MIKE SMITH was 5 years old when he met Justin Pasquariello and Vanessa Fazio. Pasquariello, then 22, had started a Boston-based mentoring program for kids in foster care, and Fazio was […]
Foster care mentoring turns into 20-year relationship
Posted inEducation
Schools flush with cash, but need better plan on how to spend it
IN 2010, a young Mark Zuckerberg partnered with a rising political star, then-Mayor Cory Booker, to donate $100 million dollars to Newark Public Schools. The idea was that a massive […]
Posted inOpinion
My personal evolution to embrace retirement
FOR THOSE OF US who have had a career that we enjoyed, “retirement” gives us pause. The questions I have been asking myself are: Am I ready to shed my […]
Posted inOpinion
A world without Black Twitter is difficult to think about
BEFORE THE DEATHS of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile and Sandra Bland were propelled into the media spotlight, their names were Twitter #hashtags. In 2020, Twitter was essential to […]
Posted inThe Download
Riders scarce at the T in first quarter
The MBTA’s first quarter financial report for the fiscal year wasn’t very good, so the transit authority tossed in some potentially promising news from the next quarter. The T has […]
Posted inTransportation
Riders scarce at the T in first quarter
THE MBTA’S first quarter financial report for the fiscal year wasn’t very good, so the transit authority tossed in some potentially promising news from the next quarter. The T has […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
State pension board looking to rebound
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE OFFICIALS AT THE STATE pension fund expect economic cycles and market downturns will periodically affect their investments and the quarter that ended in September “was one […]
Posted inPolitics
Race heating up for Mass. GOP chair
AFTER THE CLOBBERING taken by Massachusetts Republicans in the 2022 election, as many as three candidates could be posing challenges to state Republican Party chairman Jim Lyons. The January election […]
Posted inEconomy
Retaining international students should be a top priority for Massachusetts
THE RECENT MIDTERM elections are just the latest in a long string of events that have put immigration in the national spotlight. Unfortunately, the politics distract the public from understanding […]
Posted inThe Download
Poll finds Boston teachers open to lessons on race, sexism
Boston public school teachers believe issues of race and racism should be taught in public schools, particularly in the older grades, according to a survey conducted by Educators For Excellence, […]
Posted inEducation
Poll finds Boston teachers open to lessons on race, sexism
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL teachers believe issues of race and racism should be taught in public schools, particularly in the older grades, according to a survey conducted by Educators For Excellence, […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment, State House News Service
No consensus on timing for fossil fuel heat shift
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A COMMISSION that spent the last 11 months studying ways to help the state meet its emissions reduction requirements by shifting to cleaner buildings and addressing […]
Posted inTransportation
North Station commuter rail gates show promise
PASSENGERS SEEM to be adapting to new commuter rail fare gates at North Station, and early data indicate the tap-in, tap-out gates may be having a positive impact on fare […]
Posted inTransportation
Sargent and Dukakis offer lessons for Healey
AS THE DAYS dwindle down toward another Boston winter, a new gubernatorial administration prepares to occupy the rabbit warren of office space dedicated to the executive branch in the Bulfinch […]
Posted inThe Download
Hints of Healey education plans
IT HAS FAST become the parlor game of choice among political and policy prognosticators: Exactly what will incoming Gov. Maura Healey do once she grabs the reins of power in […]
Posted inEducation
Hints of Healey education plans
IT HAS FAST become the parlor game of choice among political and policy prognosticators: Exactly what will incoming Gov. Maura Healey do once she grabs the reins of power in […]
Posted inEnergy
Maine hydro project clears another hurdle
MASSACHUSETTS MADE some headway on its clean energy goals on Tuesday, but moving forward on key offshore wind and hydro-electricity projects remains an uncertain process. A Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying […]
Posted inEducation
It’s time for higher ed to stop playing defense
AS COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON heads into the playoffs, I’m reminded of the old adage: The best defense is a good offense. And when we look at the state of higher education […]
Posted inThe Download
Uber, Lyft riders subsidize taxi, livery firms
For every Uber and Lyft ride in Massachusetts, the state collects an extra 20 cents. Half of the 20-cent fee is split among municipalities based on where the rides originate, […]
Posted inTransportation
Uber, Lyft riders subsidize taxi, livery firms
FOR EVERY Uber and Lyft ride in Massachusetts, the state collects an extra 20 cents. Half of the 20-cent fee is split among municipalities based on where the rides originate, […]
Posted inMarijuana
Dairy farmers losing out in O’Brien pot licensing flap
A MONTH AGO, the Cannabis Control Commission deferred consideration of a license for a marijuana farm that Cannabis Control Commission chair Shannon O’Brien was previously involved with, to avoid concerns […]
Posted inOpinion
Digging into safety oversight options for MBTA
WITH HIGH-PROFILE MISHAPS and equipment failures in recent months, the MBTA is under unprecedented scrutiny for its recent safety record. The Federal Transit Administration’s Safety Management Inspection (SMI) report released […]
Posted inPolitics
In-person Election Day voting boosted turnout to 2.5m
THERE WERE 2.5 million Massachusetts residents who cast ballots in the November 8 midterm election, and despite the availability of vote-by-mail, more than half of them returned to the tried-and-true […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Dreyfus sounds alarm about health care costs
CommonWealth Magazine · Dreyfus sounds alarm about health care costs