The Download: Mass. higher ed sector facing stiff headwinds
Mass. higher ed sector facing stiff headwinds
The state’s fortunes are more tied to the health of the higher ed sector here than in any other state, and that means some big challenges for Massachusetts in the coming years.
Milton ousts Select Board chair who backed rezoning plan
Keohane’s election to the Select Board suggests opposition to the MBTA Communities Act in Milton is not dissipating in the community just south of Boston. The vote would appear to give opponents of the state’s rezoning law narrow control of the Select Board as the town prepares for a court fight with Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who is asking the Supreme Judicial Court to force the town to come into compliance.
DiZoglio targets Uber, Lyft with supercharged hypothetical audit
The analysis estimated the on-demand ride platforms would have owed the state about $266 million in combined workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and the paid family and medical leave payments over the past decade if their tens of thousands of drivers were treated as full employees.
GOP seeks challenger to Rep. Flanagan after campaign finance violations
If someone is able to garner 150 votes and they accept the Republican nomination, they can appear on the November ballot with Flanagan.
Greed of PBMs needs to be reined in at state and federal level
A lack of oversight and regulation of PBMs has allowed them to act under the radar. They have made the drug distribution channel exceedingly opaque and have directly caused drug prices to rise.
Hayden says no charges will be filed in case of four frozen babies
All of the babies were full term, which means they were determined to be between 37 and 40 weeks of gestational age. All four had their umbilical cords attached and the two females had their placentas attached.
DNA tests concluded that the babies were full siblings.
Getting the I-90 Allston puzzle pieces to fit
The project envisions eight lanes of Turnpike, four lanes of Soldiers Field Road, four rail tracks, and a pedestrian and bike path – all at grade level. It’s a tight fit, particularly in the so-called throat area between Boston University and the Charles River.
Amid shelter crisis, don’t forget about individual homelessness
Demand for shelter for adults without children over the past year has soared. On average, our shelters have seen a 24 percent increase. On top of our state’s housing crisis, we face a youth mental health emergency, a large aging population, opioid addiction, and health disparities at an all-time high.
Despite latest court ruling, lawmakers dragging feet on home equity theft
The Massachusetts law known as Chapter 60 allows a city or town to foreclose on a person’s house to pay a tax debt, then keep the full value of the real estate beyond the amount of the debt.
Cape lawmaker repeatedly lied to state regulators investigating his 2022 campaign
State Rep. Chris Flanagan paid thousands of dollars in fines to settle a case with state regulators involving a deceptive campaign mailing sent on his behalf after obstructing their probe for months.
Paul Grogan reflects on 50 years of civic leadership
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith is joined by Paul S. Grogan, former president of The Boston Foundation, to discuss his new memoir, “Prepared to be Lucky: Reflections on Fifty Years of Public and Community Service.” Together with coauthor Kathryn E. Merchant, they discuss Paul’s long career in Boston politics and philanthropy, and the model of nonprofit civic leadership that he pioneered.
Paul Grogan reflects on a career of civic transformation, ambition, and luck
At 73, Grogan considers his civic legacy in a new memoir – Be Prepared to Be Lucky: Reflections on Fifty Years of Public and Community Service – co-written by former Cincinnati Foundation president Kathryn Merchant.
Is this labor’s comeback moment?
The striking contrast between the strong level of public support for unions today (67 percent) and the small share of US workers they represent (10 percent) frames the enormous opportunity – and challenge – facing the American labor movement.
Diagnosing the youth mental health crisis? Don’t forget housing and extreme heat
Well-recognized factors like the pandemic, school closures, and social media all play a role in young people’s mental health, but so do two underappreciated environmental factors — housing and extreme heat.
DiZoglio likely to prevail, but the constitution will limit range of her legislative audit
The constitutional concept of separation of powers ensures that no branch of government becomes too powerful at the expense of the others. However, the Legislature’s separation of powers concern here is at tension with the auditor’s mandate to provide checks and balances against the legislative branch.
Rivera steps down at MassDevelopment
Dan O’Connell, MassDevelopment board member and former secretary of housing and economic development under Gov. Deval Patrick, will step in as interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a new leader.
Political notebook: Tibbits-Nutt silence | cannabis chief resurfaces | Southie rep race
The former head of the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation told the MBTA board of directors on Thursday that a political coalition is needed to tackle the T’s problems, but the natural leader of such an effort, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, who stirred controversy with recent comments about ways to raise revenue, was conspicuously silent during the meeting.
Look what other states are doing on transportation funding
Decades of underinvestment in public transportation has not only left us with crumbling infrastructure and excessive greenhouse gas emissions, it’s also contributing to poor health outcomes. In fact, Springfield, Worcester, and Boston are among the 100 worst cities in the country for asthma rates.
Suffolk DA Hayden fined $5,000 for ethics violation from 2022 campaign
Suffolk DA Kevin improperly used his office to undercut his election opponent, Ricardo Arroyo, in the 2022 Democratic primary, the state Ethics Commission ruled.
MBTA extends Keolis commuter rail contract again
Keolis Commuter Services was originally hired in 2014 and is currently operating under a four-year extension that ends on June 30, 2026. The latest extension, which would run through the end of June 2027, would give Keolis an extra $5 million a year over the next three years on top of the roughly $365 million annual fee the company already collects.