The Download: On Biden future, Healey steps out
Lawmakers should give worker-owned cooperatives a boost
Worker-owned cooperatives are emerging as a powerful force in the Massachusetts economy. The Legislature can help but
MBTA contactless payment coming to subways, buses Aug. 1
Starting August 1, MBTA riders will be able to tap a credit card or mobile wallet to pass through subway gates or board above-ground trolleys and buses, officials announced Tuesday.
MassDOT reverses course, includes $243m for I-90 Allston project in capital plan
The explanations left many observers scratching their heads, and some wondering whether the MassDOT staff simply forgot to include funding in the capital investment plan for one of the Healey administration’s highest transportation priorities.
DPU unveils plan to speed up municipal electricity aggregation approvals
Municipal aggregation plans allow cities and towns to negotiate electricity rates on behalf of their residents. The plans have gained tremendous popularity as the cost of electricity has risen and the aggregation efforts have often yielded lower prices than the basic service provided by utilities and the rates of retail suppliers.
Legislators wary of ‘nuclear option’ with cannabis commission
“I want to underscore, as someone who has been in the government for a long time, that receivership is a really big deal,” said Rep. Rob Consalvo of Boston, one of the vice chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Policy.
Barnstable at the center of offshore wind debate
Many in town are asking why a residential beach community has become the onshore epicenter of the offshore wind business in Massachusetts.
Senate preps for economic developent debate, including Everett soccer stadium
The Senate’s bill authorizes $2.444 billion in borrowing, giving the executive branch flexibility to put as much of that amount into use as it determines is necessary and wise, and $350 million in tax credits mostly to be deployed in the climate technology sector.
In the face of climate change, mitigation is no longer enough
The world is at a crossroads. Now is the time to meet our greatest global threat with renewed courage and new ways of thinking. We must work together and take local action on the ground.
Marty Walsh, Biden’s former labor chief and ex-mayor, gets married
Walsh and Lorrie Higgins, who have been together for about two decades, quietly married in March, almost a year after he left public service for the private sector, according to their marriage certificate. A local justice of the peace performed the ceremony.
Audit faults MBTA for CharlieCard misuse by transit ambassadors
The ambassadors, who work for a private contractor that operates under the name Block By Block, help passengers buy tickets and navigate stations and also serve as the T’s eyes and ears monitoring safety hazards and maintenance needs inside the subway system.
Environmental justice in climate legislation
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith is joined by Rusty Polsgrove, an organizer with Arise for Social Justice, and by John Walkey, director of climate justice and waterfront initiatives at GreenRoots, to discuss the role of environmental justice in climate legislation. They focus especially on the environmental justice community designation, and why environmental advocates wish it had a larger presence in the current climate bill.
Advocates press for more emphasis on environmental justice populations
Environmental justice populations, broadly speaking, tend to be low-income communities and communities of color hit hard by the impacts of climate change. Getting to a clear definition in Massachusetts, let alone its policy implications, has been a long road through several climate bills.
Lessons to learn from Oregon on psychedelics ballot measure
A group called Mass. for Mental Health Options has gathered the necessary signatures to put a question on the November ballot that would make it possible for Massachusetts residents to do the same. However, the measure in Massachusetts is much more expansive than the one that legalized psilocybin therapy in Oregon in 2020.
It’s time to talk about what decarbonization will cost
We know how much carbon we emit, with reasonable accuracy. We know how much carbon we need to stop emitting. We know much about the carbon-free resources we need to procure. Now we just need to know the cost to the Commonwealth.
Legalizing project labor agreements would be huge step backward
NO ONE WOULD tolerate a law that bans union labor from public construction. So why is it OK to shut out non-union workers? The House of Representatives has voted to […]
Biden’s candidacy has to end
The only way the Democratic Party can win the upcoming elections is to be perceived as fresh, new, dynamic.
Is this fair? When has politics ever been fair? This is not about fairness but about reality.
Democrats tiptoe toward toppling a leader they like
Stopping a Trump return to the White House is something all Democrats agree on. The difficult question they now face is, which of the imperfect choices before them offers the best hope of doing that?
Don’t penalize people for being poor and lacking housing
The US Supreme Court ruled that a community may ban people from sleeping outside even when there is no adequate shelter or housing available. People may be fined or arrested for sleeping in a tent, on a bench, or even in their own cars.
DiZoglio slams state agency on minority outreach
“If we are serious about expanding opportunities for underrepresented populations, we must do better,” State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said in a statement.
Uber, Lyft drivers praise settlement, push for union
Days after Uber and Lyft agreed to boost driver pay and offer new benefits to resolve a years-old lawsuit, campaigners moved Tuesday to place on the ballot a measure that would allow those same drivers to unionize.