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.
Majority of Mass. voters believe 2024 election could lead to violence
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.
Posted inThe Codcast
What hospitals owe their neighborhoods
This week on The Codcast, Jonathan Wynn of UMass Amherst and Dan Skinner of Ohio University join CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith to discuss their book, The City and the Hospital, about the mixed effects nonprofit hospitals have on the neighborhoods they operate in, and how they do and don’t fulfill their community obligations.
Posted inEnergy
New Bedford mayor’s take on offshore wind bids
Mitchell likes the fact that the three offshore wind developers vying for business in Massachusetts have either stated publicly or told him privately that they want to use the port of New Bedford as an operations and maintenance base. The mayor says operations and maintenance work is attractive because it involves a good number of jobs for the entire life of the project, typically 20 to 25 years.
Posted inOpinion
Starter homes begin with starter lots
Starter homes have become virtually impossible to build in Massachusetts, but we can change that by changing zoning rules governing lots sizes.
Posted inEnergy
Commission pushes speedier approval process for clean energy infrastructure
The tone of the report is balanced, but the recommendations would concentrate more power in the hands of the state’s Energy Facilities Siting Board.