Lawmakers stressed the urgency of dealing with the issue of intoxicating hemp-based products but said that they’re unlikely to do anything before the next legislative session begins next year.
Lawmakers punt on issue of intoxicating hemp products
Posted inTechnology
Advocates call for cameras on school buses
Automated enforcement has historically received pushback, with opponents citing concerns about privacy and racial profiling. Previous bills that would have allowed for automated enforcement of running red lights have failed on Beacon Hill.
Posted inHealth Care
Warren bill takes aim at ‘corporate greed’ in health care
“Corporate Crimes Against Health Care” bill that would establish new penalties and guardrails for business leaders who endanger patient safety.
Posted inHealth Care
Children’s behavioral health services are teetering on the precipice
The resources to stabilize kids who need behavioral health services are shrinking and the need for crisis services is soaring. We need an intervention from the Commonwealth, in the form of greater funding that will enable us to raise clinician pay.
Posted inTransportation
MBTA is ‘barely treading water’
“We have 13 months to figure out how we’re going to solve the problem,” said Tom Glynn, a former T general manager who now chairs its oversight board.
Posted inPolitics
The most interesting part of your 2024 ballot could deal with this obscure panel
The race for an obscure Governor’s Council post – a rematch two years in the making – may be the buzziest local 2024 matchup for some voters.
Posted inOpinion
Amid housing crisis, let’s save older homes
Massachusetts needs many more new, affordable homes built to address our housing crisis. But we must also consider the condition of existing homes. With the second oldest housing stock in the country, timely repairs are critical to protect residents’ health and reduce loss of homes to disrepair. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of homes in Massachusetts are essentially “out of circulation” for families with young children due to lead-based paint that is still present, despite having been banned in 1978.
Posted inEconomy
Lawmakers from Lowell, Springfield say cities would welcome economic jolt
Two Democrats who have a chance to stamp their mark on Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to reinvigorate the state’s business climate want the benefits to stretch beyond the Boston metropolitan area.
Posted inTransportation
Shrinking the transportation gap with micro-transit
Once a person gets west of Worcester, the best connection between regional transit bus systems might be a small van network overseen by a scrappy community organization.
Posted inThe Codcast
Micro-transit and rural accessibility
OVERVIEW
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith is joined by Jen Healy, rural transit program manager for the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation, to talk about the place of micro-transit in Massachusetts’ transportation systems. They discuss different models of micro-transit service, how it’s funded, how it connects with other transit modes, and what impact West-East Rail service will have.
Posted inOpinion
Should we give school librarians more control over book selection, while limiting the say of school committees and parents?
Some argue that we should largely allow school librarians to decide what books are available to students, while others say school committees, parents, and others have every right to have a say in the issue.
Posted inMarijuana
Vineyard and Nantucket pot shops on the ropes
Marijuana outlets on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket say they are facing an untenable fiscal squeeze because of a ban on transporting cannabis through federal waters.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Cain skips vote | Anonymous donor | Ballot title battle
Quincy City Councilor Ian Cain, who recently called his rival for the Republican US Senate nomination, John Deaton, evasive for brushing off a call to debate, did some evading of his own this week, skipping a council vote on the massive pay raise approved for Quincy’s mayor.
Posted inOpinion
Legislature should act quickly on ‘muni empowerment’ opportunity
Gov. Maura Healey’s Municipal Empowerment Act would make a huge difference in people’s daily lives, while allowing local government to address strained finances by adopting small increases in meals and lodging taxes and an impose a new vehicle excise surcharge.
Posted inTransportation
‘Terrible options’ if T budget isn’t straightened out, watchdog says
Public transportation is on the verge of an “existential crisis,” cities and towns that help fund the system warned, as the MBTA moves ahead with a budget plan that drains its reserves in the face of a looming deficit.
Posted inPolitics
Bill to allow campaign funds for childcare on the move
While everything from pricey steakhouse dinners to travel to far-off conferences can be paid with campaign funds under the broad definition of allowable spending that furthers a candidate’s political career, childcare falls outside that interpretation.
Posted inOpinion
To stay ahead, Massachusetts needs science of reading legislation
37 states have adopted some type of science of reading legislation, but Massachusetts is not one of them. We need to change that.
Posted inBallot Questions
Top Dem says talks occurring on rideshare, MCAS question alternatives
The Legislature last month ruled out acting on any of the 2024 ballot questions as proposed by the petitioners, but lawmakers have not ruled out the idea of intervening to keep some of the questions from being decided this fall by voters.
Posted inPolitics
Inside Wu fundraiser, 2025 is already underway
Michelle Wu has held off on a formal reelection launch, but the scene inside the Omni Parker House had the unmistakable vibes of a Boston mayor gearing up to defend her seat.