CommonWealth Beacon

CommonWealth Beacon The trusted source for in-depth news & original reporting on policy, politics, & civic life in MA.

CommonWealth Beacon is the trusted source for in-depth news, analysis, and original reporting on policy, politics, and civic life in Massachusetts. We are nonprofit, non-partisan, and make our work available for free to all, with no paywall.

OPINION: Lawmakers must resist Big Tech fearmongering, pass data privacy bill
10/31/2025

OPINION: Lawmakers must resist Big Tech fearmongering, pass data privacy bill

PERSONAL DATA HAS become the de facto currency of the digital age, and we’ve surrendered more control over our lives than we may have realized. Our every

STATE GOVERNMENT: Census counts and income thresholds haven’t stopped state Sen. Bill Driscoll, who represents the town ...
10/30/2025

STATE GOVERNMENT: Census counts and income thresholds haven’t stopped state Sen. Bill Driscoll, who represents the town of Randolph, from trying to secure its Gateway City status. He has introduced legislation that would revise the eligibility criteria of a Gateway – something previously attempted but never done successfully on Beacon Hill since the Legislature codified the designation in 2009.

Census counts and income thresholds haven’t stopped state Sen. Bill Driscoll, who represents the town of Randolph, from trying to secure its Gateway City status. He has introduced legislation that would...

NEW: Looming federal food aid cuts put state Democrats in the hot seat
10/30/2025

NEW: Looming federal food aid cuts put state Democrats in the hot seat

Massachusetts Democrats are unwilling to tap into the state’s significant savings balance to replace food aid, previewing difficult decisions that loom on the horizon.

ENVIRONMENT: Across Massachusetts, more than 300 communities – including Boston – aren’t reaping the benefits of the FEM...
10/30/2025

ENVIRONMENT: Across Massachusetts, more than 300 communities – including Boston – aren’t reaping the benefits of the FEMA program, known as Community Rating System. It’s led to residents in some municipalities collectively paying hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in flood insurance costs that could have been avoided.

Across Massachusetts, more than 300 communities – including Boston – aren’t reaping the benefits of the FEMA program, known as Community Rating System. It’s led to residents in some municipalities...

NEW: Randolph lawmaker seeks to loosen Gateway City eligibility criteria
10/30/2025

NEW: Randolph lawmaker seeks to loosen Gateway City eligibility criteria

Census counts and income thresholds haven’t stopped state Sen. Bill Driscoll, who represents the town of Randolph, from trying to secure its Gateway City status. He has introduced legislation that would...

OPINION: The case for raising the age of Juvenile Court jurisdiction has only grown stronger
10/30/2025

OPINION: The case for raising the age of Juvenile Court jurisdiction has only grown stronger

THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE is again debating whether to raise the age of Juvenile Court jurisdiction to include 18 to 20-year-old youth. The last time

NEW: Boston missed its own deadline for applying to a FEMA program. Residents are footing the bill.
10/30/2025

NEW: Boston missed its own deadline for applying to a FEMA program. Residents are footing the bill.

Across Massachusetts, more than 300 communities – including Boston – aren’t reaping the benefits of the FEMA program, known as Community Rating System. It’s led to residents in some municipalities...

OPINION: Fenway Park was saved from the wrecking ball whose time, we were told, had come. It’s easy to forget important ...
10/30/2025

OPINION: Fenway Park was saved from the wrecking ball whose time, we were told, had come. It’s easy to forget important milestones when they mark something significant that didn’t happen, but it’s a moment worth recalling – and toasting.

Fenway Park was saved from the wrecking ball whose time, we were told, had come. It’s easy to forget important milestones when they mark something significant that didn’t happen, but it’s a moment...

📈 POPULAR NOW- Drawbridge, Green Line investments top narrower MBTA capital plan http://commonwealthbeacon.org/transport...
10/30/2025

📈 POPULAR NOW

- Drawbridge, Green Line investments top narrower MBTA capital plan http://commonwealthbeacon.org/transportation/drawbridge-green-line-investments-top-narrower-mbta-capital-plan/
- Top Dems rally around effort to thwart federal Constitutional Convention http://commonwealthbeacon.org/politics/top-dems-rally-around-effort-to-thwart-federal-constitutional-convention/
- Boston looks to go on offense on energy affordability http://commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/boston-looks-to-go-on-offense-on-energy-affordability/

Cuts at the state level mean the city’s initiative will be operating in a more financially constrained environment. The crux of the new effort will rely on the state’s Mass Save program, which funds...

ENERGY: Cuts at the state level mean the city’s initiative will be operating in a more financially constrained environme...
10/29/2025

ENERGY: Cuts at the state level mean the city’s initiative will be operating in a more financially constrained environment. The crux of the new effort will rely on the state’s Mass Save program, which funds energy efficiency upgrades around the state through ratepayer charges.

Cuts at the state level mean the city’s initiative will be operating in a more financially constrained environment. The crux of the new effort will rely on the state’s Mass Save program, which funds...

New in OPINION: For the Fenway faithful, something to cheer about
10/29/2025

New in OPINION: For the Fenway faithful, something to cheer about

Fenway Park was saved from the wrecking ball whose time, we were told, had come. It’s easy to forget important milestones when they mark something significant that didn’t happen, but it’s a moment...

TRANSPORTATION: Boxed in by prior commitments, inflation, and federal uncertainty, the MBTA is narrowing its approach to...
10/29/2025

TRANSPORTATION: Boxed in by prior commitments, inflation, and federal uncertainty, the MBTA is narrowing its approach to its five-year capital plan to focus on projects such as replacement of the North Station Draw One bridge.

Boxed in by prior commitments, inflation, and federal uncertainty, the MBTA is narrowing its approach to its five-year capital plan to focus on projects such as replacement of the North Station Draw One...

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