Shira Schoenberg

Reporter, CommonWealth

About Shira Schoenberg

Shira Schoenberg is a reporter at CommonWealth magazine. Shira previously worked for more than seven years at the Springfield Republican/MassLive.com where she covered state politics and elections, covering topics as diverse as the launch of the legal marijuana industry, problems with the state's foster care system and the elections of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Charlie Baker. Shira won the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2018 award for Excellence in Legal Journalism and has had several stories win awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Shira covered the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary for the Boston Globe. Before that, she worked for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, where she wrote about state government, City Hall and Barack Obama's 2008 New Hampshire primary campaign. Shira holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

About Shira Schoenberg

Shira Schoenberg is a reporter at CommonWealth magazine. Shira previously worked for more than seven years at the Springfield Republican/MassLive.com where she covered state politics and elections, covering topics as diverse as the launch of the legal marijuana industry, problems with the state's foster care system and the elections of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Charlie Baker. Shira won the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2018 award for Excellence in Legal Journalism and has had several stories win awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Shira covered the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary for the Boston Globe. Before that, she worked for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, where she wrote about state government, City Hall and Barack Obama's 2008 New Hampshire primary campaign. Shira holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

Stories by Shira Schoenberg

Baker ‘pissed off’ as vaccine website struggles

Many receive message ‘this application crashed’

Advocates push vaccine equity for black and Latino residents 

Groups call on Baker to do more to serve communities hardest hit by COVID 

Advocates push universal, publicly funded early education  

New focus on childcare amid pandemic 

Getting a handle on Beacon Hill advocates, coalitions

Mariano wants to set rules, but others worry he is stifling advocacy

Constitutional challenge to vote-by-mail likely

Experts believe existing restraints don’t prohibit it

Galvin backs permanent mail-in voting

Bill would allow same-day voter registration

Former state senator Ben Downing launches gubernatorial campaign

Liberal Democrat aims to address inequality 

Feb 2020

Legislature slowly restarts with rules, new committees

Senate ready to vote, but House awaiting report

Mass. to get $13.2m from McKinsey opioid settlement

Consultant told Purdue how to ‘turbocharge’ OxyContin sales

Poll: Students unhappy with remote and hybrid learning 

Black, Latino, low-income students most likely to be remote 

Baker says proposed drug overcharging penalties would total $70m

Pharma suggests initiative would hinder fight against COVID-19

House delays rules debate amid transparency push 

Mariano promises ‘thorough review’ of procedures 

Here is what Baker’s budget cut

Welfare payments, Mass. Cultural Council, public colleges lose money

Nov. 26, 2019

School advocates call Baker’s funding proposal inadequate 

Say more money is needed to fully fund ed reform 

Baker releases FY22 budget with drop in spending, no new taxes

Bill counts on money from sports betting, rainy day fund

Report slams DCF for lack of language services

Agency allegedly not providing interpreters to non-English speakers

Northampton drops fee on marijuana companies

First in state to waive 3 percent community impact fee

Marijuana trade association drops delivery lawsuit amid public pressure 

Several members of the Commonwealth Dispensary Association resigned 

State slow to improve criminal justice data collection 

2018 law required new tracking system

Marijuana companies withdraw from trade association over delivery lawsuit

Commonwealth Dispensary Association angers equity supporters

Nov. 26, 2019

Baker will propose implementing first year of new school funding formula 

Student Opportunity Act was deferred by COVID 

Sports betting bill refiled, seeks more revenue

Crighton says Mass. needs to get in on the action

Sudders acknowledges staffing problems at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home

Says more employees would not have prevented COVID outbreak

SJC takes up local control of marijuana licensing

Host community agreements make towns gatekeepers of state approval

Marijuana retailers sue over home delivery rules 

Highlights schism within industry over equity 

Domestic violence homicides decline during pandemic 

Advocates worry more victims are staying with abusers 

Tax revenues expected to grow by 3.5 percent next year 

Heffernan revises tax forecast up by $700m in current year 

Reform advocates will press for changes in House rules

Campaign seeks to open legislative process

Jan. 13, 2018

Baker signs $626 million economic development bill 

New law includes long-sought zoning reform 

Bill would let hotels assess guest fee

Money raised in tourism districts would support marketing