Bob Salsberg

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday signed an overdue $43.3 billion state budget into law, hours before a stopgap spending plan for state government was about to expire. In a surprising move, Baker, a Republican, did not exercise his line-item veto power to trim any spending from the budget, even though the Democratic-controlled Legislature added some $600 million to the...

A proposed constitutional amendment calling for an additional 4% tax on the state’s highest earners is being debated by a joint session of the state Legislature. Supporters of the so-called “millionaire tax” say the surtax would generate as much as $2 billion in annual revenue, with the money earmarked for education and transportation.

A $42.7 billion state budget unveiled by House Democratic leaders on Wednesday proposes additional spending on education but pumps the brakes on calls for new taxes and the legalization of sports betting. The House Ways and Means Committee’s spending plan for the July 1 fiscal year was released by Speaker Robert DeLeo and the panel’s new appointed chairman, Rep. Aaron...

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is asking a court to throw out a lawsuit filed by Massachusetts’ attorney general that accuses the company, its owners and top executives of deceiving patients and doctors about the risks of opioids. In its motion seeking dismissal, Purdue argues the lawsuit distorts facts, mischaracterizes internal company documents and makes oversimplified claims while attempting to cast...

The question of how to best distribute state education dollars is emerging as a top issue in Massachusetts’ new legislative session, as mayors, lawmakers and educational advocates pressed Wednesday for increased funding for public schools, especially in poorer communities. The renewed effort comes months after the breakdown of negotiations between the House and Senate on the subject and as legislators...

Final inspections of prospective marijuana businesses were underway, Massachusetts’ top marijuana regulator said Thursday, but the question of when the state’s first pot shops will finally open their doors remained unanswered. Steven Hoffman, chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission, declined to offer a date for the start of recreational marijuana sales, but he expressed confidence it would happen sometime in...

Declaring that “change can’t wait,” Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano on Tuesday in a closely watched Democratic primary battle in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts lawmakers swiftly approved a compromise bill Wednesday that could keep proposals on paid leave, the minimum wage and a reduction in the sales tax from going before voters on the November ballot.

Prospects for retail pot shops opening for business in Massachusetts by a July 1 target date appear to be dimming.

Gaining admission to the University of Massachusetts’ flagship campus in Amherst is, on average, more difficult for Massachusetts residents than for those who live outside the state, a new report suggests.

A Massachusetts judge who engaged in sexual acts with a social worker in his courthouse chambers announced his resignation Friday, one day after being suspended indefinitely by the state’s highest court.

Mount Ida students who are worried their education could be at risk are speaking out. With their school being sold to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Mt. Ida students are being forced to figure out what comes next academically.

The head of a legislative committee says subpoenas could be issued to top officials of Massachusetts’ Mount Ida College after they declined to appear at an oversight hearing on the school’s closing.

State casino regulators agreed on Monday to remove Steve Wynn’s name from the license his former company was issued to operate a $2.4 billion resort casino under construction near Boston.

Democratic state Sen. Karen Spilka said Wednesday she has secured commitments from enough of her colleagues to become the next president of the Massachusetts Senate.

Could Massachusetts become the first U.S. state where adults can gather and use legal recreational marijuana at so-called “cannabis cafes?” The Cannabis Control Commission, the five-member panel set up to regulate the state’s marijuana industry, is expected to decide later this month whether to approve draft regulations that would allow for the licensing of social consumption establishments. The idea...

A state agency that oversees health insurance for public employees said Thursday it would reconsider its decision to limit offerings for hundreds of thousands of state workers and retirees, following harsh criticism of the move from labor unions and legislative leaders.

U.S. mayors increasingly view climate change as a pressing urban issue, so much so that many advocate policies that could inconvenience residents or even hurt their cities financially.

Framingham will cease to be the largest town in Massachusetts and begin a new era as a medium-sized city of about 70,000 residents on New Year’s Day.

Massachusetts has become the first state to adopt a ban on bump stocks since the mass shooting a Las Vegas music festival.