Census counts and income thresholds haven’t stopped state Sen. Bill Driscoll, who represents the town of Randolph, from trying to secure its Gateway City status. He has introduced legislation that would revise the eligibility criteria of a Gateway – something previously attempted but never done successfully on Beacon Hill since the Legislature codified the designation in 2009.| CommonWealth Beacon
Across Massachusetts, more than 300 communities – including Boston – aren’t reaping the benefits of the FEMA program, known as Community Rating System. It’s led to residents in some municipalities collectively paying hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in flood insurance costs that could have been avoided.| CommonWealth Beacon
"The Constitution allows states to propose amendments if two-thirds (34) of state legislatures call for it, and the offices of the two state legislators said Wednesday that a convention 'could open the entire Constitution to unpredictable changes, as there are no clear guidelines or limitations on what delegates could propose.'"| CommonWealth Beacon
The wrecking ball's time, we were told, had come. It’s easy to forget important milestones when they mark something significant that didn’t happen, but it’s a moment worth recalling – and toasting.| CommonWealth Beacon
Cuts at the state level mean the city’s initiative will be operating in a more financially constrained environment. The crux of the new effort will rely on the state’s Mass Save program, which funds energy efficiency upgrades around the state through ratepayer charges.| CommonWealth Beacon
Boxed in by prior commitments, inflation, and federal uncertainty, the MBTA is narrowing its approach to its five-year capital plan to focus on projects such as replacement of the North Station Draw One bridge.| CommonWealth Beacon
The regulations — should the board vote to approve them — would not automatically allow the programs, just enable colleges and universities to submit proposals for potential approval to the board, board chair Chris Gabrieli has previously said.| CommonWealth Beacon
PERSONAL DATA HAS become the de facto currency of the digital age, and we’ve surrendered more control over our lives than we may have realized. Our every| CommonWealth Beacon
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE is again debating whether to raise the age of Juvenile Court jurisdiction to include 18 to 20-year-old youth. The last time the state raised the age was […]| CommonWealth Beacon
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute spoke with Audrey Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. Gasteier about the current crisis facing residents of the Commonwealth should the federal government fail to renew premium tax credits.| CommonWealth Beacon
"The bill seeks to tackle what officials describe as a literacy crisis, as more young students struggle with the foundational reading and writing skills needed for learning."| CommonWealth Beacon
Three and a half years after State House aides went public with their desire to unionize, the effort remains stalled by skepticism from top Democrats who often position themselves as allies of labor.| CommonWealth Beacon
AS A FAMILY medicine physician at Boston Medical Center, I have cared for hundreds of individuals and families experiencing homelessness over the last 20| CommonWealth Beacon
Hallie Claflin is a Report for America corps member covering Gateway Cities for CommonWealth Beacon. She is a Wisconsin native and newcomer to Massachusetts. She has written for a number of local, nonprofit publications in Madison, Wisconsin, including Madison Commons and The Badger Project. In 2023 she spent a summer at Voice of America where she covered national and international affairs for the visual content team in Washington, DC. She previously covered rural homelessness, poverty, polit...| CommonWealth Beacon
In November, the seven Supreme Judicial Court justices will wrestle with some disputes that are years or decades in the making. Others touch on current crises. And the Legislature’s action or inaction is often a factor.| CommonWealth Beacon
The MBTA alone reported more than 600 assaults last year, including 33 assaults with weapons, 72 physical assaults and batteries, and 38 assaults and batteries with bodily fluids, Rep. Michael Day said as he introduced the bill that emerged from the Judiciary Committee he chairs.| CommonWealth Beacon
Tepper shared in an interview with CommonWealth Beacon that she took a previously-unreported trip up to Nova Scotia last month to meet with officials to discuss how Massachusetts can potentially tap into Canadian offshore wind, much in the way the state will soon have access to 1,200 megawatts of hydropower from Quebec.| CommonWealth Beacon
Supporters of the so-called Safe Communities Act say the stepped-up raids have stoked fear in immigrant communities and underscore the need to shield local law enforcement from entanglement with federal immigration authorities.| CommonWealth Beacon
EVERY YEAR, thousands of Massachusetts residents see a doctor—but never see a ballot. For low-income and minority communities that face barriers to voter registration, health care facilities can offer a […]| CommonWealth Beacon
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Hallie Claflin talks with Dominick Pangallo, Mayor of Salem. Every year in October, Salem experiences a massive tourism boom as more than a million visitors flock to the site of the Salem Witch Trials for the spooky season. How does a small city of 45,000 manage the influx of tourists? How do Salem residents feel about the influx? And how lucrative is the tourism industry? Pangallo addresses these and encourages all to explore the great t...| CommonWealth Beacon
A trusted nonprofit, non-partisan source for in-depth news analysis, reporting & opinion on policy, politics, & civic life in Massachusetts.| CommonWealth Beacon
O’Brien’s attorney said on Tuesday that she plans to challenge the firing in court, a move that is likely to prolong chaos at the commission and bring all the messy details of the agency into public view.| CommonWealth Beacon
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Mark Williams, finance lecturer at the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. Now two weeks into the federal shutdown, Williams reviews an already bleak estimate of Massachusetts’s financial health if officials continue on their current spending path. Facing federal cuts, immigration policy changes, and the knock-on effects of the shutdown, Williams warns that the Bay State could be heading for a rec...| CommonWealth Beacon
Elected officials, marketplace administrators, and health care advocates are ramping up pressure on Congress to extend Biden-era federal tax credits that help Americans pay for health insurance. Without action, they warn, out-of-pocket costs could increase dramatically.| CommonWealth Beacon
