The small average changes in auto insurance rates taking effect right now mask very large increases — and decreases — for some drivers. On April 1, the one-year anniversary of the […]
Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl oversees the production of content and edits reports, along with carrying out his own reporting with a particular focus on transportation, energy, and climate issues.
He previously worked at the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper.
Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Auto insurers raising, lowering their rates
One year after the launch of auto insurance competition in Massachusetts, companies are starting to tinker with their rates. Progressive Insurance of Ohio, which has been losing money in Massachusetts, […]
Posted inEducation
Spending spiral
INTRO TEXT EDITOR’S NOTE: Since the publication of this story, CommonWealth has learned that some of the information it presented was incomplete. For clarification, please go here. ONLINE FORUM: To […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Tax credits on chopping block?
House Speaker Robert DeLeo says the fiscal situation is so dire that, even with $1.5 billion in federal stimulus money flowing to the state, billions of dollars in spending cuts will be needed to […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Progressive grows quickly, so does grumbling
Progressive Insurance, which began selling auto insurance policies in Massachusetts less than a year ago, is on the verge of breaking into the ranks of the state's top 10 sellers. Progressive does […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
State tax credits likened to confidential grants
A top Patrick administration official told lawmakers today that a budget provision requiring greater public disclosure by recipients of state tax credits is "the first step in the direction of accountability and transparency." David […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Bluestone and Pollack’s defense of gas tax hike doesn’t add up
In today's Boston Globe, Barry Bluestone and Stephanie Pollack write that a 19-cent increase in the state gasoline tax will save Massachusetts residents money, reaching a very different conclusion than I did in […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Would a gas tax hike really save you money?
Gov. Deval Patrick implied last week that Massachusetts drivers could save money in the long run if the state gasoline tax was increased by 19 cents, but don't bet on […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Download, Transportation
Patrick finally embraces gas tax increase
Gov. Deval Patrick made a very persuasive case for raising the state gasoline tax immediately by 19 cents and having it rise in the future in tandem with the Consumer Price Index. My […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Rep. Murphy no longer has many private business dealings
Rep. Charles A. Murphy, the House's recently appointed Ways and Means Committee chairman, told CW Unbound in a phone interview today that he has shed all of his private business dealings and faces no potential conflicts of interest in […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Private conservancy signs lease with Turnpike to maintain Greenway
A private conservancy will take over day-to-day operations of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway later this month under the terms of a five-year lease signed with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. The […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Follow the money
Follow the money. That was the advice Bob Woodward received from "Deep Throat" during the Watergate scandal and it's the advice reporters should be following on Beacon Hill during the upcoming debate […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
State’s Public Records Law in need of repair
The state's Public Records Law is in desperate need of repair, according to a group of panelists who discussed the law today at a State House forum sponsored by CommonWealth […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
Patrick wants greater tax credit disclosure
With Massachusetts issuing more and more tax credits to companies, Gov. Deval Patrick is calling for greater public disclosure of who is receiving these benefits and how much good they are doing for the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
How much cutting is really going on?
The Legislature and the judiciary balked last week at letting Gov. Deval Patrick unilaterally cut their spending accounts, perhaps because they were concerned he would make real cuts in their budgets. […]
Posted inPolitics
A dysfunctional democracy
The election of Barack Obama was a historic moment for America. Faced with a choice between two very different candidates at a perilous time in the nation’s history, voters turned […]
Posted inPolitics
Rep Cabral to push public records bill
A key state lawmaker says he plans to push legislation this session addressing weaknesses in the state’s Public Records Law — and there appear to be plenty of them. Rep. […]
Posted inEconomy
Plymouth plots on cash from cremation
Trying to corner the local market on both death and taxes, the town of Plymouth is jumping into the cremation business. Town officials say they expect more and more people […]
Posted inPolitics
Four months to get utility bill
Getting to the bottom of a story isn’t always easy. Several sources told CommonWealth that electricity usage at the state-owned Ulin Rink in Milton spiked dramatically for several years before […]
Posted inHealth Care
Back in the game
Primary care doctors are like speed daters. They rush from one patient to another, trying to glean a person’s health status from a brief physical exam and a short chat. […]
Posted inPolitics
The maverick
Bristol County SheriffThomas Hodgson is in a showdown with the governor. Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is headed for a high-noon showdown with Gov. Deval Patrick. The Patrick administration is […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Murray to Beacon Hill: No gas tax, at least not yet
The Massachusetts Senate drew a line in the sand today, vowing not to hike anyone's taxes or tolls until a massive consolidation of the state's transportation network is completed or at […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Politics, The Download
Greenway Conservancy scaling back
With public funding uncertain, the private group preparing to take over management of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is paring back its budget as well as its ambitious plans for the Big […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
State budget numbers are bad
The Patrick administration today lowered its revenue forecast for this fiscal year by a whopping $952 million and concluded there would be little or no budgetary improvement in the coming year. The […]