Politics

Matt Murphy and Chris Van Buskirk State House News Service A deal has been reached between leaders in the House and Senate on early voting and vote-by-mail legislation that should pave the way for a major expansion of voting options ahead of the 2020 election to encourage participation during the …

Chris Van Buskirk State House News Service Juneteenth is a step closer to becoming a state holiday in Massachusetts after the House on Wednesday agreed to mark June 19 as Juneteenth Independence Day. The holiday took place last Friday and residents across the state took the streets in large numbers …

Katie Lannan State House News Service The state’s death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 8,000 on Friday, with the report of 50 new fatalities. Thirty-nine of those deaths were among patients with test-confirmed cases of COVID-19, while the other 11 were from probable cases, which the Department of Public Health defines …

After the Northampton City Council voted to cut their police budget by 10%, the Northampton police chief announced that the department is cutting five full-time police positions and eliminating the full-time School Resource Officer. The following was posted yesterday by the Northampton police chief on their Facebook page: “Good Afternoon …

Katie Lannan State House News Service Combating the “thousands and thousands of attempts to steal money from the Unemployment Trust Fund” through fraudulent claims has been an “enormously difficult issue,” Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday. The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development in late May warned of a “national …

New Bedford City Councilor Brian Gomes is calling for an ordinance that would establish a $300 fine for anyone illegally using fireworks in New Bedford. Fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts for anyone without a professional license. The following motion is scheduled for the New Bedford City Council session this evening: …

According to a recent poll, very few people support defunding the police and transferring the money to social services in Massachusetts. While 87.6 percent of respondents said chokeholds should be banned, 62.8 percent also said police should not have military-style vehicles, 55.8 percent said tear gas should be prohibited and …

The New Bedford City Council today will officially be presented with a petition to move the grills and tables at Hazelwood Park due to the air pollution. The petition has been signed by the majority of the residents of Valentine Street who want the grills moved due to the air …

Michael P. Norton State House News Service Boston-based New Democracy Coalition founder Kevin Peterson started a hunger fast Monday, escalating a long-running effort to change the name of Faneuil Hall, which was named for a wealthy merchant and owner and trader of slaves. Last week, the hashtag #CancelYale trended on …

Michael P. Norton State House News Service In 47 school districts where staff are represented by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, layoff and non-renewal notices were sent recently to more than 2,000 teachers and education support professionals, the union announced Tuesday. The list of 2,030 notices only includes districts where local …