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Government & Politics

  • Baker plugs homeownership assistance plan as urgent circumstance

    State House News Service July 19, 2021

    The $300 million in federal relief funds Gov. Charlie Baker is seeking to spend to expand down payment assistance would help as many as "tens of thousands of homeowners," particularly in communities of color that historically have struggled to

    State House News Service July 19, 2021
  • Baker signs $47.6B annual budget

    State House News Service July 19, 2021

    Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday signed into law a $47.6 billion budget for this fiscal year, striking $7.9 million in spending from the bill lawmakers sent him a week ago and also vetoing a section that further delays implementation of a charitable

    State House News Service July 19, 2021
  • Mass. SNAP recipients eligible to purchase food online from Stop & Shop, Hannaford

    Monica Benevides July 14, 2021

    Massachusetts residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may now use their EBT SNAP credits to purchase food online via Instacart from Stop & Shop and Hannaford.

    Monica Benevides July 14, 2021
  • Mass. lags states in adopting college athlete compensation laws

    State House News Service July 14, 2021

    Now that college athletes are allowed by the NCAA to make money from endorsements and other business arrangements, lawmakers on the Higher Education Committee plan to study up on how other states have addressed the issue as the panel considers

    State House News Service July 14, 2021
  • Future of work could feature new center of gravity, report concludes

    State House News Service July 13, 2021

    Sixteen months after COVID-19 first shuttered many businesses and other physical spaces and forced a shift in the way people think about work, a new state report released Tuesday concludes that the changes may shift the "center of gravity" in

    State House News Service July 13, 2021
  • State’s $48.1B budget nets unanimous, bipartisan support

    State House News Service July 12, 2021

    More than a week into the fiscal year, the House and Senate agreed in bipartisan fashion to a $48.1 billion annual state budget and shipped the proposal to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk.

    State House News Service July 12, 2021
  • Greater Worcester unemployment rate increases for 2nd time in pandemic

    Katherine Hamilton July 9, 2021

    The unemployment rate in the Worcester metropolitan area took a slight upward turn for the second time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

    Katherine Hamilton July 9, 2021
  • Solar Wolf sued three times for $864K over alleged failed payments

    Monica Benevides July 8, 2021

    Solar Wolf Energy of Auburn is facing three lawsuits seeking a collective $863,605.53 in damages and restitution, according to documents filed in Worcester Superior Court and the U.S. District Court of Worcester. 

    Monica Benevides July 8, 2021
  • Mass. sues Google over alleged monopoly

    Monica Benevides July 8, 2021

    Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced on Wednesday her office is joining 37 other attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against Google over its alleged monopoly conduct as it relates to its Google Play Store for Android.

    Monica Benevides July 8, 2021
  • Healey: $4B Purdue opioid settlement will unlock Sackler secrets

    State House News Service July 8, 2021

    Gov. Charlie Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey will formally announce an agreement Thursday afternoon to resolve the state's lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, a deal in which Massachusetts is expected to get $90 million of a $4.3 billion

    State House News Service July 8, 2021
  • Open Sky Community Services granted $116K to train police in mental health response

    Katherine Hamilton July 7, 2021

    Worcester human services nonprofit Open Sky Community Services received a $116,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health to train police on de-escalation tactics to divert distressed individuals away from the criminal justice

    Katherine Hamilton July 7, 2021
  • State urged to go big, fill trades gap

    State House News Service July 7, 2021

    With businesses warning of worker shortages and thousands of prospective students stuck on waitlists, lawmakers and advocates urged the Legislature on Tuesday to inject billions of dollars into Massachusetts vocational and technical schools and to

    State House News Service July 7, 2021
  • Fight over Mass. taxation of non-residents spills into Congress

    Colin A. Young from State House News Service July 2, 2021

    After the U.S. Supreme Court decided this week not to take up New Hampshire's lawsuit challenging Massachusetts's taxing of residents working remotely from other states during the pandemic, members of Congress from the Granite State and Connecticut

    Colin A. Young from State House News Service July 2, 2021
  • Mass. road funding bill delayed over add-ons

    Colin A. Young from State House News Service July 2, 2021

    The annual Chapter 90 local road and bridge funding bill appears bound for a conference committee after the Senate on Thursday approved a slightly larger appropriation than the House did when it passed its own version of the bill last week.

    Colin A. Young from State House News Service July 2, 2021
  • New state dashboard puts health cost variances under scrutiny

    Sam Bonacci June 30, 2021

    The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) has released its annual update of provider price variation in the Massachusetts commercial health insurance market.

    Sam Bonacci June 30, 2021
  • Supreme Court won't hear remote work tax case

    State House News Service June 29, 2021

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a lawsuit New Hampshire filed challenging Massachusetts's application of its income tax on residents working remotely from other states during the pandemic, a case that financial analysts said could

    State House News Service June 29, 2021

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Today's Poll

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Eric Batista has led the City of Worcester in the past year?
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Poll Description

On June 24, the Worcester City Council returned a largely positive appraisal of City Manager Eric Batista during his annual review. Councillors praised Batista for his fiscal management of the City and acknowledged his efforts to provide more shelter for unhoused individuals.

Still, members raised concerns over Batista’s handling of a U.S. Department of Justice report that found the Worcester Police Department used excessive force and his response to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement incident on Eureka Street on May 8. 

In Worcester's form of city government, the appointed city manager is essentially the CEO of the City of Worcester while the elected mayor and city council are part time and help set policy.