The MBTA confirmed the agency is in discussions with the city on extending the pilot, but Wu’s spokeswoman declined to answer questions about the extension and how it would be funded. The city has been using $8 million in federal funds to pay for the first two years.
Wu plans to extend fare free bus pilot
Posted inEnergy
Offshore wind procurement delayed 2 months
The delay pushes back the deadline for submission of bids from January 31 until March 27. More importantly, the two-month delay means final approval of the next offshore wind deals may not come until the end of 2024 or early 2025.
Posted inEnergy
Retail electricity suppliers accused of greenwashing
Larry Chretien of the Green Energy Consumers Alliance said many of the companies back up their claims of providing 100 percent clean energy by pointing to renewable energy certificates, or RECs, purchased in places like Texas and Iowa, not Massachusetts.
Posted inOpinion
EV charging can get very complicated
There are many factors that make EV charging infrastructure much more complicated than refueling a car with petrol or diesel. One simply cannot draw parallels between the two.
Posted inState Government
Healey to seek funding replacement for gas tax
At a time when the state is attempting to encourage a dramatic shift to electric vehicles, the governor indicated it was time to chart a new course for transportation financing in what she called the clean energy era.
Posted inEducation
METCO participation boosts student performance, with caveats
“Enrolling in high performing suburban schools generates large and lasting gains for METCO participants,” according to the report prepared by Elizabeth Setren, a Tufts University economist.
Posted inState Government
Healey pushes $93m boost in new child care spending
Healey plans to pursue about $93 million in new child care spending in her fiscal year 2025 budget proposal, which will also request another $475 million in grants to continue supporting early education providers.
Posted inOpinion
Why is EV adoption slowing down in the US?
Let’s start with a simple and obvious reason for the EV sales slowdown. Electric Vehicles still cost a lot. Despite a rash of EV price reductions in 2023, EVs still have a hefty price premium.
Posted inTransportation
3 of 4 MBTA subway lines downtown closed for an hour
An electrical fire near Downtown Crossing Station shut down the Red Line and the Orange Line. The Green Line was shut down for previously scheduled track work, which meant the only subway line running normally was the Blue Line.
Posted inHousing
Unearthing racial covenants on the North Shore
Not many people take the time to dig through a century of property records on a house or parcel of land, but an ugly history might be buried there. A […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Pulling the thread on North Shore racial covenants
North Shore NAACP branch president Kenann McKenzie-DeFranza and Harborlight Homes advocacy and education manager Jean Michael Fana join CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith to discuss hundreds of racially restrictive covenants found in home deeds on the North Shore.
Posted inBy The Numbers
How do Mass. academic medical centers stack up?
According to an analysis of the data, the 10 academic medical centers in Massachusetts generally performed poorly compared to 200 other peer institutions around the country when it comes to patient outcomes and patient safety, but fared well in avoiding the overuse of certain “low-value” medical procedures.
Posted inOpinion
No more waiving a right to a home inspection
At a time when even small offer terms can mean the difference between securing your dream home and returning to square one, many homebuyers are cutting corners and closing on a house without a full evaluation.
Posted inOpinion
To honor King, rebuild the house of justice
Many thought King’s goals were impossible to obtain, but here we are on a national holiday recognizing those efforts and the man who brought people to the table to achieve them.
Posted inOpinion
Free community college plan should target those who need it most
A plan gaining traction with Massachusetts lawmakers to make community college free for all may be appealing, but it could hurt students who would do better attending a four-year college.
Posted inOpinion
A generational ban on tobacco products is a bad idea
Ultimately, the flavor ban did not eliminate consumer use of flavored tobacco products. It just shifted where consumers purchased their goods.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Grubhub pays $3.5m to settle restaurant overcharging claims
n addition to the $3.5 million that Grubhub will pay to impacted restaurants, the company will also pay a $125,000 penalty to the Commonwealth.
Posted inPolitics
Short takes: Baker makes his exit from Mass. politics official
According to campaign finance records, his gubernatorial campaign account was dissolved on January 4 and so was the super PAC that he helped launch in 2019 to support largely centrist candidates across Massachusetts.
Posted inCourts
No life without parole for those under 21, SJC rules
In a national first, a close SJC ruling declared it unconstitutional to sentence anyone under the age of 21 to life without the possibility of parole.
Posted inTransportation
Chamber CEO confident MBTA starting to turn a corner
He also called for more investment in transportation and housing while urging lawmakers on Beacon Hill to rein in spending and cut more unspecified “outlier” taxes that make the state less competitive.