After a 2023 WBUR and ProPublica investigation found that almost 2,300 state-funded apartments were sitting empty, the state promised action within 90 days. But it failed to fix key problems, leaving many families still waiting for a home.
The fines are one of the state's main tools to push local housing agencies to fill empty units, but they were largely meaningless for years because the state failed to enforce them.
Deb Libby applied for a place to live in the state's public housing system, which has many empty apartments, according to a WBUR and ProPublica investigation. The state has since pledged to fill the vacancies, but Libby is still waiting for a permanent home.
As Massachusetts grapples with a housing crisis, 184,000 people have applied for a home in the state's public housing system. Yet, units sit vacant for years because of the state's inefficient central waitlist and a lack of funding to repair aging properties.
In Massachusetts, WBUR found an unregulated and opaque business where title insurers pay large, hidden commissions to attorneys — and homebuyers often unknowingly foot the bills.
After a WBUR and ProPublica investigation of Revere's policy that requires the city to hire a police chief internally, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins and Sens. Ed Markey and Elisabeth Warren are criticizing the rule, saying it makes it harder for women and people of color to attain leadership roles.
The citations are numerous, including infractions related to speeding, attention to duty, preventable accidents and the safety of customers or MBTA property.
Boston police used a "slush fund" to pay for a surveillance device that can grab cell phone data from suspects — and also from other phones nearby. The department says it has no policy on using the controversial spy gear.
Under Massachusetts' civil forfeiture system, police can confiscate property they suspect is part of a drug crime and prosecutors could hold it indefinitely, even when criminal charges have been dismissed. Trying to get money back is so onerous, legal experts say it may violate due process rights.
