Gov. Maura Healey is all-in on artificial intelligence, but she’s also trying to get a handle on soaring energy costs and a growing backlash to the very structures supporting the AI boom — data centers. This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Jordan Wolman discuss the governor’s new executive order trying to make data centers greener and more responsive to community feedback, and the paradox of pushing for expanded AI usage as communities revolt against its infrastructure.
The Codcast
Posted inThe Codcast
How do all-party primaries change politics? Just look to California
Massachusetts voters will decide in November whether to make big changes to the state’s primary elections. But it’s not a first-in-the-nation experiment: several other states, including California, already have similar systems in which all candidates appear on the same primary ballot and the top two advance to the general election, even if they’re from the same party. This week on The Codcast, Chris Lisinski interviews Andrew Sinclair, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California about how the Golden State’s primary framework came to be, what the effects have been, and what lessons Massachusetts might take.
Posted inThe Codcast
Desperation and a double bind for Quabbin towns
For the towns around the Quabbin Reservoir, managing worsening drought seasons comes with a bitter irony: they surround the essential clean water source for distant Greater Boston, and that means harsher water restrictions than the populous downstream cities. This week on The Codcast, Jennifer Smith talks with fellow CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jordan Wolman about his coverage of Quabbin watershed communities and their push for more state support.
Posted inThe Codcast
Rebalancing broker’s fees
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith and Todd Kaplan, senior attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, set the stage for a new law changing the way broker’s fees in Massachusetts have been handled for the past decade. Starting August 1, the balance is meant to shift away from the renters and towards landlords when the property owner insists on a broker’s services.
Posted inMedia
CommonWealth Beacon’s most popular Codcasts of 2023
“I really take that as a kind of a philosophy, almost, at this particular point, that I want to be as optimistic as I possibly can, knowing the bleakness of my situation as a reality, but also to walk on air, meaning, I think, take chances that you might have put off at other times in your life.”
Posted inThe Download
Downing, Vennochi voice concerns on Baker
Massachusetts voters give Gov. Charlie Baker very high marks in general and for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, but two guests on the CommonWealth Codcast criticized him for failing […]
Posted inThe Download
Opponents debate merits of Maine hydro project
Two Bay State referendum questions will appear on the ballot this fall in Massachusetts, along with a third in Maine. CommonWealth Magazine · Opponents debate merits of Maine hydro project […]
Posted inThe Download
As local news withers, we’re losing sense of identity
When Rick Holmes retired as the opinion editor at the MetroWest Daily News in 2017, he was worried about the decline in journalism and what it would mean for local […]
Posted inThe Download
Sharp split on need for new transpo revenues
With 17 percent unemployment, a recession, and a global pandemic, does Massachusetts need to be raising more money right now to fix the state’s ailing transportation system? CommonWealth Magazine · […]
Posted inThe Download
Sharp split on need for new transpo revenues
With 17 percent unemployment, a recession, and a global pandemic, does Massachusetts need to be raising more money right now to fix the state’s ailing transportation system? CommonWealth Magazine · […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Michael Curry: Waging a duel-front war on the pandemic and racism
THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS have been dominated by two seismic issues convulsing the nation — the global coronavirus pandemic and a burgeoning movement for racial justice. For Michael Curry, that’s meant […]
Posted inThe Download
Michael Curry: Waging a duel-front war on the pandemic and racism
The last several months have been dominated by two seismic issues convulsing the nation — the global coronavirus pandemic and a burgeoning movement for racial justice. For Michael Curry, that’s […]
Posted inThe Download
Contact tracing effort scaled way back
Dr. Joia Mukherjee, the chief medical officer at Partners in Health, said the organization has drastically scaled back its contact tracing workforce amid a sharp decline in COVID-19 infections. CommonWealth […]
Posted inThe Download
Spilka makes case for substance over process
In a wide-ranging interview on the CommonWealth Codcast, Senate President Karen Spilka kept returning to the theme of substance over process when it comes to legislation dealing with the state’s […]
Posted inThe Download
Childcare provider: ‘I’m scared for my business’
As she looks toward reopening, Tammy Inman, the owner and director of Little Kids childcare center in North Falmouth is scared. “I’m really scared for my business, I’m scared for […]
Posted inHealth Care
Senator says nursing home industry collapsing
THE SENATE’S LEAD PERSON on health care issues says the skilled nursing home industry in Massachusetts is struggling to stay afloat amid a virus that has claimed 3,534 lives at the […]
Posted inThe Download
Senator says nursing home industry collapsing
The Senate’s lead person on health care issues says the skilled nursing home industry in Massachusetts is struggling to stay afloat amid a virus that has claimed 3,534 lives at […]
Posted inEconomy
Those on margins will bear brunt of virus toll
WHILE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC seems certain to extend its reach to all corners of the globe, its impact will not be felt evenly. Those on society’s margins and lower economic rungs […]
Posted inThe Download
Those on margins will bear brunt of virus toll
While the coronavirus pandemic seems certain to extend its reach to all corners of the globe, its impact will not be felt evenly. Those on society’s margins and lower economic […]
Posted inThe Download
‘A low point for Republicans in Mass.’
Two Republicans trying to straddle the deep ideological divide in the Massachusetts GOP say the bitter fight that culminated in last week’s state committee election was all about gaining control […]
Posted inTransportation
Two experts debate tunneling under Charles River
As state transportation officials prepare to replace the elevated section of the Massachusetts Turnpike that runs between Boston University and the Charles River, they are facing an age-old problem – […]
Posted inThe Download
Two experts debate tunneling under Charles River
As state transportation officials prepare to replace the elevated section of the Massachusetts Turnpike that runs between Boston University and the Charles River, they are facing an age-old problem – […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Building connections one story at a time
Cara Solomon and George Powell think personal stories – gathering them and reading them – are the way to bridge differences and build a stronger sense of community in Boston. […]
Posted inThe Download
Building connections one story at a time
Cara Solomon and George Powell think personal stories – gathering them and reading them – are the way to bridge differences and build a stronger sense of community in Boston. […]
