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SHNS Coronavirus Tracker
The Latest on COVID-19
- GBCC Holding Remote-Only Events in 2020 5:15 PM Tue
- DPH Reports 438 New Cases 4:24 PM Tue
- Cummings Foundation Launches $25 Mil Grant Program 4:11 PM Tue
Last update: 8/4/20 5:15 PM
School Committees Face Tough Reopening Decisions
8/4/20 6:05 PM
State education officials are reviewing school districts' initial reopening plans and expect to issue guidance on athletics and extracurricular activities next week, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said Tuesday.
Courts Weigh Slow Restart of Jury Trials
8/4/20 5:48 PM
Jury trials in Massachusetts would restart on a limited basis, using small juries to consider cases involving civil disputes or minor criminal charges for at least two months before more serious cases resume, according to recommendations outlined last week by a judicial panel.
Visitors from Rhode Island Added to State’s Quarantine List
8/4/20 5:41 PM
Most travelers entering Massachusetts from Rhode Island will soon be ordered to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival unless they recently tested negative for COVID-19, the Baker administration announced Tuesday.
New Program Aims to Sub in Clean Power During Peak Energy Periods
8/4/20 5:36 PM
The Baker administration rolled out the final regulations Tuesday for a first-in-the-nation financial incentive program that aims to promote clean energy generation to supply power when demand on the grid is at its highest, and officials said it will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save ratepayers money.
Biz, Gatherings Could Be Squeezed in COVID-19 Response
8/4/20 4:40 PM
Gov. Charlie Baker threatened Tuesday that he may cut the allowable gathering size below its current limit or revive restrictions on businesses if a slight jump in new COVID-19 cases accelerates into more substantial spread.
Craft Brewer Distribution Deal Stalls in House
8/4/20 4:00 PM
It seemed like a slam dunk. After years of bitter fighting, craft brewers and beer wholesalers came together at the end of July to announce that they had struck a deal that would allow smaller breweries to more easily end their relationship with a distributor if they felt their brand wasn't being properly marketed.
Report: Drug Coupons Having Impacts for Patients, Prices
8/4/20 3:40 PM
Prescription drug coupon programs have expanded in Massachusetts over the past several years, according to a new analysis by a state agency that found such discounts can have implications for both spending and clinical outcomes.
Who’s On The Move? Check The Personnel File
8/4/20 3:08 PM
The MBTA has a new head safety official ... a longtime Massachusetts election and voting reform advocate is heading to the national stage ... Andover's senator recently made several staffing changes ... the state consumer affairs and business regulation office named a top lawyer ... a former Boston City Council candidate has joined the city's Cannabis Board ... a Boston law firm added a partner to its labor and employment division ... a community partnership group appointed a president with a record of fundraising success ... a new CFO comes to Biogen ... a Boston private nonprofit college promoted from within ... Salem's mayor is joining an online civics program ...
Winds, Rains Coming as Isaias Sideswipes Mass.
8/4/20 2:38 PM
While the center of Tropical Storm Isaias is not projected to hit Massachusetts directly, residents should still stay home or stay inside whenever possible Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning because the storm could bring significant winds and flash flooding, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday.
MassHealth Moves to Break Ties with Three Nursing Homes
8/3/20 5:30 PM
The Baker administration moved Monday to cut nursing homes in Lowell, Worcester and Wareham from the MassHealth program after determining they failed to respond adequately to the COVID-19 pandemic, a step that could lead to their closures.
Marijuana Regulators Asked to Revist Recreational Delivery, Telehealth
8/3/20 4:26 PM
The legal market is still taking shape nearly four years since voters legalized marijuana in Massachusetts, and rules around home delivery of cannabis and access options for medical patients were at the center of the latest round of push-and-pull on Monday between the industry, medical patients and regulators.
SJC Expounds on Decision to Allow Brady Campaign to Continue
8/3/20 4:01 PM
Republican congressional candidate Helen Brady's campaign will be required to destroy the data voters submitted when they signed her electronic nomination papers, the state's highest court said Monday.
Beacon Hill Awaits “Magic” From Conference Committees
8/3/20 3:19 PM
The Legislature entered uncharted waters on Monday, sailing into territory not seen by Speaker Robert DeLeo since his early days in the House and never experienced before by Senate President Karen Spilka.
Policing Debate Now in Crosswinds of Urgency, Patience
8/3/20 3:02 PM
The timetable on Beacon Hill for legislation to license police and hold them accountable for misconduct is no longer specific, creating a extra layer of uncertainty around the bill at a time when the case against some reforms here is now playing out within the White House.
Senate Session Summary - Monday, Aug. 3, 2020
8/3/20 2:31 PM
The Senate on Monday did not take steps toward initiating a formal negotiation process on climate change and emissions reduction bills, as the bill approved Friday night by the House had still not traveled back to the Senate in its amended form. The bills would codify a statewide net-zero carbon emissions target for 2050.
House Session Summary - Monday, Aug. 3, 2020
8/3/20 2:15 PM
August arrived on Beacon Hill Monday, and with that, the heightened end-of-July lawmaking pace subsided in the House. After eight consecutive formal sessions, the House returned to holding informal sessions to push along local bills dealing with matters in Westborough and Lowell.
COVID-19 Case Creep Continued Over Weekend
8/3/20 1:08 PM
Key data points indicating the state of the COVID-19 outbreak continued to creep upward over the weekend in Massachusetts, moving slowly in a direction indicating greater spread of the highly infectious virus.
Official: Fans in Stands Predicated on Medical Breakthrough
8/3/20 12:48 PM
Get used to that fake crowd noise.
Mass. Among States Pursuing Rapid Antigen Tests
8/4/20 9:41 PM
Massachusetts is among seven states that are entering formal talks with manufacturers with the goal of facilitating rapid point-of-care antigen tests that could more quickly detect COVID-19 outbreaks in workplaces, schools and congregate care settings.
School Breakfast, MLK Memorial Bills Signed by Baker
8/4/20 6:17 PM
A new law will require public schools with large populations of low-income students to provide breakfast after the school day begins in an effort to address childhood hunger and give all students a chance to succeed in school.
Baker Rejects Spending Orders, Signs Interim Budget
8/4/20 5:08 PM
Gov. Charlie Baker signed a $16.53 billion interim budget on Tuesday that will keep state government operating through at least the end of October, but he rejected a firm deadline of Oct. 31 for the funding to expire and said the Legislature's attempt to impose minimum spending requirements would "unduly" limit his authority to manage state spending over the next three months.
Baker Again Hints at Possible Virus Control Steps
8/4/20 2:28 PM
[Story Developing] Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday that his administration is "not taking any options off the table" to keep Massachusetts safe as COVID-19 transmission inches upward, such as reducing allowable gathering sizes and reviving restrictions on businesses.
New Program Aims to Sub in Clean Power During Peak Energy Periods
8/4/20 2:16 PM
[Coverage Developing] The Baker administration announced the launch of a first-in-the-nation financial incentive program that aims to promote clean energy generation to supply power when demand on the grid is at its highest.
Conferees to Outline Path to Snuff Out Carbon Emissions
8/4/20 11:56 AM
The lawmakers named to hammer out a compromise climate policy bill for the House and Senate will likely have their hands full. Both chambers passed legislation to put Massachusetts on a path towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but negotiators will have a wide array of other issues to reconcile as advocates and business groups lobby for their priorities.
Business Confidence Slipped in July After Two Months of Gains
8/4/20 10:58 AM
Reversing direction after two months of gains, confidence among Massachusetts employers declined in July, with optimism about the state economy overshadowed by a more significant degree of pessimism over the national economy due to the damage that COVID-19 is inflicting on jobs, business and commerce.
![[Courtesy/MassHousing]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/08-04_808MemDriveCambridge.jpg "[Courtesy/MassHousing]")
Deal Preserves Affordability of 212 Units Overlooking Charles
8/4/20 7:42 AM
Affordability protections for will be extended for 15 years on 212 high-rise Cambridge apartments along the Charles River under an $87.2 million financing deal with a non-profit announced on Monday.
Plymouth County Boy State’s First 2020 Case of EEE
8/3/20 5:26 PM
Public health officials on Monday confirmed the state's first human case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) of 2020, a year in which EEE-infected mosquitoes were identified earlier than any year in the last two decades.
Suarez-Orozco Launches with Black Life Advisor at UMB
8/3/20 2:45 PM
In his first day on the job Monday, new UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suarez-Orozco warned that simultaneous crises pose "great threats" to equality and set his sights on working toward racial justice in higher education.
Pro-Choice PAC Endorses Primary Challengers to Rogers, Timilty
8/3/20 12:33 PM
One of the state's foremost reproductive rights advocacy groups is backing challengers to Sen. Walter Timilty of Milton and Rep. John Rogers of Norfolk, citing among its reasons the two lawmakers' history of voting against or skipping votes on key legislation to support family planning clinics and reproductive health.
Black Church Leaders Spell Out Reform Demands
8/3/20 10:44 AM
After Democratic leaders were unable to reach a deal on police reform Friday, leaders from a dozen Black churches wrote to House and Senate negotiators over the weekend spelling out their vision for how two versions of the legislation should be blended to hold police accountable for their actions.