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The Latest on COVID-19
- Admin Details Behavioral Health Efforts 11:13 AM Fri
- More Than 200 Cases Reported in Mass. Schools 9:41 AM Fri
- FDA Approves Remdesivir for Hospitalized Patients 8:27 AM Fri
Last update: 10/23/20 12:02 PM
New COVID Cases Approach 1,000 For Consecutive Days
10/23/20 4:48 PM
The Department of Public Health on Friday reported 968 new COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, the second day in a row the number of newly confirmed cases approached 1,000.
Hydro Contract Ruling Offers Clarity in Clean Energy Law
10/23/20 7:00 AM
There have been many hurdles in the quest to get Canadian hydroelectricity into Massachusetts, but the state's highest court last month cleared one from the project's path -- a legal challenge to the contracts that intend to facilitate the delivery of about 17 percent of the state's electricity demand.
Senate Session Summary - Thursday, Oct. 22
10/22/20 3:02 PM
Breaking from a humdrum of local bills Thursday, the Senate stamped its approval on a nearly two-year-old bill aiming to improve quick, safe access to hospital emergency rooms.
Baker Touts Economic Reach of $775 Mil in Government Spending
10/22/20 1:37 PM
[Coverage Developing] Looking to further boost an economy that has added back tens of thousands of jobs since April but has a long way to climb out of the hole dug by the pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker rolled out a multi-pronged strategy Thursday to infuse small businesses and workforce training programs with new money to stabilize some sectors and help revive others.
House Session Summary - Thursday, Oct. 22
10/22/20 1:29 PM
The House on Thursday sent a new $5.4 billion interim budget (H 5065) to the House Ways and Means Committee that Rep. Aaron Michlewitz chairs. The third temporary spending bill this fiscal year seeks to keep state government operating through the end of November, in the continuing absence of a full-year fiscal 2021 budget.
Emergency Room Signage Bill Clears Senate
10/22/20 11:36 AM
Legislation aimed at ensuring patients can access clearly marked emergency rooms in times of crisis cleared the Senate on Thursday after it was rushed through the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Roulette Players Adjusting, Casinos Adapting in Pandemic
10/22/20 11:21 AM
Even now that roulette has been reintroduced to gaming floors, crowd sizes at Massachusetts casinos are still "well below" occupancy levels authorized by the Gaming Commission, one top regulator said Thursday.
Pollack: Regional Transit Authorities Should be OK This Year
10/22/20 11:20 AM
The state's 15 regional transit agencies should all be able to balance their budgets this year without cutting critical services or raising rider fares, Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack said.
State Launching $115 Mil Program to Boost Small Businesses
10/22/20 9:23 AM
With the pandemic taking a toll on jobs and the economy, the Baker administration plans Thursday to announce what they are describing as a comprehensive $774 million plan to help small businesses, provide housing stability, and boost downtowns and the innovation economy.
Research, Grant Efforts Target Stubborn Problem: Water Pollution
10/22/20 9:05 AM
[Story Developing] A series of small grants announced this week could put a dent in what can be a big problem: pollution caused when rainwater sweeps into public watersheds, carrying with it agricultural agents, bacteria from pet waste and waterfowl, and oil and grease deposits left behind by humans.
![The statue of President John Kennedy in front of a locked State House entryway was sculpted by Isabel McIlvain and unveiled in 1990. [Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/10-21_Kennedy_statue.jpg "The statue of President John Kennedy in front of a locked State House entryway was sculpted by Isabel McIlvain and unveiled in 1990. [Sam Doran/SHNS]")
Kennedy Statue On the Move 30 Years After Its Unveiling
10/22/20 7:00 AM
The bronze statue of President John Kennedy on a little-used corner of the State House lawn is taking a stroll back into the limelight.
Baker Admin Hopes to Avoid Layoffs in Budget Reckoning
10/21/20 6:23 PM
Gov. Charlie Baker's administration hopes to avoid government layoffs both this year and next year, the governor's top budget official told lawmakers Wednesday, describing Baker's new spending plan as a "stability" budget intended to protect services at a time of great need.
Push On to Scare People Away from Witch City
10/21/20 3:35 PM
The crowds in Salem are smaller this month than they would normally be, but the number of people visiting the Witch City is still "more than we feel comfortable having," Mayor Kim Driscoll said Wednesday as she and Gov. Charlie Baker pleaded with Halloween revelers to stay away this year.
Baker Admin Hopes to Avoid Layoffs in Budget Reckoning
10/21/20 2:44 PM
[Coverage Developing]Gov. Charlie Baker's administration hopes to avoid government layoffs both this year and next year, the governor's top budget official told lawmakers Wednesday, describing Baker's new spending plan as a "stability" budget intended to protect services at a time of great need.
Council Confirms Harnais, McNeil for District Court Posts
10/21/20 2:21 PM
Attorneys Robert Harnais and Susan McNeil were confirmed to the District Court bench Wednesday by the Governor's Council.
Baker Files Interim Budget to Cover Spending Through November
10/21/20 2:19 PM
Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday filed a new temporary budget to keep state government running through the end of November, a plan that landed as lawmakers were reviewing his revised $45.5 billion annual spending plan.
Healey Touts Record of Litigation Against Trump Administration
10/21/20 1:03 PM
Since President Donald Trump took office in 2017, Attorney General Maura Healey's office has been part of at least 200 actions that have sought to resist what the office referred to as the president's "illegal and dangerous rollbacks of critical environmental protections," her office said.
Boston Taking Schools All-Remote Starting Thursday
10/21/20 12:58 PM
All Boston public school students will learn remotely starting Thursday as the COVID-19 infection rate continues its climb in the city, the mayor and school system announced Wednesday morning.
Utility Sees Maine Transmission Project Construction This Year
10/21/20 12:54 PM
Utility company executives behind the project that would deliver clean power from Hydro-Québec to the Massachusetts and New England power grid said Wednesday construction should start before the end of 2020, about a year later than the company once projected.
Advances - Week of Oct. 25
10/23/20 5:51 PM
Apparently fine with leaving big priorities to be dealt with during rare lame-duck, holiday season sessions, the Legislature remains largely in hibernation and many lawmakers next week will be focused on get-out-the-vote efforts in state and federal elections.
Early Voting Continues at Brisk Pace
10/23/20 5:10 PM
More than 30 percent of all registered voters in Massachusetts have already cast their ballot for the presidential election as of Friday afternoon, according to Secretary of State William Galvin's office
![Bay Staters are keeping those masks handy... COVID-19 is back on the rise in Massachusetts, threatening to surpass 1,000 new confirmed cases per day. [Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/10-22_Baker_3.jpg "Bay Staters are keeping those masks handy... COVID-19 is back on the rise in Massachusetts, threatening to surpass 1,000 new confirmed cases per day. [Sam Doran/SHNS]")
Weekly Roundup - Getting Redder
10/23/20 4:48 PM
Put down the pencils. Hang the costumes in the closet. And put the blade covers back on the skates. Lest anyone forget, the cororavirus is giving Massachusetts a not so gentle reminder that it never really left.
![The Department of Public Health reported more new COVID-19 cases Thursday among those aged 0 to 19 than any other age group, the first time during the outbreak that the youngest group has represented the largest jump in infections. [Graphic: Chris Lisinski/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/10-22_young_cases_frontpage.jpg "The Department of Public Health reported more new COVID-19 cases Thursday among those aged 0 to 19 than any other age group, the first time during the outbreak that the youngest group has represented the largest jump in infections. [Graphic: Chris Lisinski/SHNS]")
New COVID-19 Numbers Highest in State’s Youngest Age Group
10/23/20 11:09 AM
Confirmed COVID-19 infections among Massachusetts residents younger than 20 are higher than they have been through the entire pandemic, prompting one leading expert to say the rising caseload is likely a reflection of increased testing and another to warn it could forecast a wave of transmission in older adults.
![Gov. Charlie Baker, joined by three of his Cabinet secretaries and the lieutenant governor, detailed an economic recovery plan Thursday that includes millions of dollars in small business grants. [Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/10-22_Presser.jpg "Gov. Charlie Baker, joined by three of his Cabinet secretaries and the lieutenant governor, detailed an economic recovery plan Thursday that includes millions of dollars in small business grants. [Sam Doran/SHNS]")
Baker Outlines Plan to Lift Mass. Economy
10/22/20 5:38 PM
Looking to further boost an economy that has added back tens of thousands of jobs since April but has a long way to climb out of the hole dug by the pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker rolled out a multi-pronged strategy Thursday to infuse small businesses and workforce training programs with new money to cover payroll, rent, protective equipment and other expenses.
![Congresswoman Katherine Clark, the second highest-ranking woman in the U.S. House, spoke at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce online forum Thursday. [Screenshot]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/10-22_Clark_Chamber.jpg "Congresswoman Katherine Clark, the second highest-ranking woman in the U.S. House, spoke at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce online forum Thursday. [Screenshot]")
Clark: Crisis Exposes Crucial Role of Child Care
10/22/20 5:01 PM
Congresswoman Katherine Clark on Thursday said a lack of access to child care is "holding our economy hostage" and called for a shift in how the public views care and education of young children.
![This 1,840-foot pier is part of a federal research facility in North Carolina where researchers from Massachusetts hope to learn more next summer about the impacts of storm surges on water pollution in coastal communities. [Courtesy/Old Dominion University]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/10-22_US_Corps_of_Engineers_Field_Research_Facility_NC.jpg "This 1,840-foot pier is part of a federal research facility in North Carolina where researchers from Massachusetts hope to learn more next summer about the impacts of storm surges on water pollution in coastal communities. [Courtesy/Old Dominion University]")
Research, Grant Efforts Target Stubborn Problem: Water Pollution
10/22/20 11:26 AM
A series of grants announced this week could put a small dent in what can be a big problem - pollution caused when rainwater sweeps into public watersheds carrying with it agricultural agents, bacteria from pet and waterfowl waste, and oil and grease deposits left behind by humans.
Postal Inspectors Probing Mailbox Incident Involving Councilor
10/21/20 2:16 PM
U.S. postal inspectors are investigating a summertime incident in which a member of the Governor's Council allegedly fiddled with a piece of mail in a neighbor's letterbox.
Budget’s Very Late But Spilka Sees “Wisdom in Waiting”
10/21/20 1:43 PM
Without revealing how the Legislature would respond to the revised annual spending plan Gov. Charlie Baker unveiled last week, Senate President Karen Spilka on Wednesday praised Beacon Hill's decision to "hit pause" on the state budget process.
Healey Concerned Eviction Relief May Be Months Away
10/21/20 11:50 AM
With her calls for Gov. Charlie Baker to extend the moratorium on evictions having gone unanswered, Attorney General Maura Healey has turned her focus to making sure supports for tenants and landlords are put in place as quickly as possible, and she's worried some services may be months away.
CCC, DOR Working Through Marijuana Delivery Taxation Issues
10/21/20 10:06 AM
As they approach a final vote next week on their third write-through of marijuana regulations in as many years, regulators on the Cannabis Control Commission are working with the Department of Revenue to figure out just how taxation of marijuana deliveries will work.
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