Many publications have written a version of the same story. The Cape Cod Times reports that home sales on the Cape keep breaking records, making it the “best time ever to sell.” An April headline in the Boston Globe wrote “Houses in Greater Boston cost more than ever last month,” with the median single family […]
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Unless you’re selling, hot housing market is concerning
MANY PUBLICATIONS have written a version of the same story. The Cape Cod Times reports that home sales on the Cape keep breaking records, making it the “best time ever to sell.” An April headline in the Boston Globe wrote “Houses in Greater Boston cost more than ever last month,” with the median single family […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker proposes overhaul of licensing
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV.CHARLIE BAKER filed legislation Wednesday to overhaul the state’s professional licensing operations, proposing to transfer 13 boards to the Department of Public Health and to give regulators enhanced authority to investigate license holders. The bill, dubbed the Act Relative to Licensing Accountability in the Commonwealth, would also prohibit Level 3 sex […]
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House gives businesses unemployment insurance relief
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE APPROVED a proposal Tuesday that aims to relieve employers this spring from major unexpected unemployment system costs, while punting the decision on whether to deploy one-time federal funds to address a benefits system that sagged under the weight of pandemic unemployment. In a move that business groups described as […]
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First-in-the-nation hotline seeks to help abusers
MASSACHUSETTS HAS numerous hotlines and resources for people who have been abused by their intimate partners. But if an abuser wants to change his behavior, who can he call for help? A new helpline being launched as a pilot program by organizers in Western Massachusetts aims to be the first helpline in the United States […]
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Baker doesn’t budge (yet) on masks
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASKS WILL STILL be required for now in all indoor public places, at all events, and outdoors when social distancing is not possible in Massachusetts, despite new guidance from the Centers from Disease Control advising fully vaccinated individuals that it’s safe in most cases to stop wearing a face covering. Gov. […]
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House OKs budget with 7 mega-amendments
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE LAWMAKERS unanimously passed a $47.716 billion budget in the early morning hours Thursday after adding tens of millions of dollars in spending over three days, largely to support investments that representatives said would guide the state in forging a pathway out of the COVID-19 crisis. “As we cautiously recover from […]
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State revenues keep on surpassing projections
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE collected more than $3 billion from Massachusetts residents, workers, and businesses last month, once again shattering the Baker administration’s expectations and putting the state’s coffers more than $1.5 billion ahead of where they were at the same time last year. Revenue collections for March added up to […]
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Race-blind decision-making could reduce racial disparities in child welfare system
THOUGH THEY ARE certainly helpful for raising broader awareness of the issue, I don’t need reports or articles like the recent piece in CommonWealth to tell me that black and Hispanic families are overrepresented in the state’s child welfare system. I can just look at the youth my agency serves. Over half are racial minorities, […]
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Politicians’ campaign finance lawsuit is secret
TWO MASSACHUSETTS POLITICIANS are going to court to challenge an action by the head of the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Yet despite a case that seems almost by definition to be a matter of public interest, the proceedings, so far, have been secret. WBUR first reported on the lawsuit filed last week […]