Few cities have experienced the kind of growth Everett has seen in the last seven years. Now, further transformation of the city’s once-blighted Lower Broadway district will be overseen by newly elected mayor Robert Van Campen, who was inaugurated on January 5.
Everett’s new mayor inherits major development projects
Posted inThe Codcast
‘No doubt it may get worse before it gets better’ — Breaking down the 2026 State of the Commonwealth.
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski talk about Gov. Maura Healey’s 2026 State of the Commonwealth speech. They compare her tone and policy position to earlier years, review reactions to the speech, and look ahead at what this says about Healey’s run for reelection.
Posted inOpinion
What we’re doing to treat ADHD isn’t working. Here’s what would.
There needs to be a wholesale rethinking of our approach to ADHD, one that is guided by evidence and a better understanding of the dynamic nature of attention problems.
Posted inState Government
Healey comes out swinging against Trump in election-year address
Gov. Maura Healey’s final State of the Commonwealth before she’s up for reelection featured plenty of criticism of the Trump administration, plus hints of modest new action to rein in costs of living.
Posted inTransportation
Another MBTA deficit is on the horizon. Did the state miss its chance for a more permanent fix?
The T is once again warning of a financial shortfall on the horizon, but this time around, its push for more state funding will bump up against a tighter economic environment and a series of federal cuts affecting every corner.
Posted inHousing
Trump administration targets program for chronically homeless residents, sparking fear for vulnerable populations in cities like Springfield
The overhaul has been temporarily and partially blocked by a federal judge, but the move is impacting local administrators of the federal program across Massachusetts and has threatened millions of dollars in funding for permanent housing and thousands of beds for the chronically homeless.
Posted inOpinion
Can Healey’s health care affordability push actually move the needle?
For now, the announcement of the new working group offers promise, not proof. Whether it delivers real affordability will depend less on process and far more on what happens if meaingful recommendations hit the Legislature.
Posted inEducation
Senate and House aligning on evidence-based reading instruction
While the state continues to rank among national leaders, MCAS data show that only about 42 percent of third-graders are meeting state expectations in English language arts, with significantly lower rates among students of color, low-income students, English language learners and students with disabilities.
Posted inOpinion
Why Massachusetts must get serious about state spending
Massachusetts is firmly in a parochial phase, reflected in policy choices over the past decade that have led to job losses, rising living costs, and outmigration of talent and investment.
Posted inBallot Questions
National dark money anti-pot group bankrolling efforts to ban recreational marijuana in Mass., Maine
A national anti-pot organization allowed to hide its donors is bankrolling an effort to eliminate recreational marijuana use in Massachusetts, representing a fraction of the more than $11 million raised so far on a record-breaking set of ballot questions.
Posted inThe Codcast
Filling the health care funding gaps
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith unravels the latests state health coverage moves with Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, and Alex Sheff, senior director of policy and government affairs at Health Care For All.
Posted inExplainer
What’s behind Massachusetts’s $250m investment in health insurance subsidies
The state still has a few days left of open enrollment through the Massachusetts Health Connector. And from executive director Audrey Gasteier’s perspective, Massachusetts saw “exactly what we worried we would see this open enrollment,” both due to “congressional inaction” on renewing the subsidies and the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last year.
Posted inOpinion
What ICE is doing is abhorrent. But here’s why canceling the state contract to house its detainees might not be the right thing to do.
As with all policies, it is important not to make decisions from afar. We must listen to people who are actually impacted.
Posted inEvent Recap
Meet Executive Editor Michael Jonas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mCyGBO7NVE Event Recap On January 13, CommonWealth Beacon hosted a Zoom webinar with executive editor Michael Jonas to discuss the submission and publication process for opinion pieces at Commonwealth Beacon. […]
Posted inEnergy
Next up on Beacon Hill: House leaders plan closed-door meetings on Healey’s energy affordability bill
The political pressure to lower energy prices in the Bay State, home to the third-highest electricity costs in the country and rising gas bills, has intensified and will likely continue to escalate in an election year for both Healey and the Legislature.
Posted inHousing
Prospects shaky for real estate transfer fee
Supporters of real estate transfer fees, a long-bubbling idea on Beacon Hill that would impose a surcharge on property sales to generate affordable housing funding, are vowing to make another push for transfer fees in the coming final year of the two-year legislative session.
Posted inEnergy
Healey administration pushes back clean heat standard to 2028 as affordability concerns mount
Oil, propane, and natural gas providers would need to gradually cut their emissions each year under the program and buy credits to offset their pollution, costs which in theory could be passed on to consumers, which would run counter to Gov. Maura Healey’s attempts to lower energy costs.
Posted inState Government
Massachusetts set out to modernize its unemployment insurance system. Then it hit a new low.
Massachusetts was the slowest state in issuing initial unemployment payments in the country between June and October.
Posted inOpinion
The state can accelerate the move away from natural gas with one step
The Department of Public Utilities faces a choice: proactively lead the next transition, as it did before, or let gas utilities trap customers in a failing system.
Posted inTransportation
Keolis was once on thin ice over commuter rail concerns. Now, it’s a finalist for another lucrative MBTA contract.
Better on-time performance and major ridership milestones have boosted the outlook for commuter rail operator Keolis, which early in its tenure faced major scrutiny from Beacon Hill.
Posted inOpinion
Sensible reforms can make solar a bigger part of the answer to the energy affordability crisis
Breaking this cycle requires unleashing local solar and storage so we can generate affordable electricity right here in Massachusetts. Solar and batteries keep getting cheaper, while the cost to supply and deliver gas is only rising.