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.
Sensible reforms can make solar a bigger part of the answer to the energy affordability crisis
Posted inThe Codcast
What do cities and advocates want from the Legislature in 2026?
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson; Jennie Williamson, the state director of The Education Trust in Massachusetts; and Clark Ziegler, executive director of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. They break down what has and hasn’t been a lawmaking priority; dive into the current relationships between cities, the state, and the federal government; and discuss their legislative wish list for the second half of the two-year cycle.
Posted inHousing
Boston’s broken land use system blocks the homes we desperately need
Rather than reflecting some sort of democratic ideal of local control, Boston’s process empowers those who already have housing to block housing for those who do not.
Posted inEnergy
New report: Gas utilities spent record amount replacing leaky pipes in 2024
The latest data on utilities’ work to replace leaky pipes paints an even more damning picture of GSEP as costs balloon with few additional results — driving up ratepayer bills — and places recent reform efforts into greater context.
Posted inGateway Cities
No way in and no way out: Beacon Hill hasn’t kept track of which communities qualify for Gateway City status
Despite lawmakers’ good intentions, state statute fails to create an enforcement mechanism to periodically review each city’s eligibility. Over time, some cities have met the state’s criteria without being added to the list, while others no longer qualify yet continue to reap the benefits. Oversight of the designations seems to have been lost.
Posted inOpinion
Amid severe weather, Massachusetts must invest in protecting nature for all
Trees, parks, and green spaces are not just nice to have—they are critical, low-cost infrastructure that provide nature-based solutions to bolster climate resilience.
Posted inGovernment
Boston tax relief response, ballot question reform emerge for Senate action
As political fallout from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s ill-fated property tax plan continues, the Senate prepares to vote on a relief plan of its own, plus a measure to impose new scrutiny on ballot question electioneering.
Posted inHealth Care
Healey unveils $250 million health insurance relief plan
Federal enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of December, creating turmoil for residents whose subsidies had protected them from steep premium hikes.
Posted inHousing
Inclusionary zoning takes fire from developers, gets side-eye from YIMBYs
The legal and legislative moves set up a clash over rules governing housing development at a time when there’s broad consensus that the state needs to build more units across communities.
Posted inState Government
Boston rep sanctioned for spending campaign dollars on personal uses
Campaign finance regulators say Rep. Chynah Tyler of Boston misspent campaign funds on personal uses such as Uber Eats orders, and failed to document details behind about $4,500 in other spending.
Posted inOpinion
As AI transforms the economy, Massachusetts needs a plan for its workforce
Technology has always changed work. What makes this moment different is the speed, scale, and breadth of change, and the absence of a coordinated response. If we fail to act, we are not witnessing inevitable progress; we are permitting displacement by design.
Posted inHealth
As cases rise, flu-related illness claims lives of two Boston children
TWO BOSTON CHILDREN under the age of two have died from flu-related illness, marking the city’s first pediatric influenza deaths since 2013 and raising alarms as flu cases surge and […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. insurer of last resort wrestles with thorny questions around affordability
Now, after the FAIR Plan saw its largest single-year jump in 2024 in new enrollees in two decades, the plan will need to decide this year whether it wants to raise the rates it charges — something that hasn’t happened in 20 years.
Posted inThe Codcast
What’s ahead in 2026 for CommonWealth Beacon. And, a lookback at our biggest stories from last year
On this end-of-year episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon editor Laura Colarusso sits down with reporters Jennifer Smith, Chris Lisinski, Jordan Wolman, and Hallie Claflin to discuss their 2025 storylines and what they each plan to cover in the new year.
Posted inState Government
What to expect when you’re expecting (legislative action)
Major policy issues like housing affordability, primary care access, and utility bills loom over Beacon Hill in 2026, when voters could also decide a dozen ballot questions and pick statewide elected officials.
Posted inEnergy
Massachusetts pushes offshore wind contract negotiations into 2026
The negotiations had been set to wrap up by the end of the year after a deal wasn’t clinched six months ago but are now extended through June 2026 and appear likely to be frozen for most of if not all of President Trump’s term.
Posted inOpinion
The top 5 CommonWealth Beacon commentary topics in 2025
Thoughtful CommonWealth Beacon opinion pieces offered a stark contrast to a year of oxygen-sucking pronouncements by a president whose coarsening of public debate commanded nearly nonstop headlines.
Posted inThe Codcast
‘The exits are growing, the entries are slowing’ in primary care
John McDonough and Paul Hattis talk with Zirui Song, associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss Song’s research and thoughts about the primary care crisis nationally and in Massachusetts, and dive into the promise and issues with private equity in health care.
Posted inEnvironment
Five Codcasts from 2025
CommonWealth Beacon reporters moderated panels and guided conversations on some of the thorniest problems facing the state. Here are five Codcasts from 2025 worth revisiting — or checking in on for the first time — as the new year kicks off.
Posted inHousing
Our top five housing stories of 2025
The Bay State’s housing crunch seemed to reach into all corners in 2025, tying up courts, lawmakers navigating climate and transportation concerns, groups dependent on federal fair housing funding, and services promising to make it easier for more people to afford to live in pricey Massachusetts.
Posted inState Government
Our top five Beacon Hill stories of 2025
The Democrats who control the levers of power in Massachusetts spent most of the year fretting about upheaval from the federal government and preparing for more expansive action down the line.