Joe Kriesberg

Half of Holyoke’s middle school students started the year at a new school. The other half were ‘left behind.’  - CommonWealth Beacon In 2019, Holyoke set out to build two new middle schools. But after months of heated debate, the ballot measure to fund the project was voted down by the community. Some say the outcome is a testament...

Half of Holyoke’s middle school students started the year at a new school. The other half were ‘left behind.’  commonwealthbeacon.org/education/ha...

Municipalities warn Beacon Hill they’ll need to slow down solar projects due to state limit  - CommonWealth Beacon The issue threatens to undermine Gov. Maura Healey’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy as she seeks to thread an increasingly tighter needle to drive down costs, grow power supply, and meet climate c...

CommonWealth Beacon dives into an important and complex regulation that has major implications for solar adoption in Massachusetts. commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/munic...

Competitive mayoral races abound, just not in Boston - CommonWealth Beacon For the real bare-knuckle action in mayoral contests these days, you need to look outside the state’s capital city, where incumbents don’t just often face serious challenges, but lose with some regula...

A good take by our executive editor, Michael Jonas! commonwealthbeacon.org/politics/com...

Colleges need an experiential learning revolution  - CommonWealth Beacon We need fundamentally new models for teaching and learning, new models that need to break the monopoly of “sage on the stage” teaching and lean into an experiential learning revolution – a dramatic in...

Colleges need an experiential learning revolution  commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/coll...

Boston missed its own deadline for applying to a FEMA program. Residents are footing the bill.  - CommonWealth Beacon Across Massachusetts, more than 300 communities – including Boston – aren’t reaping the benefits of the FEMA program, known as Community Rating System. It’s led to residents in some municipalities col...

Boston missed its own deadline for applying to a FEMA program. Residents are footing the bill.  commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/...

Mass. faces grim reality of fewer international students - CommonWealth Beacon Massachusetts’s schools have recruited higher proportions of international students than colleges and universities almost anywhere else because of a demographic decline and the comparatively high cost...

Mass. faces grim reality of fewer international students commonwealthbeacon.org/education/ma...

Funding was the start – now we need to build out systems to help our immigrant workforce learn English   - CommonWealth Beacon IN POLITICS, timing can be everything. When the Boston Foundation’s Latino Equity Fund released "The ROI of ESOL," documenting the economic returns of

Funding was the start – now we need to build out systems to help our immigrant workforce learn English   commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/fund...

‘Serious questions’ prompt lawmakers to hit the brakes on funding for sheriffs - CommonWealth Beacon At a time of intense scrutiny on sheriffs’ offices, the Legislature moved to withhold more than $130 million Gov. Maura Healey proposed for the county law enforcement offices, in the process handing a...

‘Serious questions’ prompt lawmakers to hit the brakes on funding for sheriffs commonwealthbeacon.org/government/s...

Renewable Energy Is Booming Despite Trump’s Efforts to Slow It

This year, renewable energy and batteries will make up around 93 percent of the capacity added to U.S. grids, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/b...

Two years after the closure of Leominster’s maternity unit, a region is struggling   - CommonWealth Beacon It's been two years since Clinton Hospital's maternity unit closed. The fallout of the closure paints a complicated picture in a state without maternity care deserts. But experts and advocates say rec...

Two years after the closure of Leominster’s maternity unit, a region is struggling   commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/...

Beacon Hill lobbying still buoyed by health care interests - CommonWealth Beacon New data shows that lobbying remained a lucrative industry in the first half of 2025, especially for firms that count health care companies among their clients.

Congrats to CommonWealth Beacon's newest reporter Chris Lisinski on his first published article. He takes a look at who is spending how much to lobby our legislature. Check it out: commonwealthbeacon.org/government/s...

Report highlights persistent challenges in early child care workforce   - CommonWealth Beacon Despite “fragile progress,” the Commonwealth’s early child care system continues to suffer from a workforce problem, according to a new analysis published by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Th...

Report highlights persistent challenges in early child care workforce   commonwealthbeacon.org/education/re...

New poll shows high satisfaction with health insurance in Mass., even as residents delay or skip care for cost reasons  - CommonWealth Beacon New polling for CommonWealth Beacon conducted by the MassINC Polling Group paints a picture of Massachusetts residents mostly happy with their health care coverage, especially when compared with other...

New poll shows high satisfaction with health insurance in Mass., even as residents delay or skip care for cost reasons  commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/...

Western Mass. cities working to prevent sewer overflows amid funding challenges and intensifying rain  - CommonWealth Beacon All three cities have made multi-million-dollar efforts in recent years to prevent sewer overflows, but as climate change continues to worsen heavy rain events, inevitable overflow events are working ...

Western Mass. cities working to prevent sewer overflows amid funding challenges and intensifying rain  commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/...

Healey holds her head above water in new poll  - CommonWealth Beacon Asked how they thought Healey is doing as governor, 20 percent of residents said they strongly approve of her performance, 36 percent say they somewhat approve, 15 percent somewhat disapprove, 18 perc...

Healey holds her head above water in new poll  commonwealthbeacon.org/by-the-numbe...

Blocking and tackling with Massport CEO Rich Davey - CommonWealth Beacon This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Rich Davey, who just finished his first year as CEO of Massport. They talk about his long history of ground transportat...

Blocking and tackling with Massport CEO Rich Davey commonwealthbeacon.org/the-codcast/...

Red lights on the way to health care - CommonWealth Beacon When hospitals close, communities reel. Even in well-covered Massachusetts, some regions of the state still struggle to access its nation-leading health care. And after decades of hospital consolidati...

Red lights on the way to health care commonwealthbeacon.org/health-care/...

A mother’s plea: Fix the broken continuum of care for brain injury patients  - CommonWealth Beacon As if the agony of his horrific injury weren't enough, I’ve also been forced to wage another relentless battle—this one against a cold, indifferent private health insurance industry that treats my son...

A mother’s plea: Fix the broken continuum of care for brain injury patients  commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/a-mo...

‘Junk fees’ unfairly rob consumers. New regulations banning them go into effect today.   - CommonWealth Beacon Americans spend tens of billions of dollars on hidden or surprise “junk fees” that deceptively raise costs beyond advertised prices.

‘Junk fees’ unfairly rob consumers. New regulations banning them go into effect today.   commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/junk...

Yes, the MBTA operating budget has increased significantly – and that’s a good thing   - CommonWealth Beacon To provide the services we need, want, and expect from our public transit system, the T needs to do more things and hire more people and pay them competitively. There’s nothing controversial or troubl...

Yes, the MBTA operating budget has increased significantly – and that’s a good thing   commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/yes-...

Massachusetts can’t afford to overlook the power of its Hispanic/Latino workforce   - CommonWealth Beacon Hispanics/Latinos represent more than one in eight workers in Massachusetts, yet persistent gaps in education, workforce access, and wealth threaten to limit both Hispanic/Latino progress and the Comm...

Massachusetts can’t afford to overlook the power of its Hispanic/Latino workforce   commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/mass...

Cuts to federal solar tax credits send Mass. farmers ‘scrambling’ - CommonWealth Beacon Federal solar tax credits that once covered 30 percent of project costs are being phased out. For farmers, that can mean fewer opportunities to use agrivoltaics to offset rising costs and keep farmlan...

Cuts to federal solar tax credits send Mass. farmers ‘scrambling’ commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/cuts-...

The new Seaport District? Restoration of Lynn’s waterfront has developers closing in on city’s South Harbor  - CommonWealth Beacon The waterfront is one of Lynn’s major attractions and has been a key part of the city’s ongoing growth and economic revitalization plans. But affordable housing advocates have raised concerns about th...

The new Seaport District? Restoration of Lynn’s waterfront has developers closing in on city’s South Harbor  commonwealthbeacon.org/housing/the-...

Massachusetts signals new gas customers may soon have to pay full hookup costs - CommonWealth Beacon Line extension allowances – which allow gas companies to charge the cost of hooking up new customers to existing ones – may be on their way out in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts signals new gas customers may soon have to pay full hookup costs commonwealthbeacon.org/energy/massa...

Real estate developers in Gateway Cities grappling with Trump’s tariffs - CommonWealth Beacon Housing and real estate developers are beginning to feel the effects of President Trump’s taxes on imports – a move the administration claims will boost American-made products, but market experts say ...

Real estate developers in Gateway Cities grappling with Trump’s tariffs commonwealthbeacon.org/housing/real...

Trump policies offer mixed messages on affordable housing  - CommonWealth Beacon “There is just no way to subsidize housing development processes enough” to be affordable to the lowest income residents, said Matt Noyes of CHAPA, “without affordable rental assistance."

Trump policies offer mixed messages on affordable housing  commonwealthbeacon.org/housing/trum...

In Fall River, our promise to the elderly went up in smoke  - CommonWealth Beacon The fire that tore through Gabriel House, killing 10 residents and injuring more than 20 others, wasn't just a tragic accident; it was a catastrophic failure of a system that promised safety and deliv...

In Fall River, our promise to the elderly went up in smoke  commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/in-f...

‘The ultimate underdog’: Chelsea named 2025 All-America city for sustainability projects - CommonWealth Beacon The city of Chelsea was named a 2025 "All-America" city by the National Civic League. The low-income, majority Hispanic city has faced a disproportionate share of environmental hazards and was recogni...

So excited to see Hallie Claflin's first of many articles in CommonWealth Beacon about our Gateway Cities! Hallie is our new Report for America corp member and will help us cover these critical cities across the state. commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/...

Drought management not included in Healey’s $3 billion environmental bond bill  - CommonWealth Beacon After a period of unprecedented drought and wildfires in Massachusetts last fall and winter, the urgency around addressing drought seems to have dissipated.

Drought management not included in Healey’s $3 billion environmental bond bill  commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/...

Drought management not included in Healey’s $3 billion environmental bond bill  - CommonWealth Beacon After a period of unprecedented drought and wildfires in Massachusetts last fall and winter, the urgency around addressing drought seems to have dissipated.

Drought management not included in Healey’s $3 billion environmental bond bill  commonwealthbeacon.org/environment/...