THE LEGISLATURE suspended its rules and whisked through a climate change bill on Thursday that seeks to make Massachusetts the “Saudi Arabia of wind,” promotes the adoption of zero emission […]
Here’s what’s in the Legislature’s energy/climate change legislation
Posted inTransportation
T called worse off now than during snowmageddon
THE LEAD CAR of an Orange Line train crossing the Mystic River caught fire early Thursday morning, prompting panic on board the train and the evacuation of close to 200 […]
Posted inThe Download
Is it time to shake up the MBTA board?
A correction has been added to this story. In the debate over the future of the MBTA, very little attention has been paid to the relatively new board that oversees […]
Posted inTransportation
Is it time to shake up the MBTA board?
A correction has been added to this story. IN THE DEBATE over the future of the MBTA, very little attention has been paid to the relatively new board that oversees […]
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Compromise climate bill coming down to the wire
HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano tweeted that the Legislature will vote on a compromise bill to combat climate change on Thursday, presumably by suspending rules designed to give lawmakers proper notice […]
Posted inOpinion
5 observations at the end of the HPC’s Altman years
THE ”ALTMAN YEARS” came to an end at the last meeting of the Health Policy Commission when chairman Stuart Altman, a professor at Brandeis, stepped down after 10 years at […]
Posted inPolitics
Doughty says Diehl cannot win running as an Alabama Republican
POLITICAL NEWCOMER Chris Doughty trails in the Republican primary race for governor, but in a debate Wednesday night with his rival Geoff Diehl he more than held his own and […]
Posted inEducation
Free $50 for college going unclaimed in poorer communities
IN THE TONY Boston suburb of Newton, with some of the best schools and highest high school graduation rates in the state, more than a quarter of the babies born […]
Posted inThe Download
Homeschooling gains remain even as pandemic wanes
North Star in Sunderland offers classes, social opportunities, help designing study plans, and other opportunities for homeschooled teenagers. It started this year with 45 members and got 15 new teens […]
Posted inEducation
Homeschooling gains remain even as pandemic wanes
NORTH STAR in Sunderland offers classes, social opportunities, help designing study plans, and other opportunities for homeschooled teenagers. It started this year with 45 members and got 15 new teens […]
Posted inEnergy
Biden visits Somerset, an energy bellwether
REP. PATRICIA HADDAD of Somerset woke up a bit late on Tuesday, checked her phone, and saw she had 15 texts and six phone messages – all about President Biden […]
Posted inOpinion
Shame on the House’s Kraft land grab
THIS END-OF-SESSION season is when the Legislature’s aversion to transparency and penchant for back-room deals become the mortar and pestle of terrible policy decisions at the expense of the public […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA board approves 2 land deals worth $100m
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MBTA OVERSEERS stamped approval Tuesday on a pair of real estate projects together worth more than $100 million to boost the agency’s vehicle maintenance footprint. The […]
Posted inTransportation
Full Orange, Red, and Blue line service unlikely to resume soon
SERVICE ON the Orange, Red, and Blue Lines will probably continue at reduced levels beyond Labor Day and likely into next year because of hiring and training constraints for subway dispatchers. […]
Posted inThe Download
New temporary elevated highway may be needed with I-90 Allston project
The I-90 Allston interchange has always been a challenge to design, particularly squeezing the Massachusetts Turnpike, Soldiers Field Road, and four railroad tracks at ground level into in the narrow […]
Posted inTransportation
New temporary elevated highway may be needed with I-90 Allston project
THE I-90 ALLSTON interchange has always been a challenge to design, particularly squeezing the Massachusetts Turnpike, Soldiers Field Road, and four railroad tracks at ground level into in the narrow […]
Posted inState Government
State budget is a lot more than just a spending plan
FRAIDY REISS, who leads the New Jersey-based advocacy group Unchained At Last, has been fighting to end child marriage in Massachusetts for six years, lobbying lawmakers and testifying at hearings. […]
Posted inEducation
Agreement on Boston schools must be call to action
THE RECENT AGREEMENT between Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is a welcome development. It’s not cause for celebration, but a good […]
Posted inState Government
Senate’s $4B economic development bill provides faster tax relief
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE released a $4 billion economic development bill on Monday that includes some key spending differences from a House bill in areas like education, human services, and housing. […]
Posted inTransportation
Straus asks whether the T is still needed
AT THE END of Monday’s legislative oversight hearing on safety practices at the MBTA, the House chair of the Transportation Committee said something was missing. The committee, in its questioning […]
Posted inTransportation
Blue Line wall of silence becomes focus of MBTA oversight hearing
ON MAY 8, the MBTA sent out a press release saying the planned reopening of the Blue Line set for that day needed to be extended until May 13 “to […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Black girls disciplined in school more often than Whites
In the last normal school year before the pandemic, Black girls in Massachusetts were disciplined in school at more than three times the rate of white girls. Often, Black girls […]
Posted inThe Download
Black girls disciplined in school more often than Whites
In the last normal school year before the pandemic, Black girls in Massachusetts were disciplined in school at more than three times the rate of white girls. Often, Black girls […]
Posted inEducation
Black girls disciplined in school more often than Whites
IN THE LAST normal school year before the pandemic, Black girls in Massachusetts were disciplined in school at more than three times the rate of white girls. Often, Black girls […]