Journalists, like everyone else, are wrestling with the impact of AI on their work. Sarah Scire, deputy editor of Nieman Lab, joins CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith to discuss predictions about AI tools in journalism, their use and misuse, and how readers feel about the technology.
Will artificial intelligence make or break newsrooms?
Posted inEnergy
Healey administration backtracks on offshore wind security deposits
The quick edit came one day after CommonWealth Beacon reported that Massachusetts was assessing a much higher security deposit on offshore wind developers who had reneged on projects in Massachusetts but not in other states.
Posted inState Government
Two lawmakers made key decisions on closeout spending bill
This concentration of power in the hands of a few people is commonplace in the Legislature, so much so that it is largely taken for granted.
Posted inOpinion
Wastewater surveillance a proactive tool in stemming drug abuse
About 100 communities in the country are currently utilizing wastewater surveillance in some manner to identify high-risk drug use.
Posted inHousing
A first look at Wu’s housing production goal
Mayor Michelle Wu and her planning chief hedged on setting out long-term housing production goals during a press briefing earlier this week. Days later, the administration offered stakeholders a first look at shorter-term housing targets.
Posted inPolitics
Short takes: Wu, Kraft appearance creates some buzz
Rumors have swirled for months about who might challenge Michelle Wu in 2025, as she’s widely expected to run for reelection. Josh Kraft acknowledged in November he had been approached about running for mayor.
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should ban evictions during the winter months
Despite its frigid weather, Massachusetts doesn’t prohibit evictions during the winter months like some other states and cities.
Posted inPolitics
Jewish senators criticize comments of Miranda
Top Senate leaders who are Jewish say they’re disappointed and saddened by a colleague’s remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict that seemed to invoke antisemitic tropes.
Posted inOpinion
Creating opportunities for those most impacted by the war on drugs
A legislative update enacted last year may provide the greatest opportunity for individuals directly impacted by the war on drugs.
Posted inEnergy
Mass. raises eyebrows with offshore wind security deposit stance
As Massachusetts gets ready to take bids for the state’s next offshore wind procurement, questions are arising over how to deal with developers who won earlier contracts and terminated them because of changed economic circumstances.
Posted inDrugs
DPH shifts gears, backs overdose prevention centers
As overdoses impact people across Massachusetts, the DPH released a report Wednesday that supports so-called overdose prevention centers or supervised injection sites.
Posted inOpinion
Amtrak doesn’t make it easy for its customers
The problem, far too often, is not with the ride, but with managing to get on the train and in your seat in the first place.
Posted inTransportation
Wu’s appointee to T board raises questions about low-income fare proposal
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s appointee to the MBTA board of directors pushed back against a transit authority presentation on Wednesday that steered the agency toward launching a half-price fare for low-income passengers instead of the free fare concept favored by the mayor.
Posted inPolitics
Did Harvard aim to cancel Auchincloss?
AN INNOCENT bureaucratic mix-up or sharp-elbowed payback? Those are among the competing explanations being offered for a chain of events that forced a Harvard student group to scramble at the […]
Posted inOpinion
Outside-the-box ideas for downtown Boston
WE ARE UNDERGOING a tectonic shift in the downtown office market that threatens the viability of our city’s urban business core. Unlike previous economic cycles, the decline in the office […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Campbell opens up about neighbor’s arrest
As the state’s top law enforcement official, Attorney General Andrea Campbell sees it as her responsibility to protect the safety of all communities in Massachusetts — and that includes her own neighborhood in Mattapan.
Posted inGovernment
Richie Neal wants to make a deal
The ethos of compromise has been Neal’s guiding light over four decades in politics. In today’s hyper partisan climate, it’s often reviled as a sign of weakness.
Posted inHousing
Unclear target for Boston’s housing goals
Mayor Michelle Wu and planning chief Arthur Jemison were leery about offering long-term housing production goals even as they referred to policies that would drive “a very large number” of units year over year.
Posted inEnergy
State board approves Craigville Beach transmission line
As the number of transmission lines coming ashore in Barnstable has grown, so has anxiety among residents, who are worried about popular beaches being torn apart as well as potential safety and health issues.
Posted inOpinion
Reversing the war on drugs, one overdose at a time
Overdose prevention centers can become a novel option in the state’s larger network of services, a small but significant step toward viewing substance use from a public health perspective rather than as a criminal justice issue.