With gas prices low but the economy strained, a significant public majority still supports state action to raise new revenue for transportation investments and to join a multi-state roadway fuel cap-and-trade program, according to recent poll results.
![Gov. Charlie Baker peered down the tracks Wednesday at the Maverick Square Blue Line station. [Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe/Pool]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/05-27_Baker_MBTA_2.jpg "Gov. Charlie Baker peered down the tracks Wednesday at the Maverick Square Blue Line station. [Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe/Pool]")
Not everything has ground to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
![Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito spoke with Boston Magazine Editor Chris Vogle Wednesday and said many of the administration's pre-pandemic priorities have been tabled to deal with the virus. [Photo: Chris Van Buskirk/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/05-27_Polito_BoMag.jpg "Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito spoke with Boston Magazine Editor Chris Vogle Wednesday and said many of the administration's pre-pandemic priorities have been tabled to deal with the virus. [Photo: Chris Van Buskirk/SHNS]")
The dual public health and economic crises triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have consumed virtually all of Beacon Hill's attention, shifting many of the Baker administration's pre-pandemic priorities to the back burner or off the stove altogether, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said Wednesday.
Access to COVID-19 testing will be a critical piece of how college and universities repopulate campuses in Massachusetts, according to a reopening framework released Wednesday by a group of 14 college presidents.
![Gov. Charlie Baker visited Maverick Station in East Boston Wednesday to tour MBTA construction on the Blue Line. [Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe/Pool]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/05-27_Baker_MBTA.jpg "Gov. Charlie Baker visited Maverick Station in East Boston Wednesday to tour MBTA construction on the Blue Line. [Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe/Pool]")
As more people begin returning to the office and venturing onto the subway or commuter rail to get work, the MBTA is exploring ways to communicate with riders about crowding and making alternative modes of transportation available if trains or buses become too full for passengers to safely distance from one another.
A bill that seeks to secure full refunds to families for school trips canceled during a state of emergency met pushback Wednesday from representatives of tour companies, who argued it does not reflect the realities of their business.
Massachusetts' two newest state senators are slated to take office Thursday morning at a State House swearing-in ceremony.
Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday evening signed into law a suite of unemployment insurance relief measures that are aimed at helping employers and claimants during the coronavirus pandemic.
The abrupt shift to remote education during the COVID-19 state of emergency left teachers and students with a lot to adjust to, according to the 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh hopes to see college students return to the city for in-person education this fall, but said the outlook will remain unclear for weeks as the state continues its progression away from the peak in COVID-19 cases.
Cities and towns across Massachusetts spent more than $727,000 to cover the costs of holding mandatory early voting ahead of the March 3 presidential primaries, Auditor Suzanne Bump has calculated, costs that she said the Legislature is on the hook to reimburse.
The payment of unemployment benefits to some claimants may be delayed as the state implements new steps to verify the identity of applicants in response to what the Baker administration called a "national unemployment fraud scheme."
A study released Wednesday offers a suite of proposals its authors say would improve computer science education in K-12 schools, including providing more clarity on what such classes are intended to teach.
A longtime deputy at the Division of Marine Fisheries was elevated to be its director last week, completing a 35-year path from field biologist to head of the agency that oversees and supports the state's commercial and recreational saltwater fisheries.
Home sales in Massachusetts during April were down nearly 14 percent, although buyers and sellers wrapped up 3,706 sales agreements while the state grappled with a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths and as residents largely stayed home and away from shuttered workplaces.
The full-service resumption of public transportation has been eyed as a key to restarting the state's economy, but new polling suggests that commuting habits are likely to change as workers slowly return to the office, with more people eyeing a permanent work-from-home schedule and a majority of commuters uncomfortable, for now, with the idea of returning to trains and buses.
After holding open a day-long informal session, the Senate late Tuesday adopted ground rules for its second formal session of the COVID-19 era. A full formal is planned for Thursday to vote on multiple land-taking bills, according to a Senate official.
State education officials intend to provide school districts with guidance on summer programming early next week, followed by a mid-June distribution of draft fall guidance to help schools plan to reopen in the new academic year.
The state's highest court ruled Tuesday that Attorney General Maura Healey was correct to certify a proposed ballot question allowing more stores to sell beer and wine, clearing the way for the issue to go before voters in November.
Restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products, including mint and menthol cigarettes, are set to take effect next week and Gov. Charlie Baker said he sees no reason the ongoing coronavirus pandemic should delay that.