The Download: Political Notebook – Empty house, full campaign coffers | Damon and Dushku
Millionaire tax won’t eliminate T’s fiscal cliff, Tibbits-Nutt says
“I reject the notion that all we’re going to produce is a tool kit,” said James Rooney of the Greater Boston Chamber. “I really don’t want to do that because I think we could’ve spent far less hours producing a tool kit.”
New BU study touts immigration as essential to Mass. economy
WITH THE ECONOMIC and infrastructural strains of immigration a top concern nationally and in Massachusetts, a new study from Boston University offers a data-focused counterpoint. Immigrants are not only essential […]
Voting yes on Question 4 is a vote to support veterans’ mental health
Passage of Question 4 would create a framework for therapeutic (not commercial) use of certain natural psychedelics, such as psilocybin, which is found in mushrooms, allowing veterans and others to legally access an alternative method of treatment that has shown enormous potential to treat post-traumatic stress, depression, and other mental health ailments.
A warning about Project Maple
The Canadian fossil fuel corporation erroneously claims New England, New Jersey, and New York need more gas for homes and buildings and to generate electricity.
Cannabis commission drops 2-driver delivery rule
Even with the latest change, Massachusetts continues to have one of the most heavily regulated marijuana delivery models in the country. Most of the regulations date to 2020, when cannabis delivery began in Massachusetts and the commission threw a whole kitchen sink of safeguards at operators.
Study finds use of gender-neutral ‘Latinx’ by Democratic pols is costing them votes
Democratic politicians have gravitated toward use of the more inclusive, gender-neutral term “Latinx” in recent years, but a new study says it’s costing them votes and helps explain some of Donald Trump’s gains with this population.
2 developers purchase 4 New England offshore wind leases
BOEM sells 2 lease areas east of Cape Cod to Avangrid
Prysmian coy about plans for plant at Brayton Point
Some speculate that Prysmian is waiting until after the election before making any announcement about the project. Republican Donald Trump has vowed to shut down the offshore wind industry if he is elected.
Cannabis Commission not invited to testify at legislative hearings
The hearings were prompted by reports of turmoil at the commission and state Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro’s call for the agency to be put under receivership so the Legislature could have time to clarify who’s in charge at the commission.
Mass. ratepayers to pay $521m more for hydroelectricity because of Maine political delays
The project has never received as much attention as the state’s forays into offshore wind, but in many ways it is more important. It offers 1,200 megawatts of firm capacity, power that could be particularly valuable during winter months when New England electricity prices tend to skyrocket as natural gas for use by electric power generators is often diverted for home heating.
Report often cited by MCAS backers isn’t as pro-MCAS as they say
Is the MCAS graduation requirement itself the spark that drives improvement for all students? The evidence says otherwise.
MBTA backs away from commuter rail fare loss estimate
The MBTA is backing away from a statement made last Thursday by the agency’s senior manager of fare policy and analysis, who estimated 25 percent of fares on the south side of the commuter rail system are not being collected.
Convention authority goes with the local candidate
The search for a new leader to take over the agency has taken close to a year, after former executive director David Gibbons stepped down last November.
Cannabis Commission chooses former employee as executive director
David Lakeman is currently the head of the cannabis division at the Illinois Department of Agriculture – a position he has held since September 2020. He is familiar with cannabis policy in Massachusetts and the commission itself, having served as head of government affairs at the Cannabis Control Commission between 2018 and 2020.
Mariano sets legislative game plan for rest of year
The speaker also indicated he is very open to changing the Legislature’s rules in the future to provide more flexibility in approving legislation. “The Joint Rules and associated legislative timeline are both due for updates. That, however, is a discussion for the 194th General Court after the New Year,” he said.
MCAS helps us stay the course on education standards and gains
Without the MCAS graduation standard, we risk returning to the pre-1993 era, when a high school diploma in Massachusetts was little more than a participation medal rather than a genuine indicator of readiness.
Balancing profit and care in Massachusetts health reform
This week on The Codcast, John McDonough of the T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute sit down with Sen. Cindy Friedman to discuss how the state Legislature is tackling health care reform. They unpack the fragility of Massachusetts’ health care following Steward hospital closures, holding insurers, pharmaceutical companies, and private equity accountable, and maintaining transparency in the legislative process.
Senate leader says Mass. health care ‘incredibly fragile right now’
“If you look at all of our hospitals, even our historically financially secure ones, all of them are struggling,” said Sen. Cindy Friedman, the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. “All of our community health centers are struggling. And I don’t mean just that we’re trying to clean up little pockets here and there. They are really struggling. The cost of health care is just beyond what anyone I think had envisioned it would be, especially since Covid. So nobody’s on great footing.”
A consumer’s guide to newspaper endorsements
The problem with the moves by Bezos and Soon-Shiong is that they acted at the last minute, overturning their editorial boards and convincing absolutely no one that there was any principle behind their decision beyond not provoking the wrath of former President Donald Trump.
Fostering dialogue on Israel, Palestine, and antisemitism on campus
Universities are learning environments where uncomfortable ideas should be raised and examined, requiring a delicate balance between creating space for legitimate discourse and not being soft on antisemitism.