The Download: Should Mass. go big or small with upcoming offshore wind procurement?
Should Mass. go big or small with upcoming offshore wind procurement?
Barton acknowledged supply chain concerns and ongoing economic uncertainty, but said the economics of offshore wind are unlikely to change any time soon and climate change dictates acting now and going big.
Protect our patients, ban retail electricity suppliers
The bottom line is that third-party energy suppliers overprice a basic necessity for the poorest and sickest in our state while sowing confusion and mistrust about our urgent need for a clean, decarbonized economy.
Biden drops out
Joe Biden scrambled the 2024 presidential race in a way without precedent by dropping out on Sunday. Read how Massachusetts political figures are reacting.
Worrisome lack of progress at transportation task force
This pivotal moment cannot be squandered on yet another commission presenting policymakers with “transportation revenue options” or a mere “tool kit.” We know the available options, backed by countless reports outlining various revenue sources.
Cannabis regulators move closer to removing two-driver rule
The commission voted back in December 2023 to remove the two-driver rule, a requirement that every delivery be carried out by two drivers for security purposes.
Addressing anti-semitism in the schools
The events of 10/7 and the ensuing war have had an unmistakable impact, even in Massachusetts.  ADL tracked 440 incidents in the Commonwealth in 2023, a 189 percent increase. Eighty-four incidents were in K-12, and 31 occurred after 10/7, a 138 percent increase for the same three-month period in 2022.   Â
Political Notebook: Wu-Kraft race looking more and more likely | Full-tilt toward artificial intelligence
The official word from Josh Kraft is that he’s not a candidate for mayor of Boston and has to plans or timeline for such an announcement, but some coffee shop chatter overheard this week suggests a run could be in his future.
Eds and meds should pay their fair share of property taxes
Since this is not a tax, payment is voluntary, but institutions were expected to act in good faith on their commitments. Some have; many have not.
Budget deal includes free community college and bus rides plus online lottery
Many of the biggest eye-catchers in the deal would commit significant funds toward reducing or eliminating costs Massachusetts residents face, including another year of free school meals, tuition-free community college, no-charge rides on the state’s 15 regional transit authorities, and making permanent a pandemic-era Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grant program that launched with federal dollars.
Polls can’t really tell us whether Biden has a better chance than anyone else
Democrats must choose a course based on a map that really only shows where they are now and a blurry, half erased outline of what might be the path if Biden stays in. People can make strong cases that he should stay — or go. None are necessarily wrong, but none are clearly right.
Most of the rest of damaged turbine blade falls into ocean
Nantucket residents, who turned out in force at a Select Board meeting Wednesday evening, some of them describing the initial blade damage and resulting debris as an environmental disaster, knew more bad news was likely coming.
Report says visa caps, red tape stifling immigrant entrepreneurship
A new report says visa restrictions and bureaucratic red tape are holding back entrepreneurship from international students in the US that could lead to billions of dollars in economic activity and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the US.
Working toward a new model for emergency care
Last month, Boston Medical Center convened a coalition of national emergency department leaders for the second straight year to recommend solutions to strengthen existing care models and develop achievable solutions that will help patients thrive beyond emergency care.
Budget, gun control bills near finish line
Lawmakers would need to ship the final budget to Healey by Sunday to guarantee their ability to push through any spending or policy ideas over the governor’s objection.
Mass. delegates explain why they’re backing Biden in new survey
While President Biden faces unprecedented calls from within his party to step down as the Democratic nominee, members of the Massachusetts delegation who are headed to the national convention in Chicago appear largely supportive of Biden staying at the top of the ticket, according to a 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.