Politics, ideas, & civic life in MA. CommonWealth Beacon's in-depth coverage is a primary news & information source for policymakers, civic leaders & citizens.
Joined September 2009
- Tweets 26,621
- Following 1,017
- Followers 14,050
- Likes 115
4,272 Photos and videos
Jun 12
The MBTA spends hundreds of millions of dollars more per year than it brings in. State officials are willing to plug the gap on an as–needed basis, but have yet to embrace a stable, permanent funding source to manage growing costs. buff.ly/m6AKYYB
229
Jun 12
#BREAKING Voters in Mass. are still on track to decide the state’s marijuana policy this November. A Supreme Judicial Court ruling this morning keeps a measure seeking to recriminalize recreational cannabis in the running despite a certification challenge. buff.ly/FMWdJde
1
1
242
Jun 12
#OPINION More than 400,000 Massachusetts residents live in the 100-year floodplain, with affordable housing disproportionately located in high-risk areas. Preserving local water resource rules is an important part of protecting the state’s housing supply. buff.ly/tLKnN0m
167
Jun 12
Patients in Boston have an average wait of 69 days when booking a physical with a new provider, and 43 percent of Bay Staters had difficulty obtaining health care in 2025. A new bill would more than double investments in the state’s primary care system. buff.ly/dVD6Mcq
3
1
1
595
Jun 11
#OPINION The CVS-Mass General Brigham proposal sits at the intersection of two of the state’s most pressing health care challenges: accessibility and affordability.
The Health Policy Commission should push for a compromise solution that addresses both. buff.ly/Ryubdst
2
171
Jun 11
State and local leaders say the South Coast Rail project has already helped bolster the region’s economic competitiveness, tourism, and housing growth. A second phase, which would add new stops and provide faster, electrified service, remains in limbo. buff.ly/TYo9hHj
1
139
Jun 11
MBTA officials will request final approval this week on another sizable budget increase, this time nearly $300 million. It’s part of a years-long hiring and investment spree intended to put the darkest days of slow zones and runaway trains in the past. buff.ly/m6AKYYB
1
178
Jun 11
A transmission line delivering hydropower from Canada into Mass. didn't deliver electricity for two weeks. It’s not the first time, but it comes as energy demand in New England climbs toward its summer peak. buff.ly/LuaMJAq
1
144
Jun 10
MBTA officials will seek approval Thursday on a $3.4 billion budget that would add another 550 positions, embracing an eager-to-spend approach that supporters say has improved service and safety. buff.ly/m6AKYYB
2
2
6
710
Jun 10
#OPINION Dorothy McGlincy, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, urges policymakers not to discard local wetlands, stormwater, and septic system rules in a bid to speed up much-needed housing development. buff.ly/tLKnN0m
1
119
Jun 10
#OPINION The Mass. Health Policy Commission will review the proposed CVS Health and Mass General Brigham affiliation tomorrow. Paul Hattis and John E. McDonough propose a compromise that mitigates the primary care shortage without unduly increasing costs. buff.ly/WvHzsSW
163
Jun 10
Massachusetts has for years hosted the least competitive state elections in the nation. The trend continues this fall with three in five House and Senate races featuring just one candidate on the ballot. Chris Lisinski maps out the 2026 legislative races: buff.ly/PxeqeID
1
1
218
Two large renewable energy projects are not providing Mass. the jolt of power they promised. The setbacks signal continued challenges ahead as the state works to shift off fossil fuels while meeting growing power needs and maintaining reliability. buff.ly/bjJcgU9
2
203
#OPINION Two years after he co-authored a report from the state’s Racial Imbalance Advisory Council, Raul Fernandez says it’s time for the state take action on pervasive school segregation – and a new lawsuit may finally force that to happen. buff.ly/7VXLUUJ
184
“If the World Cup is like a flesh wound on your municipal budgets, the Olympics would have been like losing a limb,” Chris Dempsey tells Jordan Wolman on this week’s Codcast.
1
1
2
482
In 2024, Dempsey co-chaired “No Boston Olympics,” which successfully pushed the city to abandon its Olympics bid. On the episode, Dempsey discusses what makes the World Cup selection different.
Listen here: buff.ly/KEssxpL
328
#OPINION CVS and Mass General Brigham project that, with their proposed partnership, as many as 34,000 adults could begin receiving primary care within three years. Yet the proposal raises questions about who will benefit from that expanded access. buff.ly/WvHzsSW
1
1
175
#OPINION The vast majority of Massachusetts voters supported a 2024 ballot question giving the state auditor the authority to audit the Legislature. The House’s response goes against that public mandate by seeking to narrow and control it. buff.ly/XrOrq60
3
2
319
House Democrats last week pushed through a bill that would restrict the power voters awarded the state auditor to probe the Legislature. The House's top Republican described the controversial bill as an "[expletive] sandwich with extra pickles." buff.ly/fg9lpYp
3
5
1,035