MassINC Matters: The January/February Round-Up

The latest from our research, journalism, and polling

  Welcome to our first “MassINC Matters” newsletter of 2024. As a valued member of our community, you’ll receive an email update from us every other month providing you with an insider’s perspective into the latest work happening across our organization. While we wrap up the final days of the month, here’s a round-up of

CommonWealth’s Invest with Us Campaign

Donate to CommonWealth's Fall Fundraiser

Change is coming to CommonWealth. We will be shining a brighter light on Massachusetts this fall with the introduction of CommonWealth Beacon—easier to use, simpler to navigate. Become a member today and invest in the growth of unbiased, unflinching journalism that is fair and always free. Please join this short CommonWealth fund drive so we can

CommonWealth’s A Little Goes a Long Way Campaign

Donate to CommonWealth's Spring Fund Drive

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

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

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

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’

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

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

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

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

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