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SHNS Coronavirus Tracker
The Latest on COVID-19
- Roxbury Community College Planning Dual In-Person Graduation 10:29 AM Wed
- State Talking to Docs About Teen Vaccines 4:59 PM Tue
- Massachusetts Surpasses 3 Million Full Vaccinations 4:47 PM Tue
Last update: 5/12/21 10:29 AM
Trump Says Vineyard “Will Never Be The Same”
5/12/21 9:32 AM
Will Vineyard Yard, the nation's first permitted commercial-scale wind farm, change island life in Massachusetts forever? Former President Donald Trump thinks so.
Baker Visiting Moderna Operations in Norwood
5/12/21 8:43 AM
Gov. Charlie Baker plans on Wednesday to visit Moderna's manufacturing facility in Norwood, where officials will have the opportunity to talk about the local impacts of Moderna's work in developing a vaccine to address the global pandemic.
March Will Highlight “Mass and Cass” Crisis
5/12/21 8:43 AM
Organizers of a march to the State House on Wednesday intend to bring attention to the public health crisis, but it's not the global pandemic.
Marijuana Host Agreement Exploitation Flagged as Problem
5/11/21 5:53 PM
Advocates, lawmakers and former regulators urged a legislative committee on Tuesday to provide more oversight of required contracts between municipalities and marijuana businesses, arguing that the system continues to be exploited by some cities and towns, which creates a barrier for small and minority owned businesses to get started in the industry.
Income Surtax Not Up For Debate on Wednesday
5/11/21 5:30 PM
State lawmakers will gavel in a new Constitutional Convention on Wednesday, but debate will have to wait on a major tax measure that's one vote away from the 2022 ballot.
Presumption Bill Pivots on Place of COVID-19 Infection
5/11/21 4:52 PM
Employees in public-facing jobs or working outside their homes who contract COVID-19 would be presumed to have caught the virus at work and eligible for workers compensation benefits under legislation aired at a public hearing Tuesday and knocked for its likely negative impact on insurance rates.
Senator Tries to Revive Hazard Pay for Essential Workers
5/11/21 3:49 PM
A Foxborough lawmaker is renewing a push to institute hazard pay for employees of essential services who worked outside their homes during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
Senate’s $47.6 Bil Budget Draws $1.55 Bil From Savings
5/11/21 1:19 PM
[Coverage Developing] Senate Democrats on Tuesday unveiled a $47.6 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2022 that aims to repair economic damage wrought during the COVID-19 pandemic without factoring in the billions in federal aid set to flow to Massachusetts or the state's recently robust tax receipts.
T Analysis: Fare Free Buses Would Boost Demand, Reduce Revenues
5/11/21 10:37 AM
Offering all MBTA bus trips free of fares could carry a price tag of hundreds of millions of dollars, driven by both increased operating costs and foregone revenue, T officials said on Monday.
MBTA Weighing Reduced Fines for Fare Evasion
5/10/21 6:16 PM
With fare evasion decriminalized under a law Gov. Charlie Baker signed in January, MBTA staff on Monday proposed ending the practice of marking driver's licenses for non-renewal if a resident failed to pay a fare evasion citation.
Side Bearer Pads May Be Latest Setback For New MBTA Cars
5/10/21 6:03 PM
The MBTA's newest Red and Orange Line trains will remain shelved after an investigation into a March 16 derailment identified "something acting abnormally" within their truck frames, officials said.
Baker To Mark Vaccination Progress With Biden
5/10/21 5:42 PM
As the governor of one of three states with more than 70 percent of its adults at least partially vaccinated, Gov. Charlie Baker will join President Joe Biden on Tuesday for a virtual event to discuss strategies to reach people who are either reluctant or face barriers to vaccination.
Certifying Officers Among Policing Commission’s Initial Tasks
5/10/21 5:21 PM
The first "major assignment" for the state's new policing accountability commission is certifying current law enforcement officials before the end of the calendar year, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday.
Treasury Guidance Offers Wide Latitude for ARPA Funds
5/10/21 5:04 PM
Replenishing unemployment trust funds to pre-pandemic levels is one of a host of allowable uses for the latest round of federal relief funds, according to new U.S. Treasury guidelines.
Who’s On The Move?
5/10/21 4:45 PM
... The new president of the Mass. Medical Society is a former chair of the Tobacco Free Mass Coalition ... a former Beacon Hill aide will succeed a former state rep as head of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges ... the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health has added a former congressman to its board ... a former City of Boston Cabinet member has joined the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce ... Harvard Kennedy School named a former Gov. Raimondo aide as visiting fellow ... the number-three Democrat in the Massachusetts House brought on two new staffers ...
House Adds Amendable Income Surtax Duplicate to ConCon Agenda
5/10/21 4:22 PM
A carbon-copy version of the so-called millionaire surtax which the House surfaced on Monday was filed "really to cover our rear ends," the lead House sponsor said, professing uncertainty as to why it was placed on the formal calendar for the Constitutional Convention that kicks off this week.
Bill Would Lift Birth Certificate “Lockout” Facing Many Adoptees
5/10/21 2:59 PM
Born and adopted in California, Joan Strauss decided after her birth mother's death from COVID-19 last year that she would seek access to her sealed birth records.
Janey Signs Ordinance Moving Prelim Election to Sept. 14
5/10/21 2:58 PM
Boston's preliminary elections will take place a week earlier than originally scheduled to help facilitate work associated with mail-in voting should the Legislature extend or make the measure permanent.
Baker: Younger Teen Vaccinations May Start Thursday
5/12/21 11:55 AM
[Story Developing] Vaccine and health care providers in Massachusetts are poised to begin administering Pfizer vaccines to the roughly 400,000 Bay State residents between the ages of 12 and 15 as soon as Thursday pending the go-ahead from federal authorities, Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday.
Mass. Opioid Overdose on Rise Again, Hit New High
5/12/21 9:44 AM
[Story Developing] Opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts rose by 5 percent in 2020, marking the first increase in three years and climbing to a level slightly higher than the previous peak in 2016.
Biden Picks Angel Kelley for Federal Court Opening in Massachusetts
5/12/21 8:10 AM
President Joe Biden is reaching into the Massachusetts Superior Court to fill a U.S. District Court judgeship in the Bay State, selecting Judge Angel Kelley to fill an open slot on the federal bench.
![Talking to reporters over Zoom from his State House office on Tuesday, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues detailed his committee's $47.6 billion fiscal 2022 budget bill. [Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2021/05-11_Rodrigues.jpg "Talking to reporters over Zoom from his State House office on Tuesday, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues detailed his committee's $47.6 billion fiscal 2022 budget bill. [Sam Doran/SHNS]")
Senate’s $47.6 Bil Budget Draws $1.55 Bil From Savings
5/11/21 5:16 PM
Senate Democrats rolled out their $47.6 billion fiscal year 2022 state budget proposal on Tuesday, proposing an annual spending plan that reforms taxes for pass-through companies, overhauls the film tax credit program, and expands support for lower-income residents in the wake of the pandemic's devastation.
![President Joe Biden hosted a virtual meeting Tuesday with a group of governors, including Gov. Charlie Baker, about vaccination efforts in their states. [Screenshot]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2021/05-11_Biden_guvs.jpg "President Joe Biden hosted a virtual meeting Tuesday with a group of governors, including Gov. Charlie Baker, about vaccination efforts in their states. [Screenshot]")
Governors, Biden Weigh In On Vaccination Ways
5/11/21 4:50 PM
Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz, got his COVID-19 vaccine earlier this year alongside his predecessor, Republican Tim Pawlenty.
![[Courtesy/Vineyard Wind]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2021/05-11_Vineyard_Wind_2.jpg "[Courtesy/Vineyard Wind]")
Feds Give Final Approval to Vineyard Wind
5/11/21 4:00 PM
Citing an "incredible milestone" for Vineyard Wind, which became the first approved commercial-scale offshore wind project in the country on Tuesday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo signaled a veritable open season for similar projects that could eventually enable President Joe Biden to reach his climate goals.
Petitioners Seek U.S. Supreme Court Review of Baker Orders
5/10/21 2:41 PM
Gov. Charlie Charlie Baker is less than three months away from lifting all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, but critics who believe the Republican governor overstepped his authority are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to declare Baker's actions to date a violation of the Constitution.
New MBTA Trains to Remain Out of Service
5/10/21 2:11 PM
[Story Developing] The MBTA's newest Red and Orange Line trains will remain out of service after an investigation into a March 16 derailment identified "something acting abnormally" within their truck frames, officials said Monday.
Senate Session Summary - Monday, May 10
5/10/21 2:08 PM
The Senate on Monday added three proposed constitutional amendments to the calendar ahead of the start of the 2021-2022 Constitutional Convention on Wednesday. Following the lead of more than 100 towns that have changed their governing board's name to "select board," a Sen. Will Brownsberger proposal (S 2440) would mirror that language in the 17 instances where the Constitution currently refers to "selectmen." The Municipalities and Regional Government Committee gave that amendment a green light on April 29.
House Session Summary - Monday, May 10
5/10/21 12:17 PM
The House adopted six orders Monday placing legislative amendments to the constitution on the Constitutional Convention calendar for its first scheduled meeting of the new session Wednesday. Among them is the closely followed surtax on household income over $1 million (H 86) that advocates say can generate over $2 billion in funding for education and transportation.
Cyberattack to Push Mass. Gas Prices Higher
5/10/21 11:08 AM
Gas prices in Massachusetts rose by 6 cents a gallon over the past week and analysts at AAA expect further increases due to a gas pipeline that's been shut down because of a cyberattack.
Active COVID-19 Cases At Lowest Level Since Early November
5/10/21 10:35 AM
More than 4 million adults in Massachusetts have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose after steady progress over the weekend, while most measures of the virus's impact continued to improve ahead of another reopening step starting Monday.
