Erin Tiernan

Irish Catholics in Massachusetts are kissing their lucky shamrocks that God won’t get between them and their corned beef dinner this St. Patrick’s Day. The Archdiocese of Boston stepped in to grant parishioners a “one day only dispensation” for the Irish high holiday, which this year falls on a Friday in Lent. Eating meat is generally […]

Massachusetts has a proud history of firsts.  The first public school started here, the first American university, the first Thanksgiving.  The first subway system — OK, some may be inclined to skip over that one as of late.   But the state where leaders are quick to point to its long list of achievements in being the […]

Not snow fast! Bay Staters who thought they might escape winter with some of the lowest snowfall totals on record got a blustery reminder of what New England winters can be like when Old Man Winter reared his head bringing a nasty nor’easter that buried parts of western Massachusetts in more than 2 feet of snow. […]

New polling suggests widespread support among voters for yet another minimum wage hike, but as advocates ponder a ballot petition, the question remains if it will be handled legislatively. Especially with business groups already winding up for a fight. Getting down to the numbers: 59% of Bay State voters said they would support raising the minimum […]

When it comes to inherited headaches for Gov. Maura Healey, the T is at the top of the list. Riders will continue to feel that pain come the Monday commute as the Red, Orange, Blue, Green, and Mattapan Lines crawl along the tracks at reduced speeds. Riders should expect slow motion all week as MBTA engineers continue repair […]

Text message inboxes, streaming platforms and Facebook pages are the latest frontier for pestering political ads. The trend toward online campaigning that took center stage in the 2016 presidential election is a growing focus for national races. Democrats spent 75% of their advertising budget on Facebook advertising and the 2022 midterms saw campaigns turn to […]

It’s about to get much easier to bet on sports in Massachusetts with the upcoming launch of mobile wagering at 10 a.m. on Friday.  First, the state Gaming Commission meets today where it is expected to vote to issue certificates of operation for the seven mobile betting platforms that plan to launch Friday. The commission will also continue its […]

The rent is too damn high in Somerville too — or so say city councilors, who this week will set to work crafting a rent cap plan in Boston fashion. As the average cost of a 1-bedroom apartment in the city now approaches $2,450 — a 12% increase over the last year alone, according to RentHop — City Council President […]

Despite a Democratic stranglehold on Beacon Hill, centrist politics still appear to reign supreme for officials testing the waters on new policy pitches hot off the campaign trail. Barely two months into the job, Bay Staters got their first taste for how Gov. Maura Healey plans to put into action promises to make education more […]

Union organizers aren’t giving up on delivering better benefits to Uber and Lyft drivers. The latest push by a growing coalition of labor leaders and workers would press lawmakers this session to extend significant new protections to drivers on the popular ride-hailing platforms. Drivers are pushing for legislation that would guarantee them access to a minimum […]