Protesters greeted Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as they toured a Roxbury community center that is being converted into temporary housing to make room for more homeless families who are eligible for shelter services.
Migrant families moving from Logan to Roxbury rec center
Posted inEducation
Education report recommends thinking outside classroom walls
A new action plan released by the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy pushes adopting more flexible teaching models and enthusiastically incorporating new technologies to expand school systems and resources virtually.
Posted inOpinion
Should the MBTA be free?
Advocates say fare-free MBTA service would yield environmental gains while addressing income inequality since many passengers are low income, while opponents say it would starve the T of revenue needed for upgrades.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Legislators push to restore felon voting rights
Advocates and legislative allies are pushing to restore voting rights to more than 7,700 incarcerated felons in Massachusetts prisons and jails, a privilege taken away by a voter-approved constitutional amendment in 2000.
Posted inHealth Care
Shovels out for secretive Steward
Troubles at Steward Health Care, the state’s third-largest hospital system, have set off alarm bells among health care regulators and elected officials
Posted inOpinion
Climate and economic development bills are powerful avenues to net-zero goals
Massachusetts is at the precipice of a transformative leap toward our net-zero goals with with omnibus climate package now being developed and an economic development bond bill in which climate tech plays a key role.
Posted inMarijuana
Lawyer for Goldberg says O’Brien appeal delayed sharing results of new investigation
There’s been a delay in handing the results of second probe of her conduct to suspended cannabis commission chair Shannon O’Brien because of a new appeal O’Brien filed.
Posted inOpinion
Don’t forget your flu vaccine
We’ve been so focused on the Covid-19 virus for the last several years that many people skipped their flu vaccines. But we cannot let our guard down.
Posted inEducation
Auchincloss urges two sides to settle Newton teachers strike
US Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who lives in Newton, urged the two sides in the Newton teachers’ strike to settle the contract dispute and have schools reopen on Tuesday.
Posted inHealth Care
MassHealth takes steps to preserve coverage for eligible members
More than 15 million people have been kicked off of their Medicaid plans nationwide and 400,000 have been removed from MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid program.
Posted inThe Codcast
MassHealth after Covid
This week on Health or Consequences, John McDonough and Paul Hattis are joined by Michael Levine, Assistant Secretary for MassHealth. They discuss the importance of MassHealth in the MA healthcare landscape, the agency’s holistic approach to coverage and service provision, its response to the pandemic, and its relationship to the federal government.
Posted inPolitics
The last of Somerville’s old guard
Corruption cases, and attempted prosecutions, were once regular headlines in Somerville. The recent bribery conviction of a one-time local power broker, with echoes of another era, came and went without much fanfare.
Posted inOpinion
Citizenship requirement for liquor licenses is archaic
This is more than just a legislative change; it’s a step toward a more equitable, fair, and inclusive Massachusetts. By removing this unnecessary exclusion, we open doors to greater economic opportunities and cultural enrichment for all communities.
Posted inHousing
Analysis of Healey housing bill called ‘half-baked’
Evan Horowitz of the Center for State Policy Analysis Horowitz said the Donahue Institute analysis would be more suitable if the state was in a recession because it assumes there is a shortfall of jobs and economic activity. He questioned whether it would be possible to create 30,000 jobs in what is basically a full employment economy. Indeed, he indicated the bond bill could accelerate the scramble for scarce employees right now.
Posted inTransportation
Short takes: Developing a new system of transportation financing
“We’re not going to be dodging potential options just for political reasons. That’s what’s going to be different this time,” said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt.
Posted inTransportation
Healey outmaneuvering Wu on low-income fare
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu is a fan of doing away with fares on the MBTA, but over the last month she has been outmaneuvered by Gov. Maura Healey who favors charging low-income riders a half-priced fare.
Posted inEconomy
Business community ready to help on housing crisis
Massachusetts is facing a dire housing crisis, and business leaders understand that our state’s economic future depends on addressing the problem.
Posted inState Government
Hits and misses on millionaire tax spending plan
With the release of her budget on Wednesday – the second including millionaire tax money — Gov. Maura Healey made some interesting moves. She delivered on some wish-list projects, missed on a couple others, and proposed a way to turn millions of dollars in millionaire tax money into billions of dollars for budget priorities.
Posted inTransportation
Wu backs bill cutting commuter rail fares in Boston
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called the proposed commuter rail fare cuts “low-hanging fruit that is there to get more people onto reliable public transportation, ease congestion, and help the flow of traffic as we continue to fix the larger system.”