God's backyard plus four more stories

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The Saturday Send

Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed. This week, Jennifer Smith delves into a bill permitting faith-based groups to construct multi-family housing and the ongoing legal battles over the MBTA Communities Act. Plus: Top Democrats' raise concerns about tax cut proposals amid economic instability, the Senate chair of the Legislature's Transportation Committee urges discussions on new transportation funding, and Jordan Wolman explains the Massachusetts FAIR Plan. Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading. — The CommonWealth Beacon team

A push to build housing in ‘God’s backyard’ By Jennifer Smith Massachusetts YIGBY legislation would allow faith-based organizations to build multi-family housing by right on parcels they’ve owned for at least three years. Continue reading…

MBTA Communities fight heads back to the SJC By Jennifer Smith A group of holdout towns is banking on the very court that declared the legislation mandatory in January to rule that the mandate is illegal without dedicated funding. Continue reading…

Amid shaky economy, tax cut proposal draws heightened scrutiny By Chris Lisinski Already buffeted by economic pressures and federal funding cuts, top Democrats are beginning to warn that major financial upheaval would follow if voters approve a pair of tax-reform measures en route to the 2026 ballot. Continue reading…

Talk of new transportation dollars? Bring it on, says Senate chair By Chris Lisinski and Jennifer Smith Brendan Crighton, the Senate’s point person on transportation issues, wants his colleagues to have hard conversations about new transportation-related levies even if the topic might be politically fraught. Continue reading…

What is the Massachusetts FAIR Plan, the state’s insurer of last resort? By Jordan Wolman The increased FAIR Plan policies and rising home insurance prices in the private market across New England both reflect and tell the climate story, since insurers are the arbiters of risk. Continue reading…

Job Board ⭐ CEO & President — Civic Action Project Regulatory Counsel — Environmental League of Massachusetts Director of Advancement — Mass Mentoring Partnership Asset Manager — Urban Edge Corporate Tax Accountant — Rockland Trust Program Officer – Development & Communications – LISC Massachusetts Senior Program Officer/Program Director – The Health Foundation of Central MA Community Engagement & Program Associate – The Health Foundation of Central MA ADVERTISE YOUR JOB LISTING

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The politics of who gets a musical education On this week’s episode of The Codcast, what it means when political forces come for the arts. CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Élider DiPaula, the new executive director of Project STEP — a 12-year music program focused on bringing students from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds into the world of classical string music. The program lost a federal grant this spring, as did hundreds of other programs considered out of step with President Trump’s nationalist priorities for the arts.   LISTEN NOW

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