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Massachusetts lawmakers still hesitant on tax relief as most states have already delivered cuts

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr passed a note to Democrat budget chief Michael Rodrigues as budget debate wrapped yesterday that spelled out in bold letters “I.O.U. $575 million.” It was a symbolic nod to one of the biggest still-lingering questions on next year’s spending: What kind of tax relief will state lawmakers deliver to Bay Staters? Senators […]

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Taylor Swift ushers in new ‘era’ of MBTA ridership with sold-out concerts, trains

Taylor Swift plus thousands of fans plus the MBTA. What could possibly go wrong? The Swift Express leaves the station starting tonight. In Massachusetts, the MBTA has completely sold out of special-event train tickets for added commuter rail trains scheduled around the concerts to get attendees back and forth from Gillette. Foxboro has been preparing for […]

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Endorsements help new Massachusetts candidates connect on issues with voters

How much does timing matter for endorsements, especially after a candidate has already all but won the race? Costas Panagopoulos, head of Northeastern’s political science department and editor of American Politics Research has argued that “endorsements can make a difference primarily at the edges, and in very close races.” But in Boston’s uncontested 9th Suffolk District race, […]

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Fee on Massachusetts property insurance could help right climate wrongs, advocates say

There may be few winners when dealing with the ever-worsening impacts of climate change, but there are definitive losers, says Stephen Long, director of government relations for The Nature Conservancy. And all too often, he says, the losers are “the poorest and most vulnerable” in society.  Dianne Hills, executive director of My Brother’s Table in Lynn says […]