STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CANNABIS CONTROL Commission Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien was suspended from her position by Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who chose her for the job a year ago, as upheaval continues to collide with the CCC’s hefty regulatory and policy responsibilities. Goldberg’s office did not say why the treasurer put the O’Brien on a paid […]
Colin A. Young // State House News Service
Posted inMarijuana, State Government, State House News Service
Cannabis commission director pushes back at ‘crisis’ comment
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Cannabis Control Commission, Shawn Collins is in the driver’s seat of a newly empowered regulatory agency, one that oversees an industry that’s still finding its footing and provides regulators with a parade of heady issues to address. Collins told the News Service this week that he […]
Posted inHousing, State Government, State House News Service
State tweaks MBTA Communities housing law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE ON Thursday gave more flexibility to cities and towns required to have at least one zone in which denser, multi-family housing is permitted, but also expanded the list of state grant opportunities that can be denied to any town that does not comply with the law meant to spur […]
Posted inGambling
While online Lottery falters, third-party app provides tickets through workaround
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE AGAIN rejected an attempt to allow the Massachusetts Lottery to sell its products online, but that doesn’t mean gamblers can’t order Lottery tickets online or on their phones. Courier services that take orders for and then buy Lottery tickets on behalf of their clients have existed for years with […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Lawmakers, Healey push budget deadline back another month
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY bought top legislative Democrats up to another month to reach a long-overdue budget deal Thursday when she handed them a get-out-of-missed-deadline-free card, but it’s not clear if they will actually take full advantage of it. With the list of House-Senate feuds growing longer and a compromise state budget […]
Posted inGambling
Lottery hits jackpot on all fronts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN THE FISCAL YEAR that ended June 30, the Massachusetts Lottery brought in more revenue than ever before, paid out more in prizes than any previous year, and expects to return a record high profit of $1.176 billion for the state to dole out to all 351 communities as local aid, […]
Posted inMicrophilanthropy
Testing lab executive slams marijuana regulators
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE EACH PERSON who testified before the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy on Tuesday got three minutes to make their case. But the founder and CEO of one of the first laboratories approved to test marijuana in Massachusetts probably could have gone on for hours telling lawmakers about the issues he has […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State Government, State House News Service
Green bank to target building decarbonization
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH AN EYE on the state’s mid-century greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments, Gov. Maura Healey announced Tuesday the launch of a “green bank” that she hopes will attract private investment and federal money to pay for building retrofits and new construction of decarbonized buildings in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Community Climate Bank […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming Commission rejects bid to bet on Boston Marathon
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LEGAL BETTING will not be allowed in Massachusetts on this year’s Boston Marathon after a request from DraftKings to take wagers was met with opposition from race organizers and gambling regulators. DraftKings had asked the Gaming Commission to add the Boston Marathon to the catalog of events approved for wagering in […]
Posted inGambling
Sports betting opens with big bang
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MORE THAN 400,000 mobile sports betting accounts were active during the first three days online was available in Massachusetts and more than 8 million transactions took place, making Massachusetts the fifth busiest mobile betting state in the country last weekend. GeoComply, a vendor that provides the Gaming Commission with geolocation and fraud […]