Colin A. Young

Guest Contributor

Stories by Colin A. Young

Zakim upsets Galvin; Gonzalez cruises

Politics

Zakim upsets Galvin; Gonzalez cruises

Mass. Democrats back Palfrey for lieutenant governor

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR Josh Zakim, making his first run at higher office, earned the upset endorsement of the Democratic Party convention Saturday in Worcester, dealing a significant blow to Secretary of State William Galvin and showing that his campaign could be a legitimate threat to the state’s longest-serving constitutional officer. Zakim,(...)

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Business groups seek to pare back ER visits

Economy/ Health Care

Business groups seek to pare back ER visits

Through diversions, organizations aim for $100m in savings

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH THEIR SIGHTS SET on about $100 million in savings, 20 business organizations on Wednesday formally announced the creation of a coalition that aims to reduce the number of avoidable emergency room visits by 20 percent over two years. The Massachusetts Employer-Led Coalition to Reduce Health Care Costs plans to work(...)

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Making book on Beacon Hill

Economy/ Gambling/ Technology

Making book on Beacon Hill

Supreme Court ruling on sports betting ban opens door for state to cash in

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MONDAY’S RULING FROM the U.S. Supreme Court that states are free to legalize sports betting opened the door to the possibility of a further expansion of gaming in Massachusetts, a topic Gov. Charlie Baker is planning to talk about with legislative leaders Monday afternoon. The decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, which the(...)

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Major justice reform bill clears Legislature

Criminal Justice/ Politics

Major justice reform bill clears Legislature

Signals shift in focus from punishment toward rehabilitation and substance use treatment

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH ONLY A WHIFF of opposition, the Massachusetts Legislature on Wednesday passed a broad package of criminal justice system reforms that have languished for years, signaling a likely shift in focus away from punishment and toward rehabilitation and substance use treatment in an effort to reduce recidivism. The legislation (S 2371), which(...)

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Net neutrality hearing gets hot

Economy/ Politics

Net neutrality hearing gets hot

Senators clash with internet service providers

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATORS PUT REPRESENTATIVES of internet service providers on the hot seat Wednesday at a hearing on a Senate bill intended to promote fair internet practices known as net neutrality. Internet service providers (ISPs) and their representatives have said they do not currently and do not intend to slow connection speeds for(...)

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House passes new tax on short-term rentals

Housing/ Politics

House passes new tax on short-term rentals

Airbnb called the measure 'onerous and overly burdensome"

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TRYING TO BRING STATE LAW in line with the new ways in which people rent short-term lodging, the Massachusetts House on Thursday passed legislation to regulate and tax the short-term rental industry. Short-term rentals through websites like Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO have grown in popularity over recent years, creating new revenue(...)

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Prodded by DiZoglio, House debates handling of complaints

Politics

Prodded by DiZoglio, House debates handling of complaints

Scaccia taunts DeLeo and chamber's 'sound of silence'

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FRUSTRATION AND ANGER bubbled to the surface in the Massachusetts House on Thursday where one lawmaker’s personal story of harassment led to a testy debate over how employee complaints have been handled in the House and a call from one House Democrat for the attorney general to investigate his own party’s(...)

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Chandler backs more funding for RTAs

Tracking Transportation/ Transportation

Chandler backs more funding for RTAs

But Baker says state has been 'pretty supportive'

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS SUPPORTERS OF THE PUBLIC bus system in her hometown worry about a “death spiral” in services, Senate President Harriette Chandler said Monday the Senate’s budget will attempt to address the funding crunch for regional transit authorities. Chandler, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday heard a presentation(...)

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Sports betting could be next gambling frontier

Rolling the Dice/ Gambling

Sports betting could be next gambling frontier

Gaming Commission lays out the pros and cons for lawmakers

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WAGERS MIGHT GENERATE between about $9 million and $61 million in state tax revenue if lawmakers decide to make sports betting legal in Massachusetts, the Gaming Commission said Thursday in a white paper that mapped out how the Legislature might think about introducing another new form of gaming in the Bay(...)

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Pot board mandates medical set-aside

Marijuana

Pot board mandates medical set-aside

Says growers have to keep 30 percent for patients before selling retail

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOPING TO ASSUAGE fears that medical marijuana patients could find their medicine in short supply when dispensaries begin selling to the newly-legal retail market, state pot regulators on Tuesday agreed to a policy that will require dispensaries to hold some marijuana aside for medical patients. Registered medical dispensaries that wish to(...)

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