The Download: Mass. delegates explain why they’re backing Biden in new survey
Wu tells lawmakers potential residential tax spike ‘keeps me up at night’
City Hall is seeking to keep that 60-40 balance and mitigate an increase next year in homeowner tax bills that could come as valuations for commercial property fall, driven by the downtown still seeing less foot traffic, on top of office vacancies and some continuing to work from home in Covid pandemic’s aftermath.
House, Senate far apart on clean energy procurements
In other key areas the bills differ quite dramatically, which could complicate efforts to reach a deal between the House and Senate before the legislative session ends on July 31. Less than two weeks remain.
Most of turbine blade left hanging; wind farm shut down
Some larger pieces of the blade fell into the water and were retrieved. A lot of smaller pieces of foam and fiberglass were washing ashore on Nantucket on Tuesday.
BlueHub court battle shifts to Legislature
The legislative push comes as the legal battle in Suffolk Superior Court appears to be nearing a resolution, with both sides seeking summary judgments that they are in the right. Both sides can point to customers on their side, some saying they were ripped off and others who insist BlueHub helped save their house.
Renaissance taking place in downtown Brockton
Anyone who has been to the “City of Champions” recently has seen an incredible re-imagining of our downtown focused on long-term sustainability and economic growth.
O’Brien has pocketed nearly $170,000 while suspended
O‘Brien was suspended in September 2023. The calculation of what she has been paid since being suspended is based on her $181,722 salary in 2023 ($15,143 a month) and her pay of $108,608 through the first six months of this year.
Vineyard Wind 1 turbine experiences undisclosed damage
The developers provided few details about what happened. The incident is the second involving the new GE Haliade-X 13-megawatt turbines, which are some of the largest in the world.
Failure to put down dying dog is not crime, SJC rules
“Our opinion should not be read to condone the conduct alleged in the complaint or take a position one way or the other regarding ‘complicated’ and ‘heartbreaking’ end-of-life decisions,” Justice Frank Gaziano wrote for the court. “Instead, we hold, on these facts, that the defendant committed no crime.”
Raise a glass or pour one out? Happy hour back on legislative menu
“We’re the Athens in the United States, and how many of those people leave, and why are they leaving?” asked Sen. Julian Cyr. “They’re leaving because they can’t afford to live here. And because there’s just not a lot to do and it’s not a lot of fun.”
Reconsidering happy hour
This week on The Codcast, Sen. Julian Cyr joins CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith to discuss a provision in the Mass. Senate’s economic development bill that would allow cities and towns more control over whether and what kinds of drinks specials they allow, in place of the current statewide ban. In addition to the pros and cons of the provision, they discuss the broader question of the commonwealth’s attractiveness to young people.
The ‘Codfather’ is back in business
Three years after his release from prison, fishing mogul Carlos Rafael, banned from owning fishing vessels, has embarked on a different business venture: a multimillion-dollar real estate financing operation sprawling across New Bedford and its suburbs.
Should Massachusetts establish a reparations commission?
There is a compelling case for reparations for descendants of enslaved people in the US, but there are strong countervailing arguments that the reparations conversation is a distraction from more grounded efforts to close racial gaps.
Feds give $1b more for Cape bridge replacement work
The replacement of the Sagamore Bridge, which carries Route 6 over the canal close to its eastern end, is the first step in the state’s broader plan to replace both Cape Cod bridges.
Political Notebook: Flanagan may face challenge | No month off for task force
State regulators earlier this year accused Flanagan of repeatedly misleading them as they tried to find out who was behind a phony mailer sent to voters in 2022, before he confessed it was him.
How my position, as a physician, on medical aid in dying changed
I was opposed to medical-aid-in-dying legislation — until I witnessed my parents’ painful deaths, despite help from hospice and palliative care.
Cannabis Commission unveils proposed leadership changes
“This is us first recognizing that we agree that there was a need for some clarity and this is our way of addressing some of that and providing clarity in terms of who does what,” said acting Commission chair Ava Callender Concepcion.
More consolidation of economic development agencies proposed
Senators are expected to vote Thursday on the $2.4 billion borrowing bill, which also includes $350 million in tax credits, a provision helping the prospects of a soccer stadium on the Mystic River waterfront in Everett, and the reauthorization of a long-running initiative boosting the state’s life sciences industry.
Steward hospital crisis is opportunity to reclaim health care as public good
Our health care system is under-resourced and overburdened. Every hospital and emergency department in the state, from small community hospitals to large academic medical centers, is affected by the reality that Massachusetts simply does not have enough beds for the number of patients. It’s time for the Commonwealth to reclaim health care as a public good.
Campbell explains why she settled Uber, Lyft case on eve of likely court victory
“A win in court might have given drivers restitution for pay they were owed in the past, but a successful ballot initiative would have wiped out its impact going forward,” Attorney General Andrea Campbell said