“Transgender could be defined out of existence by Trump administration” read the headline on the New York Times story from Monday, reporting on a leaked memo that showed the Department […]
Governor Baker
Posted inOpinion
EF grows on backs of cheap labor
A CAMBRIDGE COMPANY, Education First, is a big winner in the race for state business tax credits. The privately owned Swedish company now occupies two buildings (and, thanks to its […]
Posted inPolitics
The Codcast: Is Charlie Baker really a Republican?
Gov. Charlie Baker has an R next to his name, but many Republicans don’t think it belongs there. Ed Lyons, a Republican activist who is a big fan of Baker, […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker, Walsh at odds on T funding
Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh may be good friends, but they don’t see eye to eye on the MBTA. Walsh said on CommonWealth’s Codcast this week that […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker says feds reviewing son’s groping charge
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE US ATTORNEY’S OFFICE is reviewing allegations that Gov. Charlie Baker’s son A.J. groped a woman on a plane last week, and state authorities are not […]
Posted inPolitics
The politics of payback
“Womp womp.” That pretty much sums up the reaction from the Trump administration and its supporters over the uproar of separating children from their parents trying to cross at the […]
Posted inGambling
Making book on Beacon Hill
MONDAY’S RULING FROM the U.S. Supreme Court that states are free to legalize sports betting opened the door to the possibility of a further expansion of gaming in Massachusetts, a […]
Posted inPolitics
Governor, Senate challengers struggle mightily in quest for attention
A half dozen would-be opponents to Senator Elizabeth Warren and Governor Charlie Baker are building their campaigns, crisscrossing Massachusetts, issuing press releases, hiring staff, making ads, and doing all the […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers refuse to release records
THE LEGISLATURE, THE GOVERNOR, and the judiciary are all exempt in one way or another from the state’s Public Records Law, but the governor and the judiciary sometimes voluntarily comply […]
Posted inOpinion
Congress (surprise!) leads way on financial aid
THE SPENDING BILL passed by Congress finally recognizes what educators, students, and business leaders have been saying for years: Without a robust and affordable higher education system, we will not […]
Posted inUncategorized
Pot board retreats on sweeping regs
THE COMMISSION OVERSEEING the nascent pot industry bowed to pressure from top elected leaders and put off approving home delivery and so-called “social consumption” cafes but voted to give minorities […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Pot chair says no pressure on regs
THE CHAIRMAN OF the state board charged with regulating legal pot said he and his colleagues are feeling no added pressure in light of comments from top elected officials calling […]
Posted inOpinion
Electronic opioid scripts save lives
A HEARING EARLIER this month on Beacon Hill underscored the critical need for Massachusetts-specific solutions to the nation’s opioid crisis. As the Legislature prepares next steps to address this critical […]
Posted inEconomy
Rosenberg suggests House to blame for Airbnb inaction
SEN. STAN ROSENBERG chastised his fellow lawmakers on Thursday for dithering for years while the short-term rental industry embedded itself in the market and grew unencumbered by regulations and the lodging […]
Posted inThe Download
GEe, what will Amazon do?
Just as GE is set to move into Boston, word comes that the multinational conglomerate that city and state officials wooed here with a multi-million dollar package of tax breaks […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
US attorney threatens state’s pot industry
US ATTORNEY ANDREW LELLING has sent a chilling response to calls from pro-pot advocates to clarify his stance on marijuana prosecution in Massachusetts, a message sure to send potential investors […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Sessions turns back pot clock
ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS has thrown the emerging legal marijuana industry into turmoil by rescinding an Obama-era memorandum that ordered the Justice Department to ignore enforcing federal drug laws in […]
Posted inOpinion
Momentum for more housing choices in the state
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER joined the fight to promote housing last week—adding more push to the consensus that 2018 is the year to tackle the Commonwealth’s housing crisis head on. As […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Pot board wants $5 million more
THE STATE’S CANNABIS Control Commission has asked lawmakers for another $5.2 million for the remainder of the fiscal year on top of the $2.3 million that was already set aside […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. citizens point the way on climate change
WE LIVE IN a time when the way we power our lives is literally putting our survival at stake. We’re seeing an increase in deadly natural disasters, glaciers melting at […]
Posted inOpinion
Turning protest into policy reform
AS 40,000 PEOPLE converged on the streets of Boston in late August to march against white supremacy, Massachusetts stood as a beacon of nationwide resistance to the racist policies coming […]
Posted inThe Download
Stacked deck at Cannabis Commission
Gov. Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg stacked the Cannabis Control Commission with people who voted against legalizing recreational marijuana. Four of the five appointees voted […]
Posted inPolitics
Majority of pot board opposed referendum
THE NEW CANNABIS Control Commission is now complete but, with the appointment of yet two more members who voted against the ballot question to legalize marijuana, the panel has a […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Ballot opponent to head legal pot commission
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A RETIRED BUSINESS executive and former Bain and Company partner who voted against the referendum to legalize marijuana has been tapped by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg to […]