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 and direction with long-lasting impact that would not have been done otherwise. As someone who first became involved in state government more than 30 years […]

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 his defeat in his initial run for governor in 2010. It’s a subject Baker has been thinking about a lot lately. He delivered a lecture […]

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; use that electricity to electrify the energy-intensive transportation, building, and industrial sectors; and achieve net-zero emissions by removing additional carbon from the atmosphere using natural […]

Posted inCriminal Justice

DOC accepts sweeping settlement on mental health care for prisoners

THE MASSACHUSETTS Department of Correction will have to completely transform the mental health care it provides to inmates, under a settlement the department reached with the US Department of Justice on Tuesday.   More than two years ago, the Justice Department issued a scathing report finding that the Department of Correction violated its constitutional obligations by […]