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 […]
Riders scarce at the T in first quarter
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
Posted inThe Download
Dreyfus sounds alarm about health care costs
Andrew Dreyfus, who is winding up his 12 years as president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, says health care costs in the state are on the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Dreyfus sounds alarm about health care costs
ANDREW DREYFUS, who is winding up his 12 years as president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, says health care costs in the state are on the […]
Posted inOpinion
Cheap natural gas is a thing of the past
DEFENDERS OF THE fossil fuel status quo have long tied environmentalists to the whipping post of New England’s constrained natural gas pipeline network. And it’s arguably true that popular resistance from […]
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
Breathalyzer scandal could reopen 27,000 drunk driving cases
IN A CASE that has echoes of the notorious drug lab scandals, the state’s highest court will consider whether to make up to 27,000 defendants in drunk driving cases eligible for […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to come clean about COVID-19
RATES OF COVID-19 vaccination in this country are too low. Less than half of those over 65 have received a second booster and, among children under 5, the rate of […]