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CommonWealth Beacon
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Politics, ideas, & civic life in MA. CommonWealth Beacon's in-depth coverage is a primary news & information source for policymakers, civic leaders & citizens. www.commonwealthbeacon.org
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COURTS: Healey budget boosts court funding after year of uncertainty
Healey budget boosts court funding after year of uncertainty
Judicial leaders last spring expressed pointed concern that operations and administrative costs in the Trial Courts could force the courts to trim hundreds of positions without a funding increase from...
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February 11, 2026 at 11:01 PM
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ICYMI: Applying for financial aid should be a Massachusetts high school graduation requirement #OPINION
Applying for financial aid should be a Massachusetts high school graduation requirement
Making FAFSA completion a graduation requirement in Massachusetts isn’t about mandating college. It’s about removing barriers and expanding opportunities.
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February 11, 2026 at 7:20 PM
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New in OPINION: In the face of efforts to erase parts of US history, Massachusetts must take a stand

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In the face of efforts to erase parts of US history, Massachusetts must take a stand
As the federal government creates gaps in the record, we can support organizations filling the voids with voices from the past and present who speak to the core values of the Declaration of Independence...
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February 11, 2026 at 5:59 PM
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ENERGY: Healey’s budget proposal seeks to trim environmental programs roughly 4 percent
Healey’s budget proposal seeks to trim environmental programs roughly 4 percent
The impact of the federal reconciliation package enacted by President Trump last year coupled with slower growth are forcing Healey to reexamine funding across the board. EEA is not immune from the shifting...
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February 11, 2026 at 4:41 PM
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NEW: ‘It just requires people to be destitute’: Healey draws criticism over push to tighten eligibility for safety-net program

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‘It just requires people to be destitute’: Healey draws criticism over push to tighten eligibility for safety-net program
Five years after lawmakers scrapped the asset limit attached to the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program, Gov. Maura Healey wants to bring it back at a higher threshold — a move...
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 11, 2026 at 2:55 PM
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NEW: Healey budget boosts court funding after year of uncertainty

commonwealthbeacon.org/courts/heale...
Healey budget boosts court funding after year of uncertainty
Judicial leaders last spring expressed pointed concern that operations and administrative costs in the Trial Courts could force the courts to trim hundreds of positions without a funding increase from...
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 11, 2026 at 2:43 PM
cwbeacon.bsky.social
NEW: Healey’s budget proposal seeks to trim environmental programs roughly 4 percent

commonwealthbeacon.org/government/s...
Healey’s budget proposal seeks to trim environmental programs roughly 4 percent
The impact of the federal reconciliation package enacted by President Trump last year coupled with slower growth are forcing Healey to reexamine funding across the board. EEA is not immune from the shifting...
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 11, 2026 at 1:50 PM
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COURTS: DiZoglio sues Beacon Hill leaders for snubbing voter-approved audit
DiZoglio sues Beacon Hill leaders for snubbing voter-approved audit
In the more than a year since the law took effect, legislative leaders have continued to refuse to turn over any documents, and DiZoglio hopes to force a constitutional reckoning before the state's highest...
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February 11, 2026 at 12:37 PM
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Parole rates in Massachusetts on the rise
Parole rates in Massachusetts on the rise
The 2024 paroling rate in Massachusetts was 68%, according to a presentation by Gomez to the Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration. The body of lawmakers, stakeholders and officials...
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February 10, 2026 at 11:02 PM
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NEW: DiZoglio sues Beacon Hill leaders for snubbing voter-approved audit

commonwealthbeacon.org/courts/dizog...
DiZoglio sues Beacon Hill leaders for snubbing voter-approved audit
In the more than a year since the law took effect, legislative leaders have continued to refuse to turn over any documents, and DiZoglio hopes to force a constitutional reckoning before the state's highest...
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 10, 2026 at 6:43 PM
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NEW: Parole rates in Massachusetts on the rise

commonwealthbeacon.org/shns/parole-...
Parole rates in Massachusetts on the rise
The 2024 paroling rate in Massachusetts was 68%, according to a presentation by Gomez to the Commission on Correctional Consolidation and Collaboration. The body of lawmakers, stakeholders and officials...
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 10, 2026 at 6:32 PM
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ENERGY: Mass. climate chief missed her own deadline to calculate the cost of state’s climate commitments
Mass. climate chief missed her own deadline to calculate the cost of state’s climate commitments
Hoffer set out to put a price tag on the state’s net-zero climate commitment and develop a menu of options for how to pay for it. That price is still not yet known more than a year after the report...
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February 10, 2026 at 4:41 PM
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NEW: Mass. climate chief missed her own deadline to calculate the cost of state’s climate commitments

commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/...
Mass. climate chief missed her own deadline to calculate the cost of state’s climate commitments
Hoffer set out to put a price tag on the state’s net-zero climate commitment and develop a menu of options for how to pay for it. That price is still not yet known more than a year after the report...
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 10, 2026 at 12:57 PM
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OPINION: Making FAFSA completion a graduation requirement in Massachusetts isn’t about mandating college. It’s about removing barriers and expanding opportunities.
Applying for financial aid should be a Massachusetts high school graduation requirement
Making FAFSA completion a graduation requirement in Massachusetts isn’t about mandating college. It’s about removing barriers and expanding opportunities.
buff.ly
February 9, 2026 at 11:01 PM
cwbeacon.bsky.social
ICYMI: How Boston – of all places – offers lessons for the NFL on hiring diversity #OPINION
How Boston – of all places – offers lessons for the NFL on hiring diversity
Boston has learned, slowly and imperfectly, that inclusion doesn’t happen at the finish line. It comes from institutions and leaders who invest in pipelines and relationships long before that point.
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February 9, 2026 at 8:15 PM
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New in OPINION: Applying for financial aid should be a Massachusetts high school graduation requirement

commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/appl...
Applying for financial aid should be a Massachusetts high school graduation requirement
Making FAFSA completion a graduation requirement in Massachusetts isn’t about mandating college. It’s about removing barriers and expanding opportunities.
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 9, 2026 at 7:20 PM
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ICYMI: Rent control opponents sue to keep measure off the ballot
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February 9, 2026 at 5:38 PM
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On this week's Codcast: Regulating insurance as health care costs surge

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Regulating insurance as health care costs surge
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Michael Caljouw, the state commissioner...
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February 9, 2026 at 4:41 PM
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New on the Codcast: Regulating insurance as health care costs surge

commonwealthbeacon.org/the-codcast/...
Regulating insurance as health care costs surge
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Michael Caljouw, the state commissioner...
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 9, 2026 at 1:56 PM
cwbeacon.bsky.social
ICYMI: Holyoke’s unsheltered homeless count hits new record as threats to federal aid loom
Holyoke’s unsheltered homeless count hits new record as threats to federal aid loom
The state and federal funding landscape continues to shift while homelessness in Western Massachusetts has reached unprecedented levels in the aftermath of the pandemic. Holyoke had the highest unsheltered...
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February 8, 2026 at 4:20 PM
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OPINION: Boston has learned, slowly and imperfectly, that inclusion doesn’t happen at the finish line. It comes from institutions and leaders who invest in pipelines and relationships long before that point.
How Boston – of all places – offers lessons for the NFL on hiring diversity
Boston has learned, slowly and imperfectly, that inclusion doesn’t happen at the finish line. It comes from institutions and leaders who invest in pipelines and relationships long before that point.
buff.ly
February 8, 2026 at 12:37 PM
cwbeacon.bsky.social
ICYMI: Gov. Healey’s budget plan is spending Massachusetts into a corner #OPINION
Gov. Healey's budget plan is spending Massachusetts into a corner
Tax revenues are slowing, costs are rising, and the Healey administration continues to grow state government as if the bill will never come due.
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February 8, 2026 at 1:46 AM
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ICYMI: Report: Health insurers denied one in five claims in 2024
Report: Health insurers denied one in five claims in 2024
"Out of 45.9 million total claims in 2024, 20.4% were denied by health insurers in Massachusetts, the Health Policy Commission said in a report released Thursday. Denials due to 'strictly clinical reasons'...
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February 7, 2026 at 11:39 PM
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BALLOT QUESTIONS: Rent control opponents sue to keep measure off the ballot
Rent control opponents sue to keep measure off the ballot
Four landlords who own and lease residential units in Massachusetts are the named plaintiffs in the suit seeking to kill the rent control measure. They are suing Attorney General Andrea Campbell...
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February 7, 2026 at 11:01 PM
cwbeacon.bsky.social
New in OPINION: How Boston – of all places – offers lessons for the NFL on hiring diversity

commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/how-...
How Boston – of all places – offers lessons for the NFL on hiring diversity
Boston has learned, slowly and imperfectly, that inclusion doesn’t happen at the finish line. It comes from institutions and leaders who invest in pipelines and relationships long before that point.
commonwealthbeacon.org
February 7, 2026 at 7:48 PM