Spending in legislative races topped $11 million
Just over 300 candidates campaigned for the 200 seats in the House and Senate this year, with $11.2 million over the last 10 months flowing out of their campaign accounts, paying for consultants and mailers aimed at voters, newspaper subscriptions, and food and drinks for staff and constituents.
Posted inEnergy
Setting the record straight on energy storage and clean energy costs
Mass. Fiscal Alliance’s recent critique of the state’s pending clean energy legislation regarding battery storage procurement is heavy on alarmism and light on accuracy. The conversation around costs and benefits must be rooted in facts—not misinformation and back-of-the-envelope calculations designed to undermine progress.
Posted inTransportation
State officials must ‘repent’ for MBTA’s ‘crippling debts,’ watchdog says
An independent group took a deep dive through the history of public transit in Boston for its latest report about funding woes.
Posted inThe Codcast
Introducing CommonWealth Beacon editor Laura Colarusso
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith introduces CWB’s new editor, Laura Colarusso. They discuss her background in journalism, motivation for public service, and the challenges and opportunities in the ever-changing field.