CommonWealth is Massachusetts’ only Civic News Organization, and we’re free for everyone! You rely on CommonWealth day in and day out, week after week and month after month. Now we hope we can rely on you. A monthly gift of any size lets us continue to bring you the Massachusetts news that you value. With
When you give, you receive
Donate to CommonWealth Magazine's year-end fundraising campaign
- SHARE
When you become a member of CommonWealth with a gift of any amount, you help support the only civic news organization in Massachusetts, non-partisan, nonprofit and free to everyone. WHEN YOU GIVE, YOU RECEIVE original news about what our government is doing, how it is doing it and why. But in this year-end fund drive,
Schoenberg joining CommonWealth
Spent last 7 years at Republican/MassLive
- SHARE
VETERAN STATE HOUSE REPORTER Shira Schoenberg is joining the staff of CommonWealth magazine later this month. She will be replacing Andy Metzger, who moved to Philadelphia at the end of 2019. I hope she will be the first of several hires as the magazine looks to expand its reach and coverage and develop innovative ways
Walsh calls for big boost in school spending
Commits $100 million in anticipation of new state aid
- SHARE
BUOYED BY FLUSH city coffers and a new law promising more state education aid down the road, Mayor Marty Walsh said he will commit $100 million in new annual city spending to the Boston Public Schools. The announcement came during Walsh’s annual State of the City speech, delivered Tuesday night at Symphony Hall, and marks
Advocates call for T control board extension
Aloisi: ‘It’s a mistake to change horses in midstream’
- SHARE
SOME OF THE STATE’S leading transit advocates are calling for extending the life of the existing MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board for six months to a year and making buses free across the state. On the TransitMatters Codcast hosted by CommonWealth magazine, Jim Aloisi, the former transportation secretary and TransitMatters board member; Josh Fairchild, the
Using art to highlight Eastie climate change
At library, ribbons show potential sea level rise
- SHARE
IT’S AN UNUSUAL SIGHT: Colored ribbons 18-feet-long stretched taut over steel bars, melting into brightly colored duct tape clinging to pavement outside the East Boston Public Library. The creators of the collaborative art installation, called “RisingEMOTIONS,” say it visualizes the public’s emotional state about flooding due to sea level rise. The project is led by
With education bill-signing, cheers and challenges
State now must maintain funding and ensure it’s well spent
- SHARE
AFTER YEARS OF false starts and Beacon Hill standoffs on a growing funding crisis that has seen school districts shed hundreds of teachers and pare back vital curriculum offerings to balance budgets, Gov. Charlie Baker signed landmark legislation on Tuesday committing the state to $1.5 billion in new aid to Massachusetts schools. There was a
In Mass., white pols dominate state and local politics
Study proposes even-year elections for muni races
- SHARE
THE PREDOMINANCE OF white male politicians in positions of power in Massachusetts may be a symptom of the way elections are run, according to a report released Wednesday entitled MassForward. The report recommends addressing the lack of minority representation in state and local government through reforms big and small, from relieving legislative staffers from the often
T board approves commuter rail vision
Calls for subway-like service on ‘most dense corridors’
- SHARE
THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD unanimously approved five resolutions on Monday designed to start transforming the state’s commuter rail network into more of a subway-like system with electrified trains arriving every 15 to 20 minutes on the “most dense corridors.” The initial phase of what could be a decades-long process, according to the resolutions, would be
Commuter rail group backs big expansion
Advisory panel urges broadest, most expensive option
- SHARE
A 25-MEMBER ADVISORY GROUP that has been studying the future of commuter rail for the last 18 months presented a fairly united front to state transportation officials on Monday, calling for an electrified regional rail system that offers riders more frequent service throughout the day. T officials had assembled six different options for policymakers to