A high mail-in response will show the state Legislature (and the rest of the country) that mail-in voting can increase voter turnout. Your vote is important.
Tag: Legislature
Alan Chartock: Ringmaster Cuomo tries to tame unruly Democrats
The relationship between Cuomo and the state Democrats is fascinating. The governor is holding the leash of a rather rambunctious dog.
Alan Chartock: Legal bribery in New York Legislature
So if a judge declares that the so-called commission exceeded its authority to set limits on outside income and the commission didn’t have the right to take their lulus away, will Boss Heastie and his counterparts in the Senate have to give their newly elevated salaries back?
COMMENTARY: Dental bill extracted from committee – at last
It has become a well-established fact by now that good dental health is a necessary and contributing factor to good overall health.
Hotel or home? Berkshire towns struggle to regulate, tax Airbnb’s
Many towns and cities across the state are grappling with an array of gray areas, including whether and how to tax these short-term rentals and whether they should be held to the same zoning, building and health standards.
State auditor cites Berkshire Hills in sweeping study of regional school districts
“While our state’s educational system is highly regarded throughout the country, our analysis found that the processes governing school regionalization and its funding are antiquated, and have not kept pace with the modern challenges facing communities.”
— State Auditor Suzanne Bump
‘Farm-to-bong?’ Lawmakers hail new pot law as opportunity for farmers
State farmers who are interested in growing marijuana will have to apply for a license, but lawmakers say the barrier to entry will much lower than it was for those who wanted to cultivate and sell the medical marijuana
State did not abandoned protected state forests
If the Otis State Forest case had gone to a higher court and lost, that would establish precedent for the entire state.
Legislative pay raise is unwarranted, unethical
In her letter to the editor, Rachel Branch writes: “No one ought to be legislating better pay and benefits for themselves while being part of the Legislature…an outrageous conflict of interest.”
News Briefs: Fairview Hospital visitor restrictions; GBPD recruiting officers; Pignatelli files 11 bills in state legislature;
The Great Barrington Police Department is looking to recruit additional full-time officers and the Pittsfield Police Department has extended an invitation to a recruitment expo on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 4 p.m. at Taconic High School in Pittsfield.
Large turnout needed to support education finance reform
In his letter to the editor Chip Elitzer writes: “By changing the method of apportionment from a pupil headcount basis to an assessed property value basis, this act would improve the finances of every regional school district, especially BHRSD’s.”
Senate candidate Andrea Harrington is ‘straightforward, clear, and consistent’
In his letter to the editor, Bill Shein writes: “Compared to typical candidates who tread a safe and narrow path, and then refuse to take on powerful interests here and in Boston, Andrea Harrington stands out.”
To refill town coffers GB Selectboard ponders 5-cent gas tax
The key thing about the gas tax bill is that it forces towns to have “discipline” since gas tax money can only be spent on roads and bridges.
Senate measure would boost Berkshire solar projects
“The caps are there because the utility companies have insisted. Solar is a threat to their way of doing business, so they’ve decided to do everything they can to try to stop solar. Solar energy has the potential to make electricity less expensive for everybody.”
— Ben Hellerstein, state director for Environment Massachusetts
Driver’s licenses for immigrants: A matter of safety and fairness
‘The whole immigration system at the federal level is so, so broken.’
— State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield