GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and the state’s sheriffs offered no clear explanation this week for why corrections funding is going up as inmate populations are declining. The puzzling spending pattern was detailed in a study released on Monday by MassINC, […]
The Back Story
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Tracking assisted living ‘incidents’
Massachusetts assisted living facilities reported 305 cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation involving residents in 2015 – and half of the reports were filed late. Reports are supposed to be […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story, Transportation
Boston abandons Long Island Bridge
A correction has been added to this story. BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH appears to be backing away from plans to rebuild the bridge to Long Island, partly because of opposition […]
Posted inThe Back Story
What’s going on at Millennium Tower?
IT’S ALL A BIT MYSTERIOUS, but a recent real estate transaction at Millennium Tower sheds some light on the financial challenges of catering to the whims of well-to-do condo buyers. […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Baker’s ‘streamlined’ diversity disclosures
Gov. Charlie Baker is doing slightly better than his predecessor in recruiting blacks, Hispanics, and Asians to work in the executive branch, but the way his administration goes about presenting […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
For Arroyo, probate job no soft landing pad
This wasn’t how the story was supposed to end. When Felix Arroyo was elected Suffolk County Register of Probate in 2014, the former Boston city councilor was supposed to sail […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Who’s in charge of simulcasting?
The Legislature and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission are in a power struggle over who controls the simulcasting of horse and greyhound races. The issue surfaced on Thursday at a meeting […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Fact-checking the T’s structural deficit
Over the last two weeks, the MBTA has repeatedly cited the existence of a “structural deficit” to make the case for its controversial spending cuts and privatization initiatives In a […]
Posted inThe Back Story
Competing strategies emerge on offshore wind
TWO VERY DIFFERENT strategies are beginning to emerge as three offshore wind companies prepare to vie for up to 1,600 megawatts of contracts with the state of Massachusetts. The powerhouse […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Clean energy intrigue alleged
Environmental advocates say a 1,200 megawatt clean energy solicitation developed by the Baker administration is biased in favor of large-scale hydro projects favored by some of the state’s utilities. The […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
ML Strategies breaks lobbying record
ML Strategies saw its lobbying fees soar to more than $4 million in 2016, setting what appears to be a single-year record among Massachusetts firms. ML Strategies, which is […]
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
DeVos selection roils reform sector
THE BATTLE OVER President Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, had teachers unions, public school advocates, and many on the political left in high dudgeon. DeVos’s record of support for […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Eversource seeks higher fees on customers with solar
Eversource is proposing special charges for customers with solar installations to make sure they pay their share of the cost of operating the power grid. The proposed charges are contained […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Baker moves to collect tax on internet sales
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER IS LAUNCHING an initiative to indirectly start collecting sales tax from Massachusetts residents making purchases over the internet. The move by Baker is somewhat risky, both politically […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
MassHousing conflict?
THE STATE’S CONFLICT of interest law seems pretty straightforward. A public official may not participate in any matter in which she or a member of her immediate family has a […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Baker’s record on records
Over the past two years, Gov. Charlie Baker has responded to 33 requests for public records by either withholding the information in its entirety or releasing it in redacted form. […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Logan inching toward agreement with Uber, Lyft
Massport is quietly trying to fashion new regulations to open up Logan Airport to all ride-hailing drivers but, six months after passage of a state law paving the way for […]
Posted inThe Back Story
MassHousing paid settlements to terminated workers
THE NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency terminated three employees earlier this year and cushioned the blow by paying them a total of $144,552, according to records […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
T parking revenue up 22%
THE MBTA’S PARKING REVENUE increased 22 percent over the last five months compared to the same period a year ago, reinforcing the notion that theft by employees of the T’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Back Story
Bishops press Beacon Hill for criminal justice reform Â
THE STATE’S FOUR Catholic bishops are adding their voices to those calling for the Legislature to take up a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill when lawmakers reconvene for a new […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, The Back Story
Clinton outperformed Obama in Mass.
HILLARY CLINTON didn’t do as well on Election Day in most states as President Obama did in 2012 – except in a handful of spots, including Massachusetts. In fact, Clinton […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Eversource pushing big solar project
EVERSOURCE ENERGY, a fierce opponent of solar subsidies on Beacon Hill, is seeking state approval to build solar farms across Massachusetts. A spokesman for the utility said the net cost […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Lang: Keolis was on verge of walking away
A MEMBER OF THE MBTA’S oversight board said the transit agency’s commuter rail operator was on the verge of walking away from its $2.68 billion contract earlier this year when […]
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
Malden charter seeks damages from departing teacher
ONE MIGHT HAVE expected Mystic Valley Regional Charter School to throw Matt Kowalski a goodbye party after seven years as a dedicated social studies teacher at the Malden school. Instead, […]
