AS COVID-19 RAVAGES local economies, cities and towns are falling into a sea of red ink – and trying to figure out how to deal with it. While the public […]
Economy
Posted inEconomy
Deferred dreams for black, brown business owners
MIGUEL VARGAS runs the Bajucol Dance Studio in East Boston, a business out of step with the social distancing required to fend off COVID-19. The two-year-old enterprise shut down in March. Vargas has tried hosting classes online, but few customers have […]
Posted inOpinion
Post-COVID reimaginings
IN THIS GRIM TIME of a worldwide pandemic, while properly preoccupied by the present crisis, government leaders and leaders of major institutions must also look to the future. As we […]
Posted inEconomy
Virus notes: Gig workers can now apply for unemployment
A RANGE OF WORKERS previously ineligible for unemployment benefits can now seek state aid if they are unable to work because of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impacts on public […]
Posted inEconomy
In hard-hit Chelsea, COVID-19 fight a collaborative effort
Fourth in a series on municipal leaders across Massachusetts and how they’re contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are previous stories on Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer, […]
Posted inEconomy
Equifax will pay Massachusetts $18.2 million settlement
THE CREDIT REPORTING agency Equifax will pay $18.2 million to the state of Massachusetts under a settlement reached with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey over its 2017 data breach. The […]
Posted inEconomy
Boston Herald furloughs 30 employees
THE MAJORITY OF the Boston Herald’s workforce will be furloughed in the coming weeks, as steep cutbacks in advertising from coronavirus shutdowns continue to devastate already troubled newspapers across the […]
Posted inEconomy
Bill would give extra money to welfare recipients
IN THE LAST couple of months, Elissa Bennett has lived in a Pittsfield homeless shelter, at her mother’s house, and most recently, in a hotel room with her fiancé and […]
Posted inHealth Care
El sitio de seguro por desempleo ya está disponible en español
DESPUÉS DE TRES SEMANAS de dudas al respecto, el Gobernador Charlie Baker anunció el sábado que la página estatal de desempleo ya está disponible en español en la red. Baker […]
Posted inEconomy
Unemployment site now available in Spanish
A Spanish version of this story is available. AFTER THREE WEEKS of questions on the issue, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Saturday that the state unemployment benefits portal is now available […]
Posted inEconomy
A stronger state safety net is part of the cure
LIFE UNDER QUARANTINE can easily cause many of us to lose track of time. But one date we should remember is this: Today marks one month since Gov. Charlie Baker issued […]
Posted inEconomy
Psychological, economic toll piling up
A PERFECT STORMÂ of economic, social, and political crises brought on by coronavirus are battering Massachusetts residents. The economic devastation is spreading, with 20 percent reporting losing a job since the […]
Posted inEconomy
Virus notes: Budget roundtable tripped up by livestream failureÂ
IT WAS AN inauspicious start to the effort to reckon with the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic on state revenue and the implications for the current fiscal year as […]
Posted inEconomy
The coronavirus is expanding the safety net
LIKE MILLIONS OF other US workers, Charlie Burke and Mutwaly Hamid were used to getting up in the morning and putting in long days on the job. But when the […]
Posted inEconomy
Commonwealth’s COVID-19 response leaves too many behindÂ
IT’S BEEN MORE than three weeks since Gov. Baker declared a state of emergency. Despite a number of efforts that have aimed to ensure that groups are not left behind […]
Posted inEconomy
Marijuana consumers flock to medical market
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS CAN no longer walk into recreational marijuana shops, which have been ordered closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to get weed. […]
Posted inEconomy
Con sólo pistas ayudan a los hispanohablantes a llenar el formulario de seguro de desempleo
UN GRUPO EN NORTHAMPTON está ayudando a los hispanohablantes a llenar el formulario de seguro de desempleo estatal con una herramienta en lÃnea que los guÃa paso a paso. El […]
Posted inEconomy
40 percent of Mass. residents expecting financial hardships
OVER THE COURSE of just a few weeks in March, the markets set records for crashes, unemployment claims shattered records for increases, and economic activity the world over slowed to […]
Posted inEconomy
State revenue shortfall could reach $3 billion
MASSACHUSETTS IS FACING a revenue shortfall of up to $3 billion over the next 15 months, according to a new analysis by the Center for State Policy Analysis. Of that, […]
Posted inEconomy
‘Cheat sheet’ helps Spanish-speakers file claimsÂ
A NORTHAMPTON GROUP is helping Spanish speakers fill out state unemployment insurance claim forms with an online tool that walks them through the process step by step. Click aquà para leer el artÃculo en […]
Posted inEconomy
Congress poised to pass historic aid package
THE REPUBLICAN-LED US SENATEÂ Wednesday night passed a $2.2 trillion aid package to help blunt the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the largest economic relief bill in US history. The […]
Posted inThe Download
Congress poised to pass historic aid package
The Republican-led US Senate Wednesday night passed a $2.2 trillion aid package to help blunt the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the largest economic relief bill in US history. […]
Posted inEconomy
Many are waiting for the cash to start flowing
BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic started, 34-year-old Emmanuel Mondesir of Dorchester was working two part-time jobs – one making deliveries for a pizzeria and the other as an Uber Eats driver, […]
Posted inEconomy
Are you essential or not?
GOV CHARLIE BAKER’S list of essential businesses that can remain open for the next two weeks is a statement about what’s important in our society. Medical facilities and the people who […]