Boston Mayor Thomas Menino joined the chorus of transportation stakeholders calling on the Patrick administration to get moving on a statewide comprehensive transportation reform plan. “A comprehensive plan must be […]
Gabrielle Gurley
Gabrielle covers several beats, including mass transit, municipal government, child welfare, and energy and the environment. Her recent articles have explored municipal hiring practices in Pittsfield, public defender pay, and medical marijuana, and she has won several national journalism awards for her work. Prior to coming to CommonWealth in 2005, Gabrielle wrote for the State House News Service, The Boston Globe, and other publications. She launched her media career in broadcast journalism with C-SPAN in Washington, DC. The Philadelphia native holds degrees from Boston College and Georgetown University.
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
“Moving with delays” and the MBTA’s culture of contempt
I wish I'd heard the announcement at Alewife Station about signal problems during the morning rush. Instead, all I heard was “inaudible something [delays] mumble, mumble, mumble.” Delays are a […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
The Yellow Roads of Texas
Public-private partnerships are one way for states to secure funding for new transportation projects or to maintain existing roadways. But at this week’s transportation reform hearing, Secretary of Transportation Bernard […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Team Trans fumbles at transportation reform hearing
Don’t make Sen. Steven Baddour angry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. “It’s going to get a lot uglier. The Legislature is going to get a lot more aggressive,” […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Raising the gas tax is the tip of the iceberg
Rep. David Linsky’s (D-Natick) proposal to raise the gas tax by 6 cents looked like a profile in courage right up until Yvonne Abraham demolished it in a spirited column […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Same old transportation story
Though there were some fresh faces on hand at Wednesday evening’s Our Transportation Future/MOVE Massachusetts forum, like Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem, the most striking feature of any statewide transportation […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Patrick still not going anywhere, neither is Treasurer Tim
Gov. Deval Patrick continues to insist that he’s not D.C.-bound. During a press availability outside his office on Wednesday, Patrick commented that he was “enormously moved, excited, and proud” of […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Getting a jump on voting in Arlington
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 In Arlington at 6:45 am, there were 33 people in the Precinct 14 line at the Brackett Elementary School. By the time the doors opened at […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
The national media weighs in on Question 1
Saturday, November 1, 2008 If you’re still undecided about Question 1, the elite of the media elite could help you out. Both The New York Times and The Wall Street […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Patrick catches Galvin’s Hail Mary pass on voter registration
As reported in the Fall issue of CommonWealth, after the failure of Election Day registration, Secretary of State William Galvin supported legislation that would allow certain people to vote in […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service, The Download
How bad will the fuel crisis get?
It could be a "frozen Katrina." The upcoming winter has all the hallmarks of a major crisis, according to social service providers who attended a Boston Foundation forum Monday on […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
A survey of possible voting glitches, coast to coast
"What if we had an election and everyone came?” is the question posed by the Pew Center on the States/Electionline.org’s gargantuan Election 2008 Preview updating election administration issues — voting […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Emails reveal no love for AG
INTRO TEXT The attorney general’s office and the governor’s insurance commissioner often disagree, but a public records request earlier this year showed that the squabbling gets nasty at times. Glenn […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Voting made easy
INTRO TEXT The young man in a tattered baseball cap walked up to Sharon Adair’s table at the Ward 5 polling place near City Hall in Concord, New Hampshire. Daniel […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Never mind the red ink: Team Trans spreads the good news
If the audience at yesterday’s Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs breakfast forum were the chanting types, the refrain would have been: Go, team, go! Duly noted was the […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, State House News Service
Patrick reveals a big appetite for education reform
INTRO TEXT The unveiling of the Readiness Project should dispel any doubt that Gov. Deval Patrick sees himself as the master builder of the next epoch of education reform. “Our […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, Transportation
Pump it up
For a picture-perfect view of the Boston skyline on a bright, cloudless day, looking from the Longfellow Bridge to the other side of the Charles River is as good as […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Laptops rule among students in middle school
INTRO TEXT Deep into their “Unsung Heroes” reports, students worked on monologues about historical figures they’d chosen that would be recorded as iMovies and posted to the school intranet. Tyrone […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Craven gets a grip on the rising costs of school construction
INTRO TEXT School building authorityhead Katherine Craven. Katherine Craven is all about the numbers. On a yellow legal pad page, the head of the Massachusetts School Building Authority jots down […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Politics, State House News Service
A shot seen round the world
every era has its touchstone photograph. The Marines hoisting the American flag on Iwo Jima telegraphs the hard-fought triumphs of World War II. The New York City firemen raising the […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, Transportation
Not everyone on the South Coast is getting into training
INTRO TEXT South Coast rail, the plan to extend passenger train service from Boston to New Bedford and Fall River, promises to stir up more grass-roots activism than the Patrick […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
News from a new generation
Walter Robinson, who won a Pulitzer Prizeat the Globe, heads the investigativereporting program at Northeastern University.A decade is a long time. But advocates for senior citizens have been trying to […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Voters get another shot at erasing the state income tax
INTRO TEXT she’s back. The coming throw-down over the personal income tax finds libertarian dynamo Carla Howell back in the ring. Howell’s first attempt to end the income tax by […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Legislators’ per diems may get a DC boost
INTRO TEXT Per diem payments for mileage, meals, and lodging for Bay State legislators have long been fodder for critics who see no justification for politicians dining out on the […]