After the state auditor handed down a determination that the MBTA Communities multi-family housing law is an unfunded mandate, towns are either scrambling to figure out next steps or racing right to the courthouse.
In-depth
Posted inCriminal Justice
Putting police officers to the test
Enrique Zuniga, the executive director of the commission, said recurring physical and mental health testing is needed to make sure police officers are up to their job. But he said getting a testing regime in place will be a “big lift.” He is leaning toward making the periodic testing voluntary rather than mandatory.
Posted inMarijuana
State crackdown on hemp products uneven
The 2018 Farm Act removed hemp from the definition of marijuana and deemed it an agricultural commodity, a shift that has led to the creation of an industry centered around many of the same intoxicating products found at marijuana dispensaries but without the heavy regulation on how it’s produced and who can consume it.
Posted inEnergy
Beacon Hill is eyeing utility bill equity upgrades
But there are broader structural problems with utility rates that also need to be addressed, including one related to solar power development.
Posted inTransportation
Healey goes on hiring spree at MBTA
The T used to scramble to run a training class for 20 to 30 new bus drivers. Now the T is upping the class size from 90 to 100.
Posted inEducation
Boston schools grudgingly release some sexual misconduct data
The numbers, which were released grudgingly after a six-month public records battle, begin to paint a picture of how prevalent sexual misconduct, bullying, and biased-based incidents are in the Boston schools.
Posted inState Government
Digging into fine print of salary range legislation
Different versions of the salary range bill have passed the House and Senate. If the bill becomes law, Massachusetts would join a small cohort of states with pay transparency rules, including Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Nevada, California, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington.
Posted inTransportation
Why did MassDOT hang T employees out to dry?
A Boston Globe story on employees working long-distance at the MBTA had 4 corrections. The employees who were incorrectly targeted and the reporter who lost her job were victims of a state bureaucracy that failed to stand up for its workers.