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LATEST PEYSER: SAFETY $$$ AIM TO STRENGTHEN "SCHOOL CULTURES"
3/19/19 12:37 PM
The $30 million in school safety money Gov. Charlie Baker included in his budget proposal includes funds dedicated to physical upgrades like locks and cameras as well as other measures "designed to strengthen the school cultures in which students are spending their time," Education Secretary James Peyser told lawmakers. Read More
DELEGATION REACTS TO LACK OF LIHEAP FUNDING IN TRUMP BUDGET
3/19/19 12:28 PM
As Beacon Hill lawmakers advance a $30 million state appropriation provide heating assistance for low-income individuals, the New England Congressional delegation is drawing attention to the Trump administration's plan to zero out the heating and cooling aid program. Read More
SANCHEZ: "YOU CAN'T BE FUNNY LIKE THAT ANYMORE"
3/19/19 11:38 AM
Taking pokes at the St. Patrick's Day breakfast in South Boston has become as much of a tradition as, well, the breakfast itself. Read More
UNION LEADERS, POLS ATTENDING LABOR CONVENTION IN PLYMOUTH
3/19/19 10:24 AM
Two state lawmakers, a U.S. senator and a Baker administration Cabinet secretary are among the many featured speakers at the 100th annual convention of the Massachusetts Building Trades Council this week. Read More
MEDICAID FRAUD DIVISION RECOVERED $45 MIL IN FISCAL 2018
3/19/19 9:24 AM
Attorney General Maura Healey's Medicaid Fraud Division recovered more than $45 million for the MassHealth program in fiscal year 2018 and secured the convictions of three people on charges connected to Medicaid fraud schemes. Read More
CHIA: Hospital-Specific Readmissions Profiles
OPIOID PRESCRIBING LEVELS DOWN 25 PERCENT, WHITE HOUSE SAYS
3/19/19 11:47 AM
[Story Developing] A year after President Donald Trump visited New Hampshire to detail his administration's strategy to combat the national opioid misuse epidemic, the White House said it is seeing signs of progress. Read More
TRUMP ADMIN'S TITLE X CHANGE RIPPED AS "DISASTROUS"
3/19/19 11:38 AM
[Story Developing] U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, medical experts and pro-choice advocates slammed the Trump administration's proposed changes to the Title X program on Tuesday, arguing that withholding federal funds from centers that provide or refer abortion services "would turn back the clock" on women's rights and reproductive health. Read More
PRESSLEY CANCELS EVENTS AFTER KNEE INJURY
3/19/19 10:20 AM
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley has canceled her district events for Tuesday and Wednesday after injuring her knee tripping on the stairs in her home Monday. Read More
Monday, March 18, 2019
IN-STATE UMASS TUITION FREEZE HINGES ON BUDGET TALKS
3/18/19 5:15 PM
The University of Massachusetts could freeze tuition and fees for in-state undergraduate students next year, a UMass official said Monday, if lawmakers agree to a $26 million funding increase. Otherwise, a fifth consecutive year of tuition hikes could be on the horizon. Read More
VOC-TECH INVESTMENTS PAIR NEEDS OF STUDENTS, INDUSTRY
3/18/19 4:33 PM
Lawmakers, a former top Baker administration and city manager, and a one-time lieutenant governor joined advocates Monday to call for an increase in funding for vocational-technical education and passage of a bill to expand access to those programs. Read More
DNC 2020 WILL BREAK UP BUSY MONTH ON BEACON HILL
3/18/19 4:15 PM
Citizen activists, campaign enthusiasts and government affairs professionals: mark your calendars. Read More
ED COMMISSIONER: DIVERSITY IN TEACHING WORKFORCE A "BIG GOAL"
3/18/19 3:30 PM
Forty percent of students in public K-12 schools in Massachusetts are children of color, but only 6 percent of teachers in those same schools are people of color, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley told lawmakers Monday. Read More
Education Commissioner Jeff Riley and Early Education and Care Commissioner Tom Weber testified Monday at a Joint Ways and Means hearing in Fall River on the Baker administration's fiscal 2020 budget proposal. [Photo: Katie Lannan/SHNS] | Hi-Res
FEDS: QUINCY DISCHARGED E. COLI, POLLUTANTS ONTO CITY BEACHES
3/18/19 2:21 PM
The city of Quincy violated the Clean Water Act by illegally discharging pollutants, including E. coli, onto its beaches and tidal areas from 2009 through 2018, according to a civil lawsuit filed by the federal government that exposes the city to significant fines and aims to permanently cease unpermitted discharges. Read More
BAKER FILING INNOVATION ZONE BILL TO BOOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS
3/18/19 11:45 AM
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito plan to file legislation Monday that would allow school districts to create new zones to encourage innovation or address underperformance by struggling schools. Read More
ANSWERS NEEDED ON FAA RESPONSE TO 737 MAX, KENNEDY SAYS
3/18/19 10:24 AM
Congress is likely to begin probing the relationship between the Federal Aviation Administration and airplane manufacturer Boeing as well as the agency's decision to wait until last Wednesday to ground Boeing's 737 Max aircraft, U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III said. Read More
MASS. GAS PRICES JUMPED 5 CENTS A GALLON IN PAST WEEK
3/18/19 4:54 PM
State lawmakers are giving the gas tax and other ideas a second look after House Speaker Robert DeLeo last week invited ideas to boost transportation revenues. As they do, the price at the pumps is on the rise. Read More
The average gas price in Massachusetts is up to $2.44 per gallon. [Photo: SHNS/File]
POLITO PITCHES NEW BILL TO HELP STRUGGLING SCHOOLS
3/18/19 3:04 PM
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito plan to file legislation Monday that would allow school districts across Massachusetts to create new zones to encourage innovation or address underperformance by struggling schools. Read More
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito (left) announced the administration's bill at the Fall River campus of Bristol Community College. BCC President Laura Douglas (right) discussed the importance of investing in public education. [Photo: Katie Lannan/SHNS] | Hi-Res
SENATE SESSION - MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019
3/18/19 12:48 PM
The Senate plans a formal session Wednesday but did not tee up any bills for consideration during its meeting on Monday. Senior Senate communications aides were not immediately available to shed light on the Senate's plans. Read More
CLARK, PRESSLEY, McGOVERN TO PUSH IMMIGRATION BILL AT CITY HALL
3/18/19 11:50 AM
Three members of Congress will gather at Boston City Hall Plaza with "dreamers" and Temporary Protected Status holders to advocate for legislation that would offer a path to permanent residency for immigrants. Read More
HOUSE SESSION – MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2019
3/18/19 11:44 AM
The House began its week with a prayer to the "God of light and darkness," but the fate of the divergent House and Senate versions of a supplemental budgets remains a gray area. Read More
MBTA RESUMES BLUE LINE SERVICE AFTER EAST BOSTON FIRE
3/18/19 10:19 AM
Following a weekend spent bailing water out of its tracks and repairing damaged equipment, the MBTA resumed service on the Blue Line on Monday morning. Read More
