Over two years since the law’s passage, we have seen little progress and movement on implementation, and our residents are continuing to suffer the consequences.
Massachusetts lagging on implementation of data equity law
Posted inThe Codcast
A showdown over Boston property tax rates
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, as Boston the city council prepares for a Wednesday vote expected to raise taxes on single-family homes. Maynard says the administration is not moving quickly enough to inform the public about dire revenue forecasts or adopt new measures which could make up the difference.
Posted inOpinion
Efficient electric equipment, powered by clean sources, is the answer to the energy affordability crunch
Better equipment and cheaper energy sources are critical to achieving an affordable energy future.
Posted inGambling
‘It couldn’t come at a worse time’: Legislature strips casino mitigation funds amid municipal budget woes
The move falls in line with the Legislature’s penny-pinching efforts to alleviate state budget pressures amid a host of federal funding claw backs nearly a year into the second Trump administration. Gateway Cities with budgets already nearing a breaking point will now lose out on funds they have used for nearly a decade.
Posted inOpinion
Both the left and right are failing our children
It’s tempting to blame one side of partisan politics. But the truth is that both liberals and conservatives are failing our children. The village has eroded—and parents are being left to figure it out alone.
Posted inCourts
AG’s suit against Meta hits the SJC
The case, scheduled for oral argument Friday morning, puts Massachusetts at the center of a debate over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects internet companies from lawsuits over user-generated content.
Posted inOpinion
Meta should not get a pass on accountability for potential harm of products to minors
A SWATH OF potentially consequential cases for kids’ online safety are making their way through US courts. On Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments in a pivotal […]
Posted inTransportation
The T will soon roll out Green Line trolleys with anti-collision tech
More than 16 years after federal overseers recommended it, the MBTA is on the verge of deploying anti-collision technology on the Green Line, even though the timeline has slipped later than officials last promised.
Posted inPolitics
A third tilt at the windmill for Wu’s tax shift
In letters to the city council and business leaders on Wednesday, Wu warned that residential property taxes are poised for a second double-digit year-over-year increase in a row, with officials projecting a 13 percent rise next year.
Posted inEducation
Bill to prioritize teacher quality over seniority faces uphill battle
The proposal aims to revise how districts decide which teachers get laid off when budgets shrink or enrollment drops.
Posted inOpinion
Nuclear energy should be part of our carbon-free future
Nuclear technology has evolved dramatically since the Pilgrim-era reactors started operation in the 1970s.
Posted inEnvironment
‘People have a right to know’: Flood disclosures poised to step into legislative limelight next year
As flooding touches more Massachusetts households, Gov. Maura Healey is proposing a new requirement to mandate the flood disclosures as a means of steering people out of harm’s way in the first place.
Posted inThe Codcast
The Legislature breaks for the holidays and ballot season heats up
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski check in as Beacon Hill heads into its winter break. Chris looks back at the end of year lawmaking hustle, and what was left for 2026, then turns to a possibly record-smashing number of ballot questions that could land before voters next November.
Posted inOpinion
How a 1940 electoral system reform in Cambridge made its 2025 housing breakthrough possible
This is more than just a housing “win.” It’s a triumph for Cambridge’s unique brand of representative democracy—one that balances citywide priorities with fair representation for diverse communities.
Posted inEducation
Suit to block Education Department closure expanded amid agency transfers plans
In May, a federal judge in Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction in the consolidated case, blocking the administration’s efforts, including a reduction in force effort at the agency.
Posted inBallot Questions
Ballot measures must clear courts, lawmakers, and voters
As the secretary of state’s office certifies hundreds of thousands of signatures submitted on behalf of the proposed 2026 ballot questions, campaigns and ballot initiative veterans estimate about half of the questions could be vulnerable to legal challenges, though not all may materialize.
Posted inOpinion
The Gettysburg Address (revised)
President Abraham Lincoln delivered his 272-word Gettysburg Address during the Civil War on November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery near where 50,000 soldiers died four […]
Posted inHealth Care
State audit claims 2023 maternity unit closure in Leominster was preventable
The issue appears to be a spat about accounting records, but it highlights the struggles health providers had during the height of the first COVID waves, when frontline medical personnel were stretched thin, and how the business of health care has made it increasingly difficult to deliver services like maternity care across the state.
Posted inOpinion
E-bikes are supercharging the Bluebikes system — and that’s a good thing
BLUEBIKE RIDERSHIP has soared in Greater Boston. While there is no single solution to our many transportation challenges, the growing popularity of Bluebikes is showing that the region’s public bikeshare […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Restoring civic discourse in an age of polarization
On this week’s episode of The Codcast, Jim Peyser, who served as secretary of education under Gov. Charlie Baker, talks with CommonWealth Beacon executive editor Michael Jonas about the yearlong series of essays he wrote for CommonWealth Beacon on the need for civil discussion of often controversial issues in an era of polarized debate.
Posted inPolitics
How incoming mayor Robert Van Campen will write Everett’s next chapter
In a closely watched upset, City Councilor Robert Van Campen beat DeMaria by 9 percentage points. His promise to restore trust and accountability in City Hall wasn’t hard to sell. But Van Campen has a tough act to follow, despite DeMaria’s scandals.