Metro Politics - The Boston Globe

Highlights from the fourth Republican presidential debate

Four candidates took the stage at the University of Alabama Wednesday night. (NewsNation)

Amid crush of migrants, Mass. lawmakers urge Biden to give state equal share of shelter funding
Massachusetts' entire all-Democratic delegation wrote to Biden's administration Tuesday, asking for more money to help keep up with the rising demand for shelter and services for migrants.

Healey administration would boost life sciences, robotics and climate tech in the new year
The administration’s plan underscores the importance of investing in housing, transportation, and telecommmunications while launching new programs to attract and retain talent within the state.

Leadership changes in Massachusetts’ child welfare system prompt hope for a new vision

A changing of the guard is coming for the state’s child welfare system and with it, perhaps, an unusual opportunity to overhaul an overburdened system responsible for the well-being of more than 40,000 children.

Boston police union contract would exclude some offenses from arbitration
Thirty crimes would now not be eligible for arbitration, although use of excessive force is not one of them.

As Biden fund-raises in Boston, some young voters feel ‘meh’ about his reelection
President Biden’s trip to Boston is part of a weeklong fund-raising effort to bolster his campaign coffers as part of his 2024 reelection bid.

Judge postpones hearing for suspended state cannabis regulator, ruling it lacks ‘basic due process’
Judge Debra Squires-Lee ruled that the Tuesday hearing undercut Shannon O’Brien’s due process rights as she seeks to defend herself against accusations she made racist and “culturally insensitive” remarks.

Young people appear less likely to vote in 2024, Harvard poll finds
Pollsters, who surveyed close to 2,100 people between Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, found that 49 percent of respondents “definitely” plan to vote in the 2024 election, down from 57 percent at the same time in 2020, the institute said in a statement.

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Latest Headlines in Politics

Boston police officers stood across from demonstrators at Boston Children's Hospital last year.

Boston police union approves new contract agreement

A spokesperson for the politically powerful labor group said the agreement was approved “overwhelmingly” although exact vote counts were not immediately available. The matter now heads to the city council. 7:17 p.m.

Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission chairwoman Shannon O'Brien spoke to reporters with her attorneys after she appeared in Suffolk Superior Court.

Judge to rule on cannabis regulator’s request to postpone hearing challenging her suspension

Shannon O’Brien appeared Monday in Suffolk Superior Court, the latest battleground in her months-long political fight with state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg. 4:49 p.m.

The delays in passing the bill prompted criticism between Democrats and Republicans at the State House, as well as jabs between members of the House and Senate.

Mass. lawmakers pass, Healey signs $3 billion spending bill, ending days-long standoff over migrant shelters

The legislation’s passage ended days of partisan drama on Beacon Hill, with Democratic leaders and the House’s small GOP caucus pointing fingers at each for delaying a bill that touches everyone from homeless and migrant families to state employee paychecks. 1:04 p.m.

Mass. House again fails to pass $3 billion spending bill amid GOP opposition

The House’s small GOP caucus used the same procedural move it did on previous days to halt Saturday's session and a deal Democrats negotiated on the wide-ranging budget bill. 2:26 p.m.

YVONNE ABRAHAM

Mariana, 15, who suffers from seizures, swung her legs over a railing that her grandmother, Tami Mitchell (right), installed on the bed they share as a way to keep her safe in the cramped hotel room where they live with Mariana’s two siblings.

They’re poor, but not poor enough to qualify for emergency housing in Massachusetts

The income limits for those seeking emergency housing in our right to shelter state are ludicrously low, leaving desperate families like Tami Mitchell’s stranded. 1:12 p.m.

“These programs are very, very expensive," Lourdes Alvarez, Chelsea’s communications and outreach manager, said of the guaranteed basic income pilots. She's shown distributing boxes of groceries to Chelsea residents at a pop-up food pantry in 2020.

For a guaranteed basic income pilot, Boston can look to its neighbors

Officials in Chelsea and Cambridge report that their pilot programs, which gave cash to low-income households, were successful. But they admit they are not sure where the money is going to come from to extend their initiatives. 4:03 p.m.

City of Boston, Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association reach tentative contract agreement

“This tentative agreement reflects our shared focus on ensuring safety across every neighborhood through community policing and providing necessary resources for the health and well-being of officers and their families,” read the statement from Wu and Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Larry Calderone. 3:55 p.m.

House Speaker Ronald Mariano, left, and state Representative Aaron Michlewitz, the House's budget chief.

Mass. Democrats again fail to pass $2.8 billion spending bill amid impasse with GOP

For the second time in as many days, Democratic leaders on Friday failed to pass a deal on a nearly $3 billion spending bill in the Massachusetts House, continuing a standoff with the small GOP caucus. 2:47 p.m.