Power outages top 60,000 as nor'easter rips through Massachusetts
As snow whipped across Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker said power outages, which numbered around 60,000 in the early afternoon Tuesday, were a major concern from the nor'easter.At a noon press...
View ArticleMunicipalities want new, clear path to outlaw pot shops
Westborough voters this month voted overwhelmingly to bar retail marijuana shops from their town, and other towns are looking into forbidding establishments or temporarily prohibiting them. The...
View ArticleLegislature set to double payment to families of first responders killed on...
The one-time payment to families of first responders killed in the line of duty would double to $300,000 under a measure packed into a spending bill that is set for passage in the Legislature on...
View ArticleRetailers weighing sales tax cut ballot question
There may be a major tax cut competing with the significant tax increase that's already being prepared for the 2018 ballot in Massachusetts.Retailers have conducted polling and are encouraged by...
View ArticleTax-form donations fuel select charitable causes
More than $1 million in state income tax refunds goes to fund special causes each year, the result of taxpayers voluntarily checking off donation boxes on their tax forms.
View ArticleGroups renew push to raise tobacco age to 21
BOSTON – While 140 Massachusetts cities and towns have raised their legal tobacco sales from 18 to 21, there’s a renewed push to enact a similar restriction statewide.
View ArticlePrivacy advocates call for toll reforms
Months after the Massachusetts Department of Transportation replaced manned tollbooths with a new electronic tolling system, some lawmakers and privacy advocates are calling for new restrictions on the...
View ArticleMasschusetts greenhouse gas emissions down 21 percent compared to 1990
Greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts decreased from 2013 to 2014, continuing a decade-long trend, according to the latest state data.State law requires emissions by 2020 that are 25 percent lower...
View ArticleFlood watch issued for all of Massachusetts
The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch statewide for 8 a.m. Thursday morning through 2 p.m. Friday.A low pressure system will bring up to 1½ inches of rain, causing rivewrs that are...
View ArticleSocial media use presents opportunities, challenges for Massachusetts...
The rise of social media has created new questions for cities and towns when it comes to preserving public records.
View ArticleStudy suggests new approach to OD-reversing drug
Pharmacies should proactively offer the overdose-reversing drug naloxone to help put it in the hands of people at risk of abusing opioids, according to a recent Boston Medical Center study.
View ArticlePicking the next official state [fill in the blank]
When they're not creating budgets and setting policy, state lawmakers occasionally make time to focus on issues that are a bit less pressing, such as whether Massachusetts should have an official...
View ArticleFramingham changes the leader to Connecticut
With its recent vote to become a city, Framingham loses its long-running title as New England's largest town. West Hartford, Conn., now assumes that title, beginning in January. The title is based on...
View ArticleFrayed Community Preservation partnership in danger of collapsing
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, APRIL 10, 2017.....As the state's contribution rate continues to decline to record low levels, supporters of the Community Preservation Act touted legislation they say is necessary...
View ArticleHouse offers $40.3 billion state budget proposal
Democratic leaders of the Massachusetts House put forward a $40.3 billion spending plan for fiscal 2018 that Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey said focused "first and foremost on the fundamentals"...
View ArticleSchools would see increased funds under House budget
BOSTON – Addressing healthcare, local aid and the state's long-term financial health are among the priorities House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey listed in unveiling his committee's $40.3...
View ArticleAdvocates push anew for driver ban on handheld devices
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, APRIL 13, 2017....A fatal distraction behind the wheel of a fast-moving car can occur in the time it took you to read this sentence."Five seconds is the average time a driver's...
View ArticleMassachusetts receives nearly $12 Million in federal funding to fight opioid...
The Baker-Polito Administration announced today that Massachusetts has received a federal grant totaling nearly $12 million to bolster its public health response to the opioid epidemic, particularly...
View ArticleWorkplace deaths hit 10-year high
THE ISSUE: Workplace deaths in Massachusetts hit a 10-year high in 2016.WHAT'S NEXT: Some worker advocates are calling for reforms to hold employers more accountable for safety.
View ArticleSTATE HOUSE NEWS:Committee backs stiffer restrictions on distracted drivers
Drivers in Massachusetts would be barred from holding a cellphone to make a call, use the phone's camera or access social media under legislation unanimously supported by the Transportation...
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