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 […]

Keith Regan
Keith Regan is a freelance writer and local news junkie who has been on the MASSterList morning beat since the newsletter’s earliest days. A graduate of Northeastern University and Emerson College, Regan lives in Hopkinton with his wife, Lisa.
An abundant police misconduct database with information still missing
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, […]
Wu takes to Substack to make her case
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu knows that abundant and effective communication is critical in managing a metropolis, which explains her new role as an author — and so far, a prolific one — on the Substack platform. Why let the media muddle the message when you can go directly to the people? Her latest missive is something of a […]
What does transportation secretary Fiandaca’s early departure say about the Healey administration?
Apparently Bay State transportation has already improved so darn much since Gina Fiandaca has been in the Healey cabinet that she decided to take some – out of town. Forgive the newsroom snark there, but it’s a good a theory as any we’ve heard in the 21 hours since Fiandaca dropped some news no one […]
Banning book bans: Cyr bill would put teachers, libraries “in the driver’s seat”
It’s Back-To-School week in many Massachusetts communities, and no doubt back to the book challenges or complaints that have hit record levels, with the hyper-partisanship infecting our national conversation working its way into schools and onto bookshelves. In 2022, Massachusetts saw 45 challenges on more than 30 books, The American Library Association said. Bay State […]
Senate set to debate term limit for chamber President Thursday
When former Speaker Bob DeLeo and his deputies moved to eliminate a short-lived reform effort limiting the number of terms House Speakers could serve, the Herald and others were quick to dub him Speaker for Life. Now comes Senate President Karen Spilka’s Ways and Means chair Michael Rodrigues, proposing that the Senate remove the bonds […]
Here’s why the tight labor market will persist in 2023
It’s been a busy year for the MASSterList job board, reflecting two phenomena: job growth and a shrinking labor pool. As the year closes, and with Matt off this week and thus no one around to stop me, I’m free to get a little nerdy with job data and gaze into the crystal ball. The question […]
Next Stop: Realityville, for East-West Rail
George Donnelly’s hopelessly misguided ML lede yesterday proved he hasn’t cruised out West on the Pike lately, or he might not be so sanguine about the playful harmlessness of the cannabis industry, which bombards every tween riding in a car between Charlton and Chicopee with a relentless billboard campaign extolling the virtues of THC. But […]
Getting greener: After starting slow, MA cannabis industry reaches critical mass
I haven’t gotten very far in my Christmas shopping (hey, it’s not Dec. 23rd yet), but I’m remembering a Yankee swap gift I brought to a gathering that was a surprise hit: a pack of THC gummy edibles. I thought it would be a fun gag, and instead it turned out to be a hotly contested […]
More money than Beacon Hill can figure out how to spend (but give them time)
Warnock wins: The state’s all-Democratic delegation was among those cheering from afar Tuesday night as Sen. Raphael Warnock won a narrow victory in the Georgia Senate runoff over Republican Herschel Walker. Boston.com’s Susannah Subdborough has a rundown of how local pols greeted the news, mostly via Twitter. The money chase is on: We’ve never been here before. Billions in […]