Of all the wrinkles in the emerging measles crisis and spotlight it has put on families who have caused the outbreak by refusing to vaccinate their children, the most curious […]
RFK, Jr.’s anti-vaccine campaign is reckless and wrong — say three Kennedys
Posted inEducation
Senate budget bars UMass tuition, fee increases
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATE BUDGET WRITERS are looking to compel the University of Massachusetts to hold the line on student costs for the coming academic year but, in a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate budget stirs ire of MassBIO with drug pricing proposal
SENATE LEADERS are proposing two ways to reduce the ballooning cost of pharmaceuticals used by Medicaid patients, but an industry group claims one of the ideas is “radical” and “unproven.” […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Ex-trooper reprimanded for CORI violations
MICHAEL SZYMANSKI, who was reprimanded this month by the state Board of Bar Overseers for improperly accessing criminal records when he was a state trooper, said many of his colleagues […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass. nursing home staffing levels vary a lot
New data indicate staffing levels at Massachusetts nursing homes vary considerably, with 16 percent of the facilities rated “below average” or “much below average.” The staffing ratings are an indicator […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. nursing home staffing levels vary a lot
NEW DATA INDICATE staffing levels at Massachusetts nursing homes vary considerably, with 16 percent of the facilities rated “below average” or “much below average.” The staffing ratings are an indicator […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: South Shore customers want later trains
MBTA ADVISORY BOARD Executive Director Paul Regan thought he had given the MBTA everything needed to change up schedules of commuter rail trains to make them useful to South Shore […]
Posted inUncategorized
Poftak: MBTA needs more capacity to meet spending goals
MBTA OFFICIALS WHO have struggled to meet existing capital spending goals want to pour much more into upkeep and modernization projects, a goal that could fuel activists’ demands for more […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 150: Health care chairs vow action on price variation
The co-chairs of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing may be new to their posts, but both seem to grasp the urgency of tackling big issues facing the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Guns
Holding Steven close
RONALD ODOM TALKS about his son’s death like it was yesterday because, for the soft-spoken retired letter carrier, it still feels that way. But this fall will mark 12 years […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health care chairs vow action on price variation
THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing may be new to their posts, but both seem to grasp the urgency of tackling big issues facing the […]
Posted inThe Download
Health care chairs vow action on price variation
The co-chairs of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing may be new to their posts, but both seem to grasp the urgency of tackling big issues facing the […]
Posted inOpinion
Family-friendly tax reform is needed in Mass.
FAMILY ADVOCATES have been hard at work on Beacon Hill, pushing for reforms to the state’s Temporary Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program. Their laudable efforts have led […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to step it up on bus rapid transit
NEW DATA RELEASED recently by the MassINC Polling Group demonstrates the toll that traffic congestion and long commutes are taking on Massachusetts residents. Sixty-six percent of poll respondents believe that […]
Posted inHealth Care
On health performance, Mass. not such a shiny star
MANY BAY STATE health care cognoscenti and politicos like to brag about Massachusetts health statistics. For years now, Massachusetts has performed well, at or near the top, in surveys of […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t let corporations limit our policy ambitions
LAST SESSION, one of the only significant bills that Massachusetts legislators passed before budget season was sweeping legislation to raise their own pay. By contrast, this year, the Legislature has […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn Resorts on hook for $1.3m in legal fees
THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING COMMISSION paid about $1.25 million to five outside law firms defending the agency and one of its top employees in a lawsuit brought by Steve Wynn, but […]
Posted inUncategorized
Pelosi shocked by Trump’s attack on Mass. DAs
US REPS. KATHERINE CLARK AND AYANNA PRESSLEY voiced support Friday for state prosecutors suing to block authorities from making immigration arrests at courthouses, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed shock at […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge suggests State Police overtime conspiracy
TO US DISTRICT JUDGE MARK L. WOLF, federal prosecutors involved in the Massachusetts State Police overtime fraud scandal may not be looking at every legal penalty possible. During a sentencing […]
Posted inThe Download
Judge suggests State Police overtime conspiracy
To US District Judge Mark L. Wolf, federal prosecutors involved in the Massachusetts State Police overtime fraud scandal may not be looking at every legal penalty possible. During a sentencing […]
Posted inEducation
Pro-Palestinian panel to go on at UMass Amherst
IN A SIGN of the polarized times, it took a judge’s ruling on Thursday to clear the way for a pro-Palestinian panel discussion this weekend at UMass Amherst. Three Jewish […]
Posted inEducation
Boston taps high-stakes testing opponent
THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE answered the question of who will lead the district by tapping former Minnesota education commissioner Brenda Cassellius to be the city’s next school superintendent. But the […]
Posted inTransportation
Senate takes on racial profiling, again, in distracted driving bill
THE SENATE WAYS AND MEANS Committee unanimously endorsed legislation on Thursday banning handheld cell phone use by drivers and requiring law enforcement to collect racial data on every traffic stop. […]
Posted inOpinion
On TNCs, Red-Blue connector, and tolls
IT’S BEEN A BUSY TIME for transportation policy making in Massachusetts, and a promising moment when there appears to be some alignment among legislative leaders that something bold and significant […]