Keith Regan

A former long-serving state representative and officer in the Army JAG Corps, Hank Naughton once briefly ran for attorney general, turned his attention to judicial aspirations, and ultimately scored one of Gov. Charlie Baker’s final court appointments. But after just six months presiding over District Court cases in Worcester County, Naughton dashed off a sudden resignation letter […]

They’re coming around the track… Sunday marked one month to go ’til the Nov. 15 deadline for lawmakers to conduct major business in 2023. (That’s when they gavel into a holiday break that stretches from pre-Thanksgiving to post-New Year’s.) What’s on deck? The House plans to vote Wednesday on one of its leaders’ priorities: gun law reform. Then it’ll […]

The $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot winning ticket wasn’t purchased in Massachusetts (in California instead), but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The jackpot and its estimated cash value of $756.6 million grew throughout the day Wednesday as players in Lottery-loving Massachusetts and almost every other state in America lined up at convenience stores — or now […]

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 […]