State rep races in liberal districts in Cambridge and Somerville were also referendums on Beacon Hill’s centralized power structure under Democrats, and voters made clear that they don’t like it.
Political Notebook: A Mariano drubbing in Camberville | Boston papers trade jabs on NH race
Posted inHealth Care
Markey threatens Steward’s de la Torre with contempt
“When I voted on July 25 to issue the first subpoena from the Senate Health Committee since 1981, it was not a request for Ralph de la Torre to answer for what he’s done, it was a demand that he answer for what he has done. It was a demand that 15 of my bipartisan colleagues joined,” Markey said.
Posted inOpinion
Healey needs to keep score on energy transition benefits
Massachusetts can lead by example, demonstrating how a state can effectively integrate equity goals into its environmental justice policies.
Posted inPolitics
Pro-Trump candidate pushes recount in Senate primary race
The possibility of a recount in a Republican primary is unusual, given that the Republican Party in Massachusetts has trouble even finding candidates willing to run for office.
Posted inEnergy
Headaches ahead for the region’s power grid
The first big change is expected to come in the 2030s, when peak demand for electricity from the power grid will shift to the winter months instead of the summer months. The change is expected to come about as businesses and homeowners begin using electricity to heat the buildings where they work and live.
Posted inOpinion
Why risk-averse Gen Z is watching from the sidelines
When we weigh the decision of whether to engage effortfully with the world or just stay home, it’s no wonder we gravitate toward the option that involves less risk.
Posted inHealth Care
Judge approves sale of 6 Steward hospitals in Mass. for total of $343m
Mass. chips in $42m to keep hospitals operating through end of Sep
Posted inPolitics
Latest numbers have Cambridge state rep staving off ouster
The numbers, obtained by CommonWealth Beacon, show Decker winning with 3,472 votes to MacKay’s 3,431 votes. The new numbers are based on previously uncounted ballots, including overseas ballots. It was unclear on Wednesday how many more ballots, if any, remain uncounted.
Posted inPolitics
SJC clerk race upends usual glide path to the ‘velvet coffin’
Races for obscure elected county positions like the Supreme Judicial Court clerk post that was on Tuesday’s primary ballot are usually low-profile affairs that turn on name recognition, but that narrative was disrupted when the race became a proxy battle over the direction of Boston politics.
Posted inPolitics
Uber-progressive Uyterhoeven defeats challenger from right
In the House, incumbent Democrat Rady Mom of Lowell was defeated by challenger Tara Hong by a margin of 47 to 42 percent. On the Governor’s Council, challenger Maura Dolan held a narrow lead over incumbent Marilyn Delaney in a rematch of their election fight two years ago.
Posted inPolitics
Decker’s challenger declares victory in Cambridge
The primary battle between Decker and MacKay shaped up to be a classic race between a hard-charging insider and an outside organizer.
Posted inOpinion
Fair Share amendment is working as intended
The Fair Share Amendment was designed to address two related problems: our unfair tax system, and years of inadequate investment in public education and critical transportation infrastructure. We’re already making great progress on both counts.
Posted inOpinion
Offshore wind is answer to skyrocketing electricity demand
We are now facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to embrace an innovative, effective source of energy that would not only power millions of American homes and businesses, but spur economic growth, support thousands of new, good-paying jobs, and strengthen our grid and energy independence—all while addressing our climate imperative.
Posted inEnergy
Latest GE blade problem blamed on positioning of turbine
A preliminary investigation suggests the blade failure on August 22 at the Dogger Bank wind farm off the coast of the United Kingdom happened because the turbine was left in “a fixed and static position” that made it vulnerable to high winds during a subsequent storm.
Posted inThe Codcast
Engagements: the business of the state?
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith is joined by Meredith Goldstein, love advice columnist for the Boston Globe. They discuss the meaning of relationships, gender roles, and marriage in the context of upcoming arguments before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on what happens to engagement rings after a broken engagement.
Posted inCourts
Does fault matter when an engagement ends?
Getting engaged is complicated, saide Boston Globe romance columnist Meredith Goldstein. “It’s tied to romance, especially now, but also it’s a legal thing. It’s a business contract,” she said. “So I think the minute we begin to enter into that contract, it is a very awkward line to dance down. Is this business? Is this pleasure? And who benefits and whose responsibility is it to keep this going?”
Posted inPolitics
Healey says she’s not interested in Harris administration post
“You know, I laugh at people with their speculation about stuff,” Healey said. “I want to be really clear: I am not interested in any job other than being governor.”
Posted inPolitics
Why do we elect a Supreme Judicial Court clerk anyway? The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
Why do we elect someone to the obscure, behind-the-scenes administrative post of clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court? The answer starts with the saga of a Black man who escaped slavery in Virginia more than 170 years ago and hoped to find freedom in Boston.
Posted inEnvironment
Chelsea residents angry over handling of Tobin Bridge construction project
More than a year after Chelsea residents sounded the alarm over lead paint chips falling from Tobin Bridge, the state has stepped in with a new mitigation plan to help address the problem, but some residents and environmental advocates say it’s not enough.
Posted inOpinion
Defense of White Stadium plan doesn’t add up
I am grateful to Chris Dempsey for his leadership in stopping the Boston 2024 Olympics, which would have irreparably harmed Franklin Park through an ill-advised plan to transform White Stadium into an equestrian center. So I was dismayed to see him author an opinion article for CommonWealth Beacon in support of the equally ill-advised plan by the City of Boston and a group of private sports investors to redevelop White Stadium in Franklin Park into a much larger professional sports and entertainment complex.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Lawmakers won’t campaign against audit ballot question
Legislative leaders aren’t happy about state Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s call for her office to audit the Legislature, but they aren’t going to mount a campaign against her ballot question granting those powers. The measure seems likely to pass overwhelmingly, and lawmakers instead seem content to wait and pursue a legal challenge to the measure if it’s approved at the ballot box.