Five years after lawmakers scrapped the asset limit attached to the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program, Gov. Maura Healey wants to bring it back at a higher threshold — a move that advocates say will impose unnecessary burdens on at-risk recipients.
Charlie Baker
Posted inEnvironment
Mass. climate chief missed her own deadline to calculate the cost of state’s climate commitments
Hoffer set out to put a price tag on the state’s net-zero climate commitment and develop a menu of options for how to pay for it. That price is still not yet known more than a year after the report was due.
Posted inEnergy
Healey administration pushes back clean heat standard to 2028 as affordability concerns mount
Oil, propane, and natural gas providers would need to gradually cut their emissions each year under the program and buy credits to offset their pollution, costs which in theory could be passed on to consumers, which would run counter to Gov. Maura Healey’s attempts to lower energy costs.
Posted inTransportation
Keolis was once on thin ice over commuter rail concerns. Now, it’s a finalist for another lucrative MBTA contract.
Better on-time performance and major ridership milestones have boosted the outlook for commuter rail operator Keolis, which early in its tenure faced major scrutiny from Beacon Hill.
Posted inEnvironment
Massachusetts agencies never followed a 2017 rule to cut emissions from state vehicles, court documents show
The rule was issued under Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and followed a landmark court ruling that found the state needed to issue more specific and stringent regulations in order to meet the 2050 climate commitment.
Posted inOpinion
A tale of two Bakers: Charlie, don’t forget Hobey
Hobey Baker remains the beau-idéal of the amateur sportsman, a species endangered by the NCAA’s budding plans for play for pay. What does Hobey Baker have to say to Charlie Baker in these days of change?
Posted inHealth Care
‘The gaps have become too big for too many’
Physicians, policymakers, and advocates hope to make a breakthrough this term on legislation that would boost the share of health care dollars that go toward primary care amid provider burnout and growing wait times for appointments.
Posted inThe Download
Flashback Friday: Threading the needle
In “Threading the needle,” which appeared in the magazine’s Spring 2014 issue, Paul McMorrow sized up the approach being taken by another Republican gubernatorial hopeful, this one back for a second bite at the apple after taking a drubbing four years earlier in his first run for the corner office.
Posted inThe Codcast
Decoding the state budget with Doug Howgate
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks to Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, about the Fiscal Year 2026 state budget. They break down differences between the House and Senate plans, discuss why some parts of the process always happen behind closed doors, and consider the future of the wealth surcharge split between education and transportation.
Posted inThe Codcast
Chief Justice Kimberly Budd makes the case for the state courts
This week on The Codcast, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd sits down for a wide-ranging interview with CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith. They discuss trust in the judiciary, the role of the trial courts and the SJC, and if independence feels more achievable for state courts than the federal bench.
Posted inThe Codcast
‘Forewarned is forearmed’ on housing voucher cuts
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith is joined by Kenzie Bok, head of the Boston Housing Authority, to discuss the threat of President Trump’s budget on rental assistance spending.
Posted inThe Codcast
How does public media survive threats from inside and out?
CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith is joined by Margaret Low, CEO of WBUR, to discuss the role of NPR in the news ecosystem, defending journalistic institutions and values while upholding rigorous standards, and the upcoming WBUR Festival.
Posted inThe Codcast
‘Always been a free market guy’: Mike Kennealy talks running for governor and being a Republican in Mass.
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Gintautas Dumcius talks with gubernatorial hopeful Mike Kennealy about running as Republican against Gov. Maura Healey, his platform, and his history in the Baker administration.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Maura Healey’s echo | Bitcoin strategic reserve?
There was talk of no new taxes, fixing the MBTA, and cutting red tape, all while avoiding direct references to Donald Trump.
Posted inNews Analysis
A feisty Deaton fights to claim middle ground
When John Deaton speaks, he wants voters to see Charlie Baker. Elizabeth Warren is trying to make sure they see a potentially decisive vote for whoever emerges as Mitch McConnell’s even harder right successor as Senate Republican leader.
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 inState Government
Baker portrait hung at State House
Charlie Baker’s official portrait, unveiled at a private soiree December 21 in the State House library, was up on the wall this week in the lobby of the executive suite for all to see.
Posted inPolitics
He’ll make a mark as Quincy’s Black, gay city council president – but don’t ask him about it
The first Black person and openly gay person to serve in elected office in Quincy, Ian Cain scoffs at the identity politics of the left, and appears to fit more comfortably in the mold of a Charlie Baker Republican.
Posted inOpinion
The term ‘turf’ is misleading
MOUNTAINS OF OLD truck tires dotting the US countryside used to be a common sight, but no longer. Companies have found a lucrative new use for old tires: grinding them […]
Posted inState Government
Healey brings more women into governor’s office
GOV. MAURA HEALEY, the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts, is bringing more women into state government with her. According to the state’s diversity dashboard, Healey has 52 […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker, Polito wade back into local politics
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MONTH AFTER they left office, former Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito are wading back into the political fray with endorsements of the […]
Posted inOpinion
Five key elements of Baker’s legacy
AS HE LEAVES OFFICE after eight years as governor of the Commonwealth, the pundits are trying to assess what Charlie Baker’s legacy as governor is all about. Legacy means investments […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker’s take on the state Republican Party
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER would like to see the Massachusetts Republican Party rebuild and recover, but he says it first has to go through a transformation, much as he did after […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Baker administration fleshes out 2050 climate plan
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION on Wednesday released a 168-page climate plan for 2050 that follows the same general playbook that’s been outlined in the past – increase production of clean electricity; […]