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CommonWealth Beacon offers detailed insights into politics, ideas, and community life in Massachusetts. It serves as a key resource for news and information, catering to policymakers, community leaders, and the general public.

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House, Senate say they have agreement on joint rules

4 days ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Colin Young

FOR THE FIRST time since 2019, House and Senate Democrats have reached an agreement on joint rules to guide their work in the legislative session that began six months ago. House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka said late Monday morning that negotiators had come to terms on a new set of rules and that the final compromise language would be made available later Monday.
Cannabis commission plans to launch social consumption in October - CommonWealth Beacon

1 week ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Bhaamati Borkhetaria

THE CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION said on Tuesday that the agency is aiming to release final social consumption regulations by October of this year – later than the “mid-2025” goal that the agency had previously indicated. The commission plans to vote on a version of the social consumption regulations in July before sending them to the Secretary of State to create an official record. Then, the agency will take public comment and hold a public hearing.
Deep divide: The cannabis industry remains split over how many dispensaries a single business should own

1 week ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Bhaamati Borkhetaria

THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE unanimously passed a wide-ranging cannabis bill on June 4 that would allow a single business to own double the number of dispensaries currently allowed by law. But the cannabis industry remains deeply divided on the policy change. In 2017, the legislature capped the number of retail cannabis stores owned by a single entity at three.
‘Open for business’: Despite tariffs, leaders from northeastern states and Canada pledge to work together

1 week ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Gintautas Dumcius

TARIFFS, TOURISM, and a talent drain. Five northeast US governors and six Canadian premiers and ministers on Monday met at the Massachusetts State House to grapple with taxes on imports, also known as tariffs, as well as how some workers are fleeing the US as their federal research funding is cut or withdrawn, and the drop in visitors coming over the border amid President Trump pushing for Canada to become the 51st US state. Gov.
Making war in US communities: Trump executive order on policing threatens to set public safety back decades - CommonWealth Beacon

1 week ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Michael Jonas

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S reckless order to deploy National Guard and Marine forces to Los Angeles, where protests recently broke out over ICE arrests of immigrants, has rightly drawn indignation as well as legal challenge. His unilateral decision to send military personnel into a US city, bypassing the role of the state’s governor in authorizing use of the National Guard, is the latest sign of the creeping authoritarianism taking hold in Trump’s second term.
Massachusetts pitch for World Cup could be marred by Trump border play

2 weeks ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Gintautas Dumcius

IN SOCCER, maintaining possession of the ball is crucial. But as planning for 2026 World Cup matches in Massachusetts ramps up, state and local officials, who are hoping the games will lead to economic activity from tourists, may not be able to control the state of play when it comes to how federal border officers are treating visitors coming in from other countries.
New Bedford building poised to rise as artist space - again - CommonWealth Beacon

2 weeks ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Michael Jonas

IN 2023, efforts to harness arts and culture as part of New Bedford’s economic revitalization strategy were dealt a blindsiding blow. Two years later, it looks as if all’s well that ends well. In mid-August of 2023, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, whose College of Visual and Performing Arts had occupied a massive 125,000-square-foot building in the heart of the city’s downtown for 22 years, abruptly announced that it was pulling up stakes and moving the program out of the building.
House cannabis bill targets intoxicating hemp edibles, but critics warn enforcement gaps will remain

2 weeks ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Bhaamati Borkhetaria

THE HOUSE PASSED a cannabis bill last week that would permit intoxicating hemp-derived beverages to be sold in licensed Massachusetts liquor stores while ordering edible intoxicating hemp-derived products like gummies off store shelves, but critics say the legislation fails to address the core problem of enforcement at the local level.
A push for more transparency on ballot question spending, fundraising

2 weeks ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Gintautas Dumcius

BALLOT QUESTION COMMITTEES, hoping to convince voters to vote “yes” or “no” on their respective proposals, ranging from the elimination of the MCAS test as a graduation requirement to an audit of the state Legislature, spent tens of millions of dollars last year. It was hard to avoid the barrage of ads making the case for one side or the other of some ballot questions. But it was a very different story when it came to seeing who was funding the campaigns.
MBTA Communities law is not an unfunded mandate, judge rules - CommonWealth Beacon

3 weeks ago | commonwealthbeacon.org | Jennifer Smith

A PLYMOUTH COUNTY judge overseeing a bundle of municipal lawsuits from towns seeking to halt enforcement of the MBTA Communities housing law has denied their motion for a preliminary injunction and dismissed their complaints. In a 40-page decision released Friday afternoon, Superior Court Justice Mark Gildea considered lawsuits brought by the towns of Duxbury, Hanson, Holden, Marshfield, Middleton, Wenham, Weston, and Wrentham, plus a taxpayer suit brought by Hamilton residents.