One year into legalized sports gambling and growing concern about its impact on the young, a new CommonWealth Beacon/GBH News poll doesn’t paint a clear-cut apocalyptic picture.
Poll indicates young people aren’t betting on sports as much as feared
Posted inOpinion
Ringling Bros. back, this time with no wild animals
The circus has changed, now passage of legislation is needed
Posted inHousing
MBTA Communities panel splits over state vs. local control
“I think of the folks who were in the Mass. Legislature more than 100 years ago, who said we’re going to go out and we’re going to create the Quabbin Reservoir and flood four towns, and make sure that we had enough water for the Boston metro area,” he said. “That was a hard decision… They made a decision about what they thought was best for the Commonwealth. And so did we.”
Posted inThe Codcast
MBTA Communities panel splits over state vs. local control
This week on the Codcast, we’re bringing you a recording of a recent discussion on the MBTA Communities Act, moderated by CommonWealth Beacon’s Gin Dumcius. The panelists are Andrea Harris-Long of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, State Rep. Russell Holmes, and Quincy City Council President Ian Cain.
Posted inPolitics
Majority of Mass. voters believe 2024 election could lead to violence
Massachusetts residents are deeply concerned about the prospect of violence as the 2024 presidential election approaches, according to a new CommonWealth Beacon/GBH News poll, with 72 percent of respondents saying political tensions in the United States are either very bad or constitute a crisis, while 64 percent said it’s either somewhat or very likely that the US will see major violence in relation to the presidential election.
Posted inOpinion
About those beverages with THC from hemp
Hemp and marijuana are both the same cannabis plant, but with the key distinction that hemp is federally legal and marijuana is not.
Posted inCourts
Is collecting your data the modern wiretap?
Could using AdTech software to monitor a public website visitor’s online actions amount to an illegal wiretap in Massachusetts?
Posted inOpinion
Housing legislation could save Cape Cod
The housing crisis ln the Cape is a threat not only to our families, but to our workforce, our seasonal economy, and our way of life.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Facebook frenemies, West End ghosts, missing the Trump train
When it comes to many politicians and social media apps like Facebook, there’s a give and take: They take shots at the tech behemoth, and they also give the company money.
Posted inOpinion
Where did education reform go wrong in Massachusetts?
While the courts confirmed that the state was responsible for adequately educating all students, the Education Reform Act made no substantive change to the longstanding tradition of using local school districts to manage and direct the delivery of educational services.
Posted inCourts
Arguments in 7-Eleven franchise case ‘almost incomprehensible’
A case that has ping-ponged between state and federal courts considering whether 7-Eleven franchisees are independent contractors or employees under Massachusetts law left the SJC openly befuddled.
Posted inHealth Care
Markey, Warren do tag team on Steward’s de la Torre
“So that seat for their testimony was empty today, as empty as the promises which Steward and Ralph de la Torre had made to the state of Massachusetts,” Markey told reporters after the hearing.
Posted inEconomy
Boston’s effort to head off an ‘urban doom loop,’ explained
Boston has seen office vacancy rates spike since the pandemic. That is leading to lowered assessed values for buildings. With fears that lowered tax payments could create budget woes, Mayor Michelle Wu wants authority to raise commercial tax rates as a potential fix.
Posted inHealth Care
Judge orders temporary receivership for Boston nursing home
The receivership order still leaves the door open to a potential closure if the Department of Public Health approves a closure plan filed by the facility in February.
Posted inOpinion
Here’s how HPC should be reviewing the Steward-Optum deal
Some of the issues arise because of who the seller is and some are tied to worries about this particular buyer.
Posted inEducation
State exit from Holyoke puts spotlight on mixed takeover record
The state’s looming exit from its takeover of the Holyoke schools puts a spotlight on state use of this authority — and its mixed record.
Posted inEnergy
Campbell takes another swipe at electricity retailers
In the eighth year, running from July 2022 through June 2023, the retailers saved their customers a total of $30.4 million, but Campbell’s report said she expected the savings to be much higher.
Posted inState Government
Amid budget uncertainty, Healey hits breaks on hiring
With some exceptions, all new Executive Branch hiring between April 3 and June 30 will need to be approved by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance based on time-sensitivity and the importance of positions, the office said.
Posted inState Government
On Everett soccer stadium, Boston says it wants a conversation
As state lawmakers weigh whether to fast track an Everett soccer stadium on the Mystic River, Boston officials across the waterway are casting a wary eye, raising concerns about congestion that the venue, with little to no parking, could bring to an area just off I-93 on the northern edge of the city.
Posted inOpinion
Does rent control help or hurt the quest for affordable housing?
Enacting a state law allowing rent control and imposing a “transfer fee” on high-end real estate sales are appealing proposals but opponents say they could have unintended negative effects.