CommonWealth Beacon

09/02/2025

OPINION: Harvard — along with every organization in Trump’s cross hairs — needs to embrace being uncomfortable

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/harvard-along-with-every-organization-in-trumps-cross-hairs-needs-to-embrace-being-uncomfortable/

09/02/2025

ICYMI: In , Jennifer Nassour says it’s past time to open up Beacon Hill’s closed-door ways to public scrutiny.

This isn't about ideology. It's about the process. It’s about democracy. And right now, Massachusetts residents -- Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike -- are being cheated.

09/02/2025

ICYMI: The city of Fitchburg officially cut the ribbon on an affordable housing project for artists that’s been more than a decade in the making as the Gateway City banks on arts and culture to help revitalize the local economy. https://buff.ly/hoQNdel

09/02/2025

This week on the Codcast, Jennifer Smith sits down with Elyse Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, to discuss the recent court decision that BlueHub violated consumer protection statutes around lending.

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Elyse Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, to discuss the recent court decision that BlueHub violated consumer protection…

09/02/2025

OPINION: We have to hold the line against a federal administration fueled by data denialism, writes Lee Pelton, president and CEO of The Boston Foundation. https://bit.ly/4n8ThSj

In an era when facts are contested and expertise is under siege, it’s worth remembering that data not only informs policy—it can transform lives.

09/02/2025

New on the Codcast: After ruling on consumer protection violations, BlueHub digs in its heels

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Elyse Cherry, CEO of BlueHub Capital, to discuss the recent court decision that BlueHub violated consumer protection statutes around lending. Where does the case go next, and why did lawmakers push for new rules tailored to BlueHub’s controversial lending practices?

Listen now: https://commonwealthbeacon.org/the-codcast/after-ruling-on-consumer-protection-violations-bluehub-digs-in-its-heels/

09/02/2025

OPINION: New “junk fee” regulations go into effect today, writes Attorney General Andrea Campbell. As the current federal administration steps back from consumer protection, she says her office will continue to step into the gap. https://buff.ly/oLQ8Chc

Americans spend tens of billions of dollars on hidden or surprise “junk fees” that deceptively raise costs beyond advertised prices.

09/02/2025

📈 POPULAR NOW

- Mass. could join states that ban concealed license plates http://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/state-government/mass-could-join-states-that-ban-concealed-license-plates/
- Flexible financing or illegal reverse mortgage? Court allows suit over home equity investments to move forward http://commonwealthbeacon.org/courts/flexible-financing-or-illegal-reverse-mortgage-court-allows-suit-over-home-equity-investments-to-move-forward/
- Over 10 years in the making: Fitchburg cuts the ribbon on affordable housing project for artists http://commonwealthbeacon.org/housing/over-10-years-in-the-making-fitchburg-cuts-the-ribbon-on-affordable-housing-project-for-artists/

The city of Fitchburg has finally cut the ribbon on a nearly 13-year affordable housing project for artists. The post-industrial era city that suffered from the long-term decline of manufacturing has...

09/02/2025

OPINION: ‘Junk fees’ unfairly rob consumers. New regulations banning them go into effect today.

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/junk-fees-unfairly-rob-consumers-new-regulations-banning-them-go-into-effect-today/

09/01/2025

📈 POPULAR NOW

- Flexible financing or illegal reverse mortgage? Court allows suit over home equity investments to move forward http://commonwealthbeacon.org/courts/flexible-financing-or-illegal-reverse-mortgage-court-allows-suit-over-home-equity-investments-to-move-forward/
- Mass. could join states that ban concealed license plates http://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/state-government/mass-could-join-states-that-ban-concealed-license-plates/
- Over 10 years in the making: Fitchburg cuts the ribbon on affordable housing project for artists http://commonwealthbeacon.org/housing/over-10-years-in-the-making-fitchburg-cuts-the-ribbon-on-affordable-housing-project-for-artists/

The city of Fitchburg has finally cut the ribbon on a nearly 13-year affordable housing project for artists. The post-industrial era city that suffered from the long-term decline of manufacturing has...

08/31/2025

OPINION: Trump rejects data he doesn’t like. Boston faces troubling facts head-on to craft solutions to problems.

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/trump-rejects-data-he-doesnt-like-boston-faces-troubling-facts-head-on-to-craft-solutions-to-problems/

08/30/2025

📈 POPULAR NOW

- Mass. could join states that ban concealed license plates http://commonwealthbeacon.org/government/state-government/mass-could-join-states-that-ban-concealed-license-plates/
- Back for another term: Bruce Stebbins on his reappointment to the cannabis commission and his vision for the coming five years http://commonwealthbeacon.org/marijuana/back-for-another-term-bruce-stebbins-on-his-reappointment-to-the-cannabis-commission-and-his-vision-for-the-coming-five-years/
- Over 10 years in the making: Fitchburg cuts the ribbon on affordable housing project for artists http://commonwealthbeacon.org/housing/over-10-years-in-the-making-fitchburg-cuts-the-ribbon-on-affordable-housing-project-for-artists/

The city of Fitchburg has finally cut the ribbon on a nearly 13-year affordable housing project for artists. The post-industrial era city that suffered from the long-term decline of manufacturing has...