TAX REVENUES IN Massachusetts are coming in higher than anticipated this year – and are expected to grow by 3.5 percent next year, the state’s top budget-writers said Friday. Despite the pandemic-induced recession, state tax revenues have been consistently coming in higher this year than state budget officials had expected. A big part of this is likely […]
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CommonWealth’s most read stories of 2020
PUTTING TOGETHER this list of the most read CommonWealth stories of 2020 was a bit disappointing. Normally, these types of lists tend to highlight the best stories of the year – interesting reads, in-depth reports, or breaking news. But 2020, as we all know, wasn’t a typical year. For the most part, the CommonWealth stories […]
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Lawmakers getting $4,280 hike in base pay
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS are in store for another pay raise. Two years after Gov. Charlie Baker certified a raise of 5.93 percent for the 200 members of the House and Senate for the 2019-2020 session, the governor in a letter to Treasurer Deb Goldberg on Wednesday advised her that a 6.46 percent […]
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Our most popular commentary pieces of 2020
COMMONWEALTH RAN more than 400 commentary pieces in 2020, providing a lively forum for ideas and debate. The pieces came from people on the left, the right, and everywhere in between. They came from regulars like former state transportation secretary Jim Aloisi, attorney Margaret Monsell, lawyer/historian Lawrence S. DiCara, and Dr. Paul A. Hattis. And they […]
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Baker files bill to ease UI costs for businesses
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS BUSINESSES would face smaller increases in taxes they pay to fund the state unemployment system over the next two years, under a new bill Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Friday. With the state facing an unprecedented surge in demand for joblessness aid during the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment insurance trust […]
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Number of high-risk communities rises to 81
THE NUMBER of communities considered high-risk for COVID-19 rose from 62 to 81 on Friday, as cases statewide continued to grow rapidly while deaths from the coronavirus grew more slowly. The numbers followed what has become a predictable pattern during the second surge. Four weeks ago the Baker administration revised the metrics it uses to […]
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Healey sues Boston Sports Clubs
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON SPORTS CLUBS gyms showed “total disregard” for members during the COVID-19 pandemic by continuing to charge fees to customers who tried to cancel, Attorney General Maura Healey alleged Tuesday as she unveiled a lawsuit against the company. Healey sued BSC’s parent company, Town Sports International (TSI), for violating sections of […]
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House, Senate budgets contain plenty of policy proposals
SO MUCH for a “narrow” budget. When the House and Senate Ways and Means committees released their fiscal 2021 budget proposals, both were relatively narrow with few policy initiatives. Chairs Aaron Michlewitz and Michael Rodrigues both stressed the need to adopt the budget on a quick time frame, with the state’s temporary budget expiring at […]
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Ashkenazy settles up with Boston
The game of chess between the city of Boston and the operator of Faneuil Hall Marketplace took an unusual turn Tuesday, as the Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. paid what it owes to the city and hinted at a larger battle between the two combatants. The Boston Planning & Development Agency on November 9 threatened to evict Ashkenazy for […]
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Baker nominating Georges for SJC
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SERGE GEORGES JR.’S nomination to the Supreme Judicial Court is poised to make history in more ways than one. Georges, announced Tuesday as the latest pick from Gov. Charlie Baker to fill existing or impending vacancies, would join only a handful of district court judges in Massachusetts ever elevated to the […]