STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS ECONOMY continues to hum along in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption, a trend that business leaders and analysts say could forecast more inflationary pressure on the horizon. With employers across the state still struggling to fill open positions, labor officials reported Friday that the statewide unemployment rate […]
State House News Service
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Healey urges public to donate to fund for farmers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SKEPTICAL ABOUT the timeline for federal aid, the Healey administration on Thursday backed an effort to raise private donations to help farmers who sustained major damage in a series of flood-inducing storms. The administration and United Way of Central Massachusetts on Thursday launched a fundraiser campaign, dubbed the “Massachusetts Farm Resiliency […]
Posted inThe Download
Ominous offshore wind news from Rhode Island
In what could be a foreshadowing of future offshore wind pricing, Rhode Island’s leading utility this week opted not to move forward with a project called Revolution Wind 2 because the cost of the electricity was deemed too high. “Higher interest rates, increased costs of capital and supply chain expenses, as well as the uncertainty […]
Posted inMicrophilanthropy
Testing lab executive slams marijuana regulators
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE EACH PERSON who testified before the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy on Tuesday got three minutes to make their case. But the founder and CEO of one of the first laboratories approved to test marijuana in Massachusetts probably could have gone on for hours telling lawmakers about the issues he has […]
Posted inTransportation
Pedestrian road fatalities hit record high of 101 in 2022
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE NUMBER of pedestrians and bicyclists involved in on-the-road accidents in Massachusetts is on the rise after record-lows in 2020, with the most pedestrian fatalities on record occurring in 2022. A recent Department of Transportation assessment on the safety of so-called vulnerable road users — those who use the roads but […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Senate tax bill’s financial hit bigger than suggested
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE COMPETING House and Senate tax relief proposals might not be quite as far apart, at least in terms of total financial impact, as the public was led to believe. Senate Democrats said throughout the rollout and approval of their package that it would not increase much beyond a fiscal year […]
Posted inThe Download
Does artificial intelligence belong in therapy?
FOR MANY, the nearest therapist these days isn’t someone sitting across from them in a room but a friendly face on the other side of a Zoom, or even a chat thread on a smartphone. In a quantum leap beyond those types of virtual encounters, increasingly, the entity offering mental health advice may not even […]
Posted inHousing, State Government, State House News Service
House backs market-rate housing program
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE came around on the idea of expanding a tax credit program designed to encourage much-needed housing production, just not in the legislative vehicle that Gov. Maura Healey and the Senate originally envisioned. Representatives on Thursday approved a mega-amendment to a fiscal 2023 spending bill that would lift the annual cap on […]
Posted inTransportation
Bus stops targeted to improve pedestrian safety
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FOLLOWING A PEDESTRIAN safety assessment that showed almost half of all Massachusetts pedestrian fatalities or serious injuries happened within 300 feet of a bus stop, the Department of Transportation is looking to use federal funds to make safety improvements at bus stops across the state. Pedestrian fatalities, serious injuries and cyclist […]
Posted inThe Download
Campbell cautions against headlong rush to online lottery
Attorney General Andrea Campbell has been reluctant to dive head-first into the debate over whether to move state lottery games online, steering clear of unconditional support or opposition to such a move. But she continues to wade in on the issue in ways that signal a wariness toward expanding the state-run gambling enterprise. What’s more, […]