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 up and re-marketing them as “artificial turf” for children’s athletic fields. The arguments in favor of plastic turf initially appear compelling. It’s a way to […]
Charlie Baker
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 people working in her office at the State House – 36, or 69 percent, are women, and 16, or nearly 31 percent, are men. The […]
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 Republican candidate running for mayor of Attleboro. Jay DiLisio has been serving as acting mayor of the Bristol County city since former mayor Paul Heroux, […]
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 […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Santa comes early for offshore wind businesses
CHRISTMAS CAME early for the fledgling offshore wind industry in Massachusetts, as the Baker administration handed out $180 million on Tuesday for infrastructure improvements and businesses in New Bedford, Somerset, and Salem. The money flowed, even though the wind farms the state is counting on to spur the industry are having difficulty financing their projects. […]
Posted inPolitics
Super PAC with ties to Baker accused of breaking law
MASSACHUSETTS REGULATORS accused a super PAC with close ties to Gov. Charlie Baker of breaking state campaign finance law by holding a fundraiser in July where the governor was the guest of honor. The super PAC, called Massachusetts Majority, agreed to settle the charge by agreeing to “purge” $17,500 that was raised at the event. […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker nominates Jubinville for clerk magistrate
IN ONE OF HIS LAST nominations as governor, Gov. Charlie Baker has nominated Governor’s Councilor Robert Jubinville to a lifetime appointment as clerk magistrate of Framingham District Court. Jubinville’s nomination must still be approved by his colleagues on the Governor’s Council. It is not the first time Baker has chosen a sitting governor’s councilor for […]