The Download: Restorative justice funding on the budget chopping block
Restorative justice funding on the budget chopping block
A late-in-the-budget-process ask and a shrinking revenue forecast could spell trouble for two state initiatives – a three-year-old community grant program and a bid to launch a dedicated statewide office of restorative justice.
Wu in talks with MBTA on city-funded commuter rail stop
Talks with the MBTA continued even as the O’Bryant plan fell apart. Appearing on WBUR and GBH Radio in the last week, Wu said there is a commitment from the T on the new station, though based on a statement from the MBTA, the agreement does not yet appear to be finalized.
Lead exposure may have played role in Maine shootings
Symptoms of acute lead exposure run the gamut of cognitive problems; exposures have been linked to feeling confused, more prone to anger and hostility, and issues with thinking straight.
Healey makes history with marijuana mega-pardon
Healey said her move makes Massachusetts “the first state to take action” since President Joseph Biden in 2022 asked the nation’s governors to follow his lead on pardoning simple cannabis possession convictions.
On zoning law, Campbell seeks legal shot across the bow
Campbell wants to skip a trial in Superior Court and go straight to the SJC in May in an effort to establish clearly that Milton and other communities in the state are subject to the law and her office has the authority to enforce compliance.
In housing battles, left-right lines are blurred
The push for zoning reforms that allow for more housing is bringing together a rare convergence of the political left and right.
Ballot question opponents warn tipping will go away
The ballot question, which must still clear several hurdles before it goes before voters in November, would raise the state’s minimum wage for tipped workers from $6.75 to $15, while allowing them to keep tips but revamping the system by allowing cooks and restaurant office workers to share the tip revenue.
Searching for college funding with a simple click
The system’s opaqueness presents obstacles, particularly for low-income students who can be unaware of the significant financial aid available to them. Other states and even regions within Massachusetts have successfully implemented technological solutions to offer students a transparent and user-friendly portal to access this critical information. It’s time for our state to follow suit.
A divided Milton heads into court
Milton seems unprepared, partly because of the fast-moving pace of legal action and mostly because town officials are as divided as the town they represent.
Legislation needed to address teacher diversity
Despite our best efforts, the gap between the percentage of educators of color and students of color is expected to continue to widen in the coming years.
Healey $1m ad campaign seeks to boost climate efforts
The “Climate Action is for All of Us” media campaign will attempt to educate residents on how they can participate in climate initiatives like electric vehicle adoption or residential solar programs.
Rachael Rollins lands job at Roxbury Community College
Rachael Rollins is working on a new program geared towards formerly incarcerated people, with a focus on women of color.
I-90 Allston project gets $335m in federal funding
No official announcement has been made, but US Sen. Edward Markey tweeted on Monday afternoon that the money will help reunite the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods of Boston.
A first for Old Ironsides
“I fight and drive ships and lead sailors,” said Commander Billie JU. Farrell.. “And so that’s what I’ve done for the past 20 years. I’m very fortunate that I’ve worked with a bunch of great commanding officers.
At the helm of Old Ironsides
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith sits down with Billie J. Farrell, the first woman commander of the historic USS Constitution. They discuss her path to the post, the ship’s role in naval history, and how she keeps that history alive for the public.
Let’s use Steward crisis to reimagine health care in the Merrimack Valley
We believe that a regional system of care led by Lawrence General Hospital, the community’s own anchor institution, would reduce waste. It would also provide new opportunities to focus on significant unmet needs.
Unions launch pre-emptive strike against ride-share ballot questions
Massachusetts is Not For Sale, a coalition of labor organizations including the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, is arguing that the SJC should keep five different versions of the Big Tech-backed ballot initiative away from voters, claiming in a new brief that each petition “contains multiple unrelated policy choices” and “all the petitions appear designed to sow maximum voter confusion.”
Nonprofit led by Californian behind tipped wage ballot question
One Fair Wage is organizing in more than a dozen states to eliminate what it calls the sub-minimum wage. The organization’s website says its members include nearly 300,000 restaurant and service workers and nearly 3,000 restaurant employers.
Both sides overselling MBTA Communities Act
Its real impact will be far less than the rhetoric from both sides of the debate. Proponents tout it as a transformative effort to tackle racial segregation and build affordable housing in our region’s most exclusionary suburbs. There is truth in these claims. But now that we’re shifting to implementation, I worry that overstating the law’s magnitude has contributed to the blowback.
State officials want to extend SL3 bus to Sullivan Square
The report anticipates extending the SL3 bus to Sullivan Square would be achievable in a relatively short time frame because the existing SL3 fleet has the ability to serve the extension.