WHILE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER continues to resist imposing a statewide mask mandate for Massachusetts schools, new poll results show strong public support for such a measure. According to a new survey from the MassINC Polling Group, 81 percent of Massachusetts registered voters say they strongly support or somewhat support a policy requiring masks for anyone […]
Gov. Charlie Baker
Posted inEducation
Baker will not mandate masks in schools
THE MASSACHUSETTS Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Friday issued new guidance “strongly recommending” that elementary school students wear masks this fall, but leaving the decision up to individual school districts. The guidance also recommends that vaccinated students not be required to wear masks. The new guidance falls far short of the indoor mask […]
Posted inOpinion
SJC got Baker emergency orders case right
THERE ARE AT least two important takeaways from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s decision in Desrosiers v. Governor, in which the court upheld Gov. Charlie Baker’s authority to issue emergency orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the court’s conclusion was undoubtedly correct. The plaintiffs argued that the governor had “usurped” the role of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Death of Fall River boy puts DCF in spotlight again
THESE FACTS ARE clear, according to the police: David Almond, a 14-year-old autistic boy, and his twin brother Michael, also autistic, were horribly neglected in the home where Almond’s father and his girlfriend were abusing drugs. David died a horrific death last month, malnourished, bruised and covered with feces. The father, John Michael Almond, and […]
Posted inUncategorized
What about the back rent?
THE EXTENSION THIS week by Gov. Charlie Baker of a statewide eviction moratorium to mid-October provides two more months of breathing room for tenants. The eviction freeze, put in place in April to respond to the surge in unemployment from the coronavirus shutdown of the economy, had been due to expire on August 18. But as the […]
Posted inEconomy
Mass. economy to reopen in four phases
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER announced plans on Monday for a cautious reopening of the Massachusetts economy, a process that will happen in phases and could be halted or even reversed if public health indicators begin moving in the wrong direction in the state’s effort to quell the coronavirus pandemic. Baker said there will be four phases […]
Posted inThe Download
Eviction bill bounces back and forth on Beacon Hill
It may be the first test of the Legislature’s penchant for consensus on coronavirus-related bills. The Massachusetts House and Senate agree that there should be a pause on evictions and foreclosures during the coronavirus pandemic. But what that should look like is raising thorny questions that have left the bill bouncing back and forth between […]
Posted inPolitics
The rumor that won’t die — shelter in place
This story was updated Tuesday afternoon to include the governor’s latest denial and news that New York’s mayor is considering a shelter-in-place order. GOV. CHARLIE BAKER ON SUNDAY denied he was preparing to issue a 14-day shelter-in-place order, calling it “wild speculation.” On Monday, he dismissed the idea again, although he said he would review President […]
Posted inThe Download
The rumor that won’t die — shelter in place
Gov. Charlie Baker on Sunday denied he was preparing to issue a 14-day shelter-in-place order, calling it “wild speculation.” On Monday, he dismissed the idea again, although he said he would review President Trump’s guidance for limiting gatherings to groups of no more than 10 people (15 less than what Baker has ordered). “The larger […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker pans tax, fee increases in House transportation bill
ONE DAY AFTER House leaders unveiled a $600 million transportation revenue bill, Gov. Charlie Baker poured cold water on the tax increases and fees the bill calls for to fund improvements, setting up a showdown with the Legislature on one of the most pressing issues facing state leaders. The House bill would hike the state […]