Eric Convey

A former Massachusetts cannabis regulator was among the leaders of a coalition that last week prodded President Joe Biden to make good on his year-old pledge to soften the federal government’s prohibition of marijuana, and offered three steps he could take to advance marijuana decriminalization. In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended […]

House Democrats will hold a hearing on their overhaul of Massachusetts firearms laws Tuesday morning and the venue they chose — Gardner Auditorium, the State House’s largest hearing room — is a sign of the interest it is expected to draw from people and organizations around the state. A summary and analysis of the bill produced by Gun Owners’ Action […]

t’s a tale as old as time, or at least 2003, when Barbra Streisand inadvertently attracted the entire internet’s attention with a lawsuit over a little-seen photo of her home: trying to suppress something can only make people more interested. So it goes for the MBTA, which managed to step on a rake by quickly […]

If a jam-packed, jovial bill-signing event in the State House Library was not enough of a sign, then a new statewide tour will certainly showcase Gov. Maura Healey in celebration mode. Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll plan a pair of stops today in Gardner and Haverhill to discuss tax relief that will support children and families in Massachusetts […]

The campaign to cease the use of MCAS scores as a graduation requirement could produce one of the most bruising political fights of the two-year cycle, and a legislative hearing this afternoon (2 p.m.) will mark one of the opening volleys. Supporters and opponents of the standardized testing reform will descend into the State House’s Gardner Auditorium for […]

Offshore wind power players will flock to Boston today for a conference and exhibition about an industry that has promised transformative impacts. Getting them to stay in Massachusetts seems to be the harder part. The two-day Offshore WINDPOWER hosted by the American Clean Power Association that runs through Wednesday comes at an especially precipitous time for the […]

While the outlook for the next six weeks on Beacon Hill remains mostly opaque now that a tax relief bill is on Gov. Maura Healey‘s desk, there’s one item lawmakers undoubtedly need to tackle: a final wrap-up spending bill for fiscal year 2023. Every year, the Legislature needs to approve a closeout budget to balance state […]

Lawmakers finally fulfilled the promise they made to taxpayers a year and a half ago. And while Gov. Maura Healey still needs to give the tax package her stamp of approval, the natural question is: what’s next? For the last few months — or even since the start of this session in January — legislators and the […]

Since the last meeting of the MBTA Board of Directors, a series of “near misses,” in which employees narrowly avoided being struck by trains, brought down the feds’ disapproval once again; the governor herself had to reassure the head of the Federal Transit Administration that her administration is taking train safety incidents seriously; and a […]

In another blow for the Cannabis Control Commission that is already in turmoil, a new state audit reveals that the commission may have allowed for the sale of expired marijuana and did not ensure that cannabis sellers properly reported products that tested positive for pesticides.  While the CCC’s management does not inspire confidence, perhaps it’s only fair […]