WHENEVER SHE PICKED UP a knife, Jamie Zahlaway Belsito thought about stabbing herself. The thought intruded so often that the mother-to-be thought it was a sign that having a baby was […]
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, Transportation
Panel calls for MBTA fiscal control board
The special panel appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to examine the MBTA after the transit system’s winter collapse proposed a nuclear option – a fiscal and management control board, to […]
Posted inOlympics, State House News Service
Zimbalist torches Olympics bid
At a recent public meeting on Boston’s 2024 Summer Olympic bid, an Allston resident cited the work of Andrew Zimbalist, a Smith College economist, on cost overruns that host cities […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Economy, Politics, State House News Service
Gun advocates protest billboards
A war of words over words erupted this week as gun rights advocates checkmated Boston developer John Rosenthal’s effort to spread his anti-gun violence message across Massachusetts via billboards. The […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Tackling MBTA’s debt problem
THE MBTA’S EFFORTS to spare Boston-area riders fare increases and service cuts by restructuring its debt service payments made a bad financial situation worse, according to a new report by […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Boston’s African American leaders
PHOTOJOURNALIST DON WEST teamed up with former Boston Globe national editor Ken Cooper on Portraits of Purpose: A Tribute to Leadership to document the careers of Boston-area African American leaders […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Battle for MBTA’s soul underway
As the task to slice and dice the MBTA’s historic collapse gets underway, a battle royale has erupted anew between two camps of transportation influencers who can be loosely described as […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, Transportation
Baker creates MBTA commission
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER moved to put his administration’s stamp on the MBTA by appointing a special commission to investigate how past finance, maintenance, and management practices led to the wintertime […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Beacon Hill’s MBTA fix: Let them ride the T
Nonplussed by the plight of the poor, a French aristocrat once said “let them eat cake.” With hundreds of thousands of people struggling during the MBTA’s winter crisis, Massachusetts legislative leaders […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Baker and the MBTA stage management crisis
Paging Harry Truman. The 33rd president delivered one of the most recognizable lines about leadership in American history, so famous that it has become a cliché. “The buck stops here.” If Truman isn’t your […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Pregnant workers seek fair job treatment
SHOULD A PREGNANT worker expect her employer to offer “reasonable” relief from her workload or from certain tasks? Elizabeth Guyer, a former nurse practitioner who worked in Harvard University’s student […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
MBTA: A textbook case of civic dysfunction
What is the value of holding a major civic event after a winter storm in a city where the wheels have gone off the mass transit system? When the history […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
The Sun comes up on Worcester
A former employee at the Telegram & Gazette is preparing to launch a digital daily news startup sometime between April and July. The Worcester Sun will appear online only during […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Offshore leases attract little interest
AN AUCTION FOR potential wind farm parcels off the coast of Massachusetts drew little interest on Thursday, as two firms submitted low bids for two areas and no bids were […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
Rodrigues, AIM already sick of sick leave law
The Bay State’s sick leave law, passed by a crushing margin in November, inspired politicians around the country. In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress […]
Posted inOlympics, State House News Service
Falchuk spearheads statewide Olympics referendum
EVAN FALCHUK, WHO waged a spirited run last year as an independent candidate for governor, is back in campaign mode, hoping to drive a statewide ballot question that would forbid […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download
Walsh’s Boston Olympics hot potato
What a difference a day makes. In 24 little hours, the prospects for a Boston Olympics have gone from full steam ahead to dubious if put to a vote. Boston […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Romney, Boston 2024, and the White House
Can Boston host an event that’s the equivalent of “20 Super Bowls at once?” Mitt Romney thought so two years ago. Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston 2024 chairman Dan O’Connell told the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Baker’s surprise transportation pick
STEPHANIE POLLACK MAY know more about the MBTA than anyone alive. She’s been a dogged advocate for transit expansion. She opposed the repeal of gas tax indexing, believing the state needs […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
MassLive’s statewide strategy
A SPRINGFIELD-BASED NEWS outlet is taking a run at being the go-to source for state news in Massachusetts. MassLive, a website affiliated with the Springfield Republican, is trying to expand […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
Bridging the digital divide
Princeton is one of 45 municipalities across the state that do not have access to high-speed Internet service. The town’s broadband committee tried to get Charter, Comcast, or Verizon to […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
The tax man goeth
MICHAEL WIDMER IS a harried journalist’s best friend, a man a reporter can count on to return calls with good intel before deadline. The longtime president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
The most interesting man in the Bay State political world
With Massachusetts focused on Deval Patrick’s “Lone Walk” and Charlie Baker’s inauguration, one person has been out of the headlines in recent weeks: House Speaker Robert DeLeo. DeLeo is largely […]
