OVER THE PAST few legislative sessions, progressives have looked to the Massachusetts Senate as a beacon of progressive policymaking. Across a range of issues, the Senate has been willing to […]
Beware of Rodrigues’s ‘boring middle’
Posted inOpinion
Port of Boston needs (regulatory) attention
KUDOS TO BOSTON Harbor Now’s Jill Valdes Horwood and James Aloisi from TransitMatters for highlighting the need to rethink industrial ports like Boston (“Boston’s Port Needs Attention”). While their insights […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
DeLeo proposes $1b in municipal climate investments
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO proposed a sweeping $1 billion environmental grant program Friday that, over the next decade, would fund municipal efforts to build renewable-energy infrastructure […]
Posted inOpinion
Cost of drugs in the US is an outrage
THE HIGH COST OF PHARMACEUTICALS in the United States is an embarrassment. Americans don’t consume more prescription medications than their counterparts in other developed countries but, on a per capita […]
Posted inUncategorized
Afterglow at issue with Pilgrim nuke plant
RADIOACTIVE ELEMENTS UNDERGO a chemical decay transforming the matter into a whole different element. Similarly, nuclear power plants receive a second life that extends long after the turbines stop spinning. […]
Posted inThe Download
Afterglow at issue with Pilgrim nuke plant
Radioactive elements undergo a chemical decay transforming the matter into a whole different element. Similarly, nuclear power plants receive a second life that extends long after the turbines stop spinning. […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Commission torn over supervised injection sites
MEMBERS OF A STATE COMMISSION see some theoretical benefits from establishing supervised drug injection sites, but when it comes to the feasibility of actually establishing such programs, consensus was harder […]
Posted inEducation
Minority leaders slam Chang-Diaz removal as education co-chair
THE REMOVAL OF Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz as co-chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education drew harsh words on Thursday from leaders of four organizations serving communities of color, who charged […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Mass. hydro project showers benefits on Maine
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE ROAD HAS BEEN CLEARED of significant hurdles for the New England Clean Energy Connect project to bring clean hydropower from Quebec to Massachusetts, and Maine […]
Posted inOpinion
UMass Bayside deal is about a lot more than money
IT’S RARE FOR THOSE OF US in public life to have the opportunity to make a profound and lasting difference for the people we serve. That’s why we are so […]
Posted inThe Download
Racial incidents making headlines
We’re on day 52 of 2019, and a string of racial and xenophobic incidents across the Commonwealth are making headlines. The Brockton Enterprise has identified an Easton woman involved in […]
Posted inTransportation
Report: Transportation funding shortfall $8.4b
A REPORT DEVELOPED by the business group A Better City estimates Massachusetts is facing an $8.4 billion shortfall over the next 10 years in bringing state transportation assets into a […]
Posted inEnvironment
Grid operator laments lack of action on carbon pricing
THE CEO OF THE REGION’S power grid operator indicated on Wednesday that he was surprised at the reluctance of New England states to embrace a price on carbon. Many of […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming panel clears path for Wynn report
THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING COMMISSION voted unanimously on Wednesday to authorize its attorneys to finalize an agreement with Steve Wynn that would allow the commissioners to receive the agency’s long-awaited investigative […]
Posted inTransportation
Lyft incorporates MBTA service into its app
LYFT IS TAKING ANOTHER DETOUR from its bread-and-butter service of offering people rides in cars with a new option to link its customers to Boston’s existing transit network. The Nearby […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
New rules on solitary confinement coming under fire
LESS THAN A YEAR ago, Gov. Charlie Baker signed two comprehensive criminal justice bills that were the result of a marathon of bipartisan discussions over many years. The laws contained […]
Posted inThe Download
New rules on solitary confinement coming under fire
Less than a year ago, Gov. Charlie Baker signed two comprehensive criminal justice bills that were the result of a marathon of bipartisan discussions over many years. The laws contained […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers file bills to address Sumner Tunnel congestion
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE VEHICLES ARE ENTERING the Sumner Tunnel at “unprecedented levels,” thousands of rides on services such as Uber and Lyft head to and from Logan Airport each […]
Posted inEnvironment
A rural take on climate change
AS A STATE REPRESENTATIVE, I routinely drove 125 miles between my home in the Western Massachusetts Hilltown of Worthington and Beacon Hill. This makes it all the more remarkable that […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 139: Are you tired of electoral spoilers?
Adam Friedman calls it being Nadered. In the 2012 congressional race in the 6th District, Democrat John Tierney won with 46 percent of the vote. Republican Richard Tisei came in […]
Posted inPolitics
Spilka: Lewis will help spur ed reform
SENATE PRESIDENT KAREN SPILKA said on Tuesday that she hoped the appointment of a new chair at the Education Committee would help move foundation budget reform forward in the Legislature. […]
Posted inPolitics
Are you tired of electoral spoilers?
ADAM FRIEDMAN CALLS it being Nadered. In the 2012 congressional race in the 6th District, Democrat John Tierney won with 48 percent of the vote. Republican Richard Tisei came in […]
Posted inThe Download
Are you tired of electoral spoilers?
Adam Friedman calls it being Nadered. In the 2012 congressional race in the 6th District, Democrat John Tierney won with 46 percent of the vote. Republican Richard Tisei came in […]
Posted inTransportation
Five transportation assignments for Legislature
MASSACHUSETTS IS IN THE MIDDLE of a transportation revolution. Uber and Lyft vehicles are as ubiquitous as Dunkins; connected and autonomous vehicles no longer seem futuristic; and Boeing is testing […]