The state’s film and life sciences tax credits work the same way, but they are administered very differently. On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded nearly $24 million in […]
The Back Story
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
The governor’s transition
jobs, jobs, jobs is the mantra on Beacon Hill, but it’s not what you think. State officials are talking more about their own jobs than about the moribund economy. They’re […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
The BPL’s dirty laundry
The Boston Public Library has quietly settled litigation with a lawyer-lobbyist who the library alleged was secretly paid by its former president for doing no work. The settlement offers few […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Should we subsidize Canadian hydro?
Republican Charlie Baker may not have won the race for governor, but his idea to import more hydroelectric power from Canada isn’t going away. Canadian provinces are eager to do […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Was Murray playing the patronage game?
Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray wasn’t mentioned in the 337-page report on probation patronage, but maybe he should have been. It’s hard to tell how deep Murray’s involvement was with probation, […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Parking garage intrigue
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is looking to raise a substantial amount of money for the cash-strapped MBTA by leasing the T’s parking garages, but Boston development interests are warning […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Sky high solar subsidies
Don’t get Back Story? Click here.Its advocates say solar power has a bright future in Massachusetts, but right now the energy technology needs astronomical ratepayer subsidies to survive.Solar power generators […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Intrigue at the W
a federal bankruptcy judge is considering whether the W Boston, a gleaming new 26-story hotel and condominium tower in Boston’s theater district, should fall to foreclosure. On one level, the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Saving the money machine
Don’t get Back Story? Sign up here. The Boston Redevelopment Authority is asking a federal housing agency not to throw a wrench in its never-ending money machine. When the BRA […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
The art of endorsements
Political endorsements by newspapers don’t carry as much weight today as they once did, but campaigns still scramble for them. They represent a stamp of approval seen by thousands of […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Is open space in danger?
Mass Audubon knows how to grab your attention. In a recent fundraising letter, the state’s largest conservation group says the state is losing more than 8,000 acres of open space […]
Posted inEconomy, The Back Story
Movie mystery
Each year the Massachusetts Department of Revenue is required to release a report analyzing the financial impact of the state’s film tax credit. The first report, covering 2006 and 2007, […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Convention center tries hand at banking
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority jumped into the banking business this week, offering an unusual $18 million loan to a private company seeking to build a new Boston Tea Party […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Wind bill aids Kingston project
The push and pull over wind turbine siting legislation in the Massachusetts Senate revolves around issues of policy and politics, but it’s also about money. A little-noticed section of the […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Gordon defends Cape Wind
It’s taken 10 years, but Jim Gordon, the president of Cape Wind, says the 130-turbine offshore wind project is about to clear its final regulatory hurdle. A supremely confident Gordon […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Fore your eyes only
A nonprofit arm of the city of Boston is continuing to lose money operating two municipal golf courses.In the past, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and other city officials have insisted […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Back Story
The ins and outs of the Cape Wind debate
The story line from Monday’s gubernatorial debate was Gov. Deval Patrick defending Cape Wind in the face of strong opposition from his three rivals, including, surprisingly, the candidate of the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Coakley, auto insurers headed for a nasty fight
Trouble is brewing in the state’s auto insurance industry.Two years ago insurance company officials convinced the Patrick administration to let each firm set its own rates rather than having state […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Key information missing
The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team is the gold standard in Massachusetts journalism, but the unit’s recent reports about the state’s probation department have omitted some key information.The reports, which portrayed […]
