STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MELROSE HAS already quarantined at least two classrooms for a COVID-19 outbreak, but Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday a return to remote learning as an option for school districts is not under consideration. “Schools have a certain number of days baked into their calendar that they are allowed to miss and […]
Charlie Baker
Posted inUncategorized
Baker expands vaccine mandates
LESS THAN A MONTH after Gov. Charlie Baker announced a COVID vaccine mandate for all nursing home workers, the administration expanded the order to include home health aides and other long-term care employees. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that all staff at rest homes, assisted living residences, and hospice programs, as […]
Posted inThe Download
Unclear whether VaxMillions increased vaccinations
State officials are trying to spin the VaxMillions Giveaway as a success, but it’s very hard to say whether the lottery game actually did what it was intended to do – prod more people to get vaccinated. The Baker administration points out that between the time the game was announced on June 15 through the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Unclear whether VaxMillions increased vaccinations
STATE OFFICIALS are trying to spin the VaxMillions Giveaway as a success, but it’s very hard to say whether the lottery game actually did what it was intended to do – prod more people to get vaccinated. The Baker administration points out that between the time the game was announced on June 15 through the […]
Posted inEducation
State education board OKs school mask mandate
THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION granted Education Commissioner Jeff Riley’s request for authority to impose a mask mandate for all students and staff in K-12 schools this fall, something Riley said he intends to order through at least the beginning of October. “I want to be clear that we are hopeful this will be a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Battling over religion and vaccines
WITH THE RISE of the Delta variant of COVID-19, the vaccination strategy in Massachusetts is shifting from cajoling, pleading, and incentivizing (gift cards, free coffees, and lottery prizes) to more explicit forms of pressure. Politicians of all stripes, even laissez-faire Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, are embracing vaccine mandates for public employees and encouraging private employers […]
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics
Baker plays catch-up on vaccines, masks
CHARLIE BAKER has fashioned a Teflon political brand by bringing a drama-averse, middle-of-the-road bearing to issues that often incite passions and polarization. That approach seems closely tied to his persistent high favorability polling, projecting an image of the state’s two-term governor as someone operating above the partisan fray. But sometimes that approach comes off more […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
In another shift, Baker favors mask mandate in schools
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S education commissioner is seeking authority to mandate that students ages 5 and up and staff and educators in public K-12 schools wear masks indoors through October 1, a measure that will come before the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for a vote Tuesday. After that, the policy Commissioner […]
Posted inOpinion
Lots of problems, but also hope, at DCR
SUMMERTIME, and the living is not easy. A lingering pandemic, intense heatwaves followed by drenching rains, followed by intense heatwaves and more rain have made this summer a bit problematic. Fortunately, we have our state forests, parks, beaches, pools, splashpads, and bike trails to provide respite. Weather aside, a unique set of circumstances offers a […]
Posted inPolitics
Where the pandemic buck stops
AS MASSACHUSETTS simultaneously looks to make its way past the worst of the pandemic while also adjusting to the new curve balls being thrown by the surging Delta variant, it once again puts a spotlight on the role of government, the place the buck ultimately stops when it comes to dealing with a situation with […]