Keith Regan

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 […]

An unusual mix of influential Bay Staters representing everything from electric utilities and agricultural interests to environmental justice advocates and labor organizations will all be sworn in today with the same goal — overhauling the process through which clean energy infrastructure projects are permitted, which advocates and industry professionals alike say are in need of […]

Is Diana DiZoglio walkin’ on sunshine?  After entering the stage of the MassDems Convention to that Katrina and the Waves pop anthem — and eliciting a standing ovation from the crowd — one elected official named the new auditor a “Robin Hood figure” who is “beloved by the voters & regular people.”  DiZoglio took her campaign to audit the […]

While the state’s financial outlook may seem shakier today than it did a year ago, Massachusetts is still sitting on a sizable pot of surplus funds from the revenue and federal grant boom of the early pandemic days.  The Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, which tracks the state’s spending of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, estimates Massachusetts […]

It can’t be any fun to want to be a loyal backer of President Biden, only to look at the ground and realize you are standing on quicksand. Such has been the situation of Gov. Healey, who is watching the migrant crisis suck the oxygen out of her administration, and whose primary option is to complain. Then […]

Come November, the Cannabis Control Commission will roll out new regulations meant to lend the commission more control over local host agreements between cities and towns and marijuana businesses, cap impact fees communities can assess on businesses, allow for social consumption sites and remove barriers to entry for people with criminal records. Host community agreements and the […]

Some Bay State communities are starting to pull back the welcome mat for homeless families after a surge in need for emergency shelter space has left resources — and local patience — spread thin amid an ongoing rise in demand.  With the number of families currently in need of emergency shelter still growing and overwhelming community resources, […]

The tragic R.J. Oppenheimer thought he was doing something powerful and good, and so does Rep. Mike Connolly… and so did Mike Dukakis and so did Cathy Judd-Stein and — well, state government is replete with cases where leaders proposed or effected explosive change, only to have it, um, bomb. John Keller explains in his […]

Over three-quarters of Bay Staters support the crown jewel centerpiece of state officials’ long-promised, and long-delayed, tax relief plan — though there’s no word on when it might be delivered to them, as lawmakers enter their sixth week of a long summer break. A new poll by MassINC and sponsored by the Economic Security Project found that 77 […]

Earlier this week two Boston cops arrived at the scene of a melee outside of the AMC movie theater by the Common where 150 teens were on the street. One cop was dragged to the ground and kicked; another was put in a chokehold. Ultimately four teens and two 12-year-olds were arrested. Order was restored, […]