On The Codcast, Donahue reflected on the history of health planning councils in conversation with hosts Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute and John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Could consumer representation on hospital boards have prevented Steward problem?
Posted inPolitics
The shadowy think tank fighting Boston City Hall
The nonprofit’s refusal to make public its sources of funding – coupled with the not altogether happy history one of its founders shares with Mayor Wu – has prompted whispers of grudge-settling and rumors of who could be behind the effort.
Posted inOpinion
Redefining who gets a seat at the table
Instead of tinkering around the edges of admissions policies, elite colleges need to completely rethink what it means to be prepared for success.
Posted inEnergy
3 New York wind farms scrapped
The three wind farms proposed for the coast off New York were all tied to a plan by GE Vernova to start producing giant 18-megawatt turbines at a facility on the Hudson River to be subsidized by the state.
Posted inOpinion
Time to prioritize out-of-school learning
Every young person deserves to have access to after-school and summer programs because school alone is no longer sufficient for closing opportunity and achievement gaps.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Something Fish-y, civics swipe, charter fall
Rep. John Rogers apparently never talked to officials at Mass General Brigham, but he said in a Facebook post on April 11 that he did talk to Gov. Maura Healey, Medical Properties Trust, and “members of the MGB board of directors who love the Norwood project and want the deal done.”
Posted inOpinion
Unitarians turn empty office space into shelter
With all the public and private resources invested in office space and commercial development in the past generation, yet high vacancy rates forecasted for the foreseeable future, surely there can be more creative uses for spaces like ours to meet this moment.
Posted inTransportation
Transportation secretary gives ‘unfiltered’ take on challenges
The secretary said speeding is a problem on Massachusetts roadways because law enforcement officials aren’t writing enough citations.
Posted inState Government
As state leans in on artificial intelligence, AG Campbell waves a yellow flag
Attorney General Andrea Campbell says AI has tremendous potential, but warns it has “shown to pose serious risks to consumers, including bias, lack of transparency or explainability, implications for data privacy, and more.”
Posted inOpinion
Taking a break from health care
Despite its many challenges, Massachusetts health care remains the best in the world. It has the best institutions, the best thinkers, and the best government leaders.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Half of state residents support legalizing teachers’ strikes
State leaders do not seem inclined to change state law to legalize teachers’ strike, but half of Massachusetts residents favor such a move compared with 34 percent who are opposed to a change.
Posted inRace/Racism
Antisemetic incidents surge in New England
Rabbi Ron Fish, ADL New England’s interim region director, called the data “simply stunning.”
Posted inOpinion
City Year is now on the Common App
What do City Year AmeriCorps members learn? Among the most important and lasting lessons is leadership. It’s the confidence that they possess what it takes to lead others and the perseverance to solve problems. It’s often an invaluable self-realization of their potential.
Posted inMarijuana
After long delay, cannabis social equity fund starts up
The Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund was signed into law in 2022 to steer a portion of marijuana tax revenues to “entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement.” The fund sat empty for many months, largely because of the way the law was drafted.
Posted inHousing
In Milton dispute, AG Campbell will work with the town, but ‘the state trumps’
Only two towns – Milton and Holden – are considered “non-compliant” by the state, with Milton the only town to deliberately blow past its deadline to submit a zoning plan earlier this year.
Posted inThe Codcast
AG Andrea Campbell talks local power and gambling boom
This week on The Codcast, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell joins CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith to discuss several office priorities, from enforcing the MBTA Communities Act, to gun control, to regulating the state’s gambling systems.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Mass. residents say ‘immigration/migrants’ top issue facing state
Sixty-seven percent of those polled said the migrant situation was either a crisis (28 percent) or a major problem (39 percent).
Posted inOpinion
Historic structures ‘sitting ducks’ for climate change
Many historic structures and sites, particularly on the East Coast, are located in low-lying areas near the ocean or along rivers and likely built on fill – that’s just the way our early settlements were established.
Posted inEconomy
Advocates say guaranteed basic income programs work
Advocates for guaranteed basic income gathered at the WBUR CitySpace on Wednesday for a United Way-sponsored event to discuss pilot programs across the Greater Boston area, the challenges in implementing them, and what the future holds.
Posted inOpinion
We’re closing the digital divide, but more needs doing
Massachusetts has more than 160,000 units of income-restricted housing. According to a study published last fall by MassINC and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, these properties disproportionately house residents who lack high-speed internet.