ELECTION 2026 · EDITION 6 The Race for the Corner Office Gov. Maura Healey will head into Election Day with a high-spending opponent, an affordability crisis still raging, and few […]
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Posted inElection 2026
Election 2026: Races to Watch
ELECTION 2026 · EDITION 5 Races to Watch Welcome back to CommonWealth Beacon’s Election 2026 newsletter run. The marquee race on the November ballot looks like a matter of margin […]
Posted inElection 2026
Election 2026: Affordability
ELECTION 2026 · EDITION 3 Affordability The buzzword that swallowed the 2026 election Welcome back to CommonWealth Beacon’s Election 2026 newsletter run. It all comes back to affordability. Gov. Maura […]
Posted inElection 2026
Election 2026: Follow the Money
ELECTION 2026 · EDITION 3 Follow the Money Welcome back to CommonWealth Beacon’s Election 2026 newsletter run. It’s not just the cost of living that’s made the 2026 elections in […]
Posted inElection 2026
Election 2026: Your Ballot Questions, Explained
ELECTION 2026 · EDITION 2 Your Ballot Questions, Explained Welcome back to CommonWealth Beacon’s Election 2026 newsletter run. There is a lot to sort through before you head to the […]
Posted inElection 2026
Election 2026: The Competition Problem
ELECTION 2026 | EDITION 1 The Competition Problem Welcome to CommonWealth Beacon’s Election 2026 newsletter run. The most generous thing we can say about electoral competitiveness in Massachusetts is that […]
Posted inPodcasts
Got questions about the 2026 Massachusetts ballot? We want to hear them.
CommonWealth Beacon is collecting listener questions for an upcoming podcast episode. Leave us a voicemail at (617) 858-0510 with your name, your question, and where you’re calling from. Your recorded […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Raj Chetty’s prescription for reviving the American dream
For generations, it was virtually guaranteed that American children would out-earn their parents. But as Raj Chetty explains in this special live episode of The Codcast, recorded at the recent WBUR Festival, that dream is fading. What factors are contributing to economic stagnation? How can we increase upward mobility? How do these trends vary across neighborhoods, race, gender, and immigration status?
Posted inState Government
House eyes guardrails for drone weaponization, surveillance
One bill would ban anyone in Massachusetts from manufacturing, selling, possessing or operating a robotic device equipped with a weapon. Violators would face mandatory prison sentences of between 18 months and five years, with tougher penalties for repeat offenses.
Posted inEducation
Students elevate on AP exams, and Healey celebrates
“Achievement gaps between demographic groups persist, early literacy scores remain deeply concerning with many elementary students off grade level, and districts from Boston to the Berkshires are grappling with educator layoffs and shrinking student enrollment.”
Posted inState Government
Negotiator confident that literacy reforms within reach
“Sen. Sal DiDomenico of Everett said the formal negotiation process for the House and Senate bills addressing literacy education will start ‘in the next couple weeks’ as advocates at the State House again rang the alarm of the urgency to address declining reading proficiency in Massachusetts.”
Posted inState Government
Healey, Ayotte drawn to immigration, competitiveness debates
Appearing Sunday on WCVB’s “On the Record” program, Healey called for Ayotte to oppose the proposed detention facility in the Granite State. When asked about the proposed ICE detention facility in Merrimack, Healey did not mince words: “Absolutely not. That’s crazy.”
Posted inState Government
Budget chief warns tax collection margins could shrink
“While revenues may be above benchmark as of this date, I think almost two-thirds of all of our revenues are back loaded. March and April are our biggest revenue months, and so we have a lot of collections left to go,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz.
Posted inState Government
DiZoglio sues Beacon Hill leaders for snubbing voter-approved audit
In the more than a year since the law took effect, legislative leaders have continued to refuse to turn over any documents, and DiZoglio hopes to force a constitutional reckoning before the state’s highest court.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Parole rates in Massachusetts on the rise
The 2024 paroling rate in Massachusetts was 68%, according to a presentation by Gomez to the Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration. The body of lawmakers, stakeholders and officials has been tasked with determining options for collaboration and consolidation among the Department of Correction, county sheriffs, the Parole Board and the Office of Community Corrections.
Posted inHealth Care
Report: Health insurers denied one in five claims in 2024
“Out of 45.9 million total claims in 2024, 20.4% were denied by health insurers in Massachusetts, the Health Policy Commission said in a report released Thursday. Denials due to ‘strictly clinical reasons’ like medical necessity represented ‘at most’ 1% of denied requests.”
Posted inState House News Service
Galvin to seek record ninth term as state secretary
In a letter to members of the Democratic State Committee, Galvin, 75, said he is “seeking to extend my service as Secretary of State through 2030.” In anticipation of the 2028 presidential election, Galvin said he is “greatly concerned with federal efforts to interfere with the conduct of the election.”
Posted inState House News Service
Providers seek $115 million to care for homeless adults
Individuals without children do not have the same emergency housing protections as families do under the state’s Right to Shelter Law, said Michael Libby, executive director of the Somerville Housing Coalition. Funding streams are also different for individual homelessness supports and the emergency assistance family shelter system, which previously saw exploding costs amid a surge of migrant arrivals.
Posted inImmigration
Healey calls on Homeland Security chief Noem to resign
Healey on Monday escalated her criticism of the administration, calling on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to resign, alleging agencies under her purview are “harming public safety.”
Posted inImmigration
Lawmakers criticize Trump administration’s plan to end protections for Haitians
The Trump administration’s plan to let Temporary Protected Status expire for Haitian immigrants would put roughly 4,700 people in Massachusetts at risk of deportation.
Posted inEnergy
Vineyard Wind joins in as second project wins court relief
The company claims that the order “will lead to immediate and irreparable harm to the project, and to the communities who will benefit from this critical source of new power for the New England region.”
Posted inHealth
State recommends vaccine schedule backed by pediatricians’ academy
The move deviates from changes in vaccine recommendations issued by the Centers for Disease Control under the direction of the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Posted inState Government
Mass. child care payments unaffected by federal fraud allegations
Massachusetts is not facing disruption to its $293 million share of federal child care payments.
Posted inBallot Questions
Four more initiative petitions clear signature hurdle for 2026 Mass. ballot
The secretary of state’s office has now cleared nine initiative petitions to advance toward the 2026 statewide ballot.