THE FUTURE of transportation in Massachusetts is at a crossroads. As the debate between Gov. Charlie Baker and state lawmakers over the climate bill continues, one key issue is whether the […]
News Analysis
Posted inNews Analysis
Poll indicates Baker remains wildly popular
A NEW POLL from The MassINC Polling Group out this week finds Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker still riding high with 74 percent approval and just 20 percent disapproval among the […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Getting Gateway Cities back on the bus
MUCH OF THE FOCUS on public transportation in Massachusetts during COVID has been on service cuts at the MBTA, but the Regional Transit Authorities serving the state’s Gateway Cities and […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Voters hold Beacon Hill in high esteem
POLITICS IS NOT all toxic. Here in Massachusetts, voters hold political leaders in very high regard. The state Legislature has climbed to 65 percent approval in a poll we released […]
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics
Whalen: ‘Serious threat to our democracy’
THE SEARING IMAGES of a violent mob of President Trump’s supporters breaching the US Capitol and forcing a temporary halt to the confirmation of the Electoral College votes, in protest […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Even in Mass., 1 in 4 think election not fair
JOE BIDEN won Massachusetts — by a lot, more even than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, more even than Barack Obama in 2012 or 2008. You have to go back […]
Posted inPolitics
Trump made gains in urban areas of Mass.
VOTING TRENDS THAT showed shifts in heavily Hispanic communities in Massachusetts toward President Trump in this month’s election are also apparent in other urban areas, including huge swaths of Boston, […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker really is a RINO
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S status was sealed last night: He is now an officially certified leading figure among the ever-shrinking ranks of major elected Republican officials who question the sanity of […]
Posted inNews Analysis
What does early-vote surge mean for ‘Election Day’?
WE’RE GOING TO have to come up with a better phrase than “Election Day,” given how many Americans have already voted this year. As of Monday, over 95 million votes […]
Posted inPolitics
In 4th Congressional District, echo of another race for a Kennedy seat
IT’S A CROWDED Democratic primary field for a rare open congressional seat in Massachusetts, one being vacated by a son of the state’s most storied political family. While that fairly […]
Posted inEducation
Parents take stock of the school year that was (or wasn’t)
SCHOOL’S OUT FOR the summer. Is school out forever? Parents hope not, describing very mixed experiences with the remote learning experience that began in March. The MassINC Polling Group recently […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Parents divided over the coming school year
PARENTS ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS are sharply divided along racial lines on how they want the next school year to unfold and whether schools have the ability to operate safely, according to […]
Posted inNews Analysis
24% of Mass. residents facing food insecurity
NEARLY A QUARTER of Massachusetts residents (24 percent) say they have either struggled to provide enough food for their family or have gotten food from a food bank since the […]
Posted inNews Analysis
A new housing crisis for Massachusetts?
FACED WITH COMPOUNDING economic challenges, many renters in Massachusetts are struggling to keep up with monthly rent payments, raising the specter of a spike in evictions when the moratorium expires […]
Posted inNews Analysis
The man in the middle
THERE’S NOTHING IN the middle of the road but yellow lines and dead armadillos, rabble-rousing Texas politico Jim Hightower famously averred. Add to that popular Massachusetts governors. Gov. Charlie Baker, […]
Posted inEconomy
Psychological, economic toll piling up
A PERFECT STORM of economic, social, and political crises brought on by coronavirus are battering Massachusetts residents. The economic devastation is spreading, with 20 percent reporting losing a job since the […]
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics
Democrats, Republicans divided over coronavirus threat
OVER THE WEEKEND, public health experts warned that the national death toll from the coronavirus could kill up to 200,000 people, escalating the risk faced by the country. Despite these […]
Posted inEconomy
40 percent of Mass. residents expecting financial hardships
OVER THE COURSE of just a few weeks in March, the markets set records for crashes, unemployment claims shattered records for increases, and economic activity the world over slowed to […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Poll shows residents hunkering down at home
MONDAY’S “STAY-AT-HOME” advisory from Gov. Charlie Baker represents the most restrictive recommendation yet from the state to battle the growing coronavirus threat. Non-essential businesses have been ordered to close, and, […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Simplistic theories won’t beat Trump
THE DRIVING FORCE in the Democratic presidential contest is the near-obsession of many voters with choosing a candidate who can beat Donald Trump. Nearly two-thirds of voters (63 percent) in […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Pros and cons on the Spotlight report on congestion
THE BOSTON GLOBE SPOTLIGHT TEAM reported this week that Greater Boston’s transportation problem is worsening and suggested the best way to deal with it would be to implement congestion pricing and […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Employer policies add to roadway gridlock
“WE HAVE MET the enemy and he is us.” That well-worn 1960s line from the Pogo comic strip could easily be deployed to describe the situation of Boston-area employers who […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Who’s in charge of Mass. offshore wind procurements?
THE MOST RECENT offshore wind procurement exposed a major flaw in the selection process, as the state’s three utilities – and not elected officials and their staffers – were charged […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. voters offer Warren a warning on Medicare for All
AS MASSACHUSETTS Sen. Senator Elizabeth Warren joins Joe Biden atop the Democratic primary field, her rivals have sharpened their attacks on her positions, most notably around her support for Senator […]
