THE THREE MASSACHUSETTS utilities, accustomed to getting their way on Beacon Hill, are facing pushback on a provision in state law that allows them to collect from electricity ratepayers up […]
Utilities facing pushback on clean energy contract compensation
Posted inEducation
Lessons for Boston on how schools and school districts improve
THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL system is in a moment of crisis. The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s recently released report describes a dysfunctional system with fundamental student services […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Why Black women die from childbirth twice as often as White women
When Nneka Hall was pregnant with her third child, she had a symptom of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication, but her doctor never caught it. Hall felt her daughter hiccuping […]
Posted inHealth, Health Care, Race/Racism
Why Black women die from childbirth twice as often as white women
WHEN NNEKA HALL was pregnant with her third child, she had a symptom of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication, but her doctor never caught it. Hall felt her daughter hiccuping […]
Posted inThe Download
Why Black women die from childbirth twice as often as white women
WHEN NNEKA HALL was pregnant with her third child, she had a symptom of preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication, but her doctor never caught it. Hall felt her daughter hiccuping […]
Posted inGovernment, Public Records
Wu not always living up to transparency promises
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu took office promising greater transparency in her administration, but one barometer of her performance indicates she still has some work to do. Aides say the city […]
Posted inOpinion
Here’s a cake recipe for the Health Policy Commission
WHEN MASS GENERAL Brigham submitted its performance improvement plan on May 16, I thought what was proposed was “wholly inadequate.” In recent days, to follow up that comment, I tried to […]
Posted inOpinion
Tracing where Worcester’s ‘grit’ comes from
WORCESTER HAS BEEN long recognized as a “gritty” city in the heart of the Commonwealth. But what exactly does that mean and how did it get this moniker? Some have […]
Posted inPolitics
A balancing act from front-runner Healey
MAURA HEALEY, who launched her campaign for governor in January with a modulated message vowing to continue what’s working and change what isn’t, swept the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s convention endorsement, […]
Posted inPolitics
Mass. Dems lean toward women candidates
MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATS, looking for a sweep of the state’s six constitutional offices, leaned heavily toward women on Saturday at the party’s state convention in Worcester. Attorney General Maura Healey handily […]
Posted inOpinion, Race/Racism
Juneteenth a chance for new customs and rituals
TWO YEARS AFTER George Floyd and just days after the final victims of last month’s racial murders in Buffalo, it’s hard not to reflect on America’s long and painful history […]
Posted inOpinion
Forgiving student loans is not the best policy
ANY DAY NOW, President Biden is expected to make an announcement that his administration will be cancelling up to $10,000 in college student loan debt for each borrower. A lot […]
Posted inState Government
RMV vendor says 53,000 driver’s licenses, IDs need to be replaced
A VENDOR of the Registry of Motor Vehicles said it printed 53,680 driver’s licenses and identification cards incorrectly over the last couple months and starting Monday will begin mailing replacement […]
Posted inThe Download
Healey leads money chase in statewide races
When it comes to political fundraising this cycle, Democratic attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey continues to far outpace absolutely everyone. Healey raised $2.3 million between January and June […]
Posted inPolitics
Maura Healey leads money chase in statewide races
WHEN IT COMES to political fundraising this cycle, Democratic attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey continues to far outpace absolutely everyone. Healey raised $2.3 million between January and June […]
Posted inPolitics
For Mass. Democrats, a troubling gap between party platform and practice
THIS WEEKEND, thousands of Democrats from across the Commonwealth will be descending upon Worcester (or joining virtually) for the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s annual convention. As a nominating convention, it will […]
Posted inOpinion
GOP’s Amore says his opponents are not ‘evil’
TWENTY YEARS AGO, Charles Krauthammer famously said of the divide between the right and the left that “Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil.” This, he claimed, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
31,000 defendants to split $14m in settlement
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Roughly 31,000 defendants who had criminal convictions vacated in the wake of a massive state drug lab scandal are poised to split about $14 million in […]
Posted inTransportation
T looking closely at operator error on Green Line crash
MBTA GENERAL MANAGER Steve Poftak said there is no evidence that vehicle, signal, or track issues played any role in the collision Wednesday night of two Green Line trains at […]
Posted inThe Download
Brain drain goes on in municipal government
Ed Augustus left his job as city manager in Worcester on Tuesday and on Wednesday started a new job as the first-ever chancellor of Dean College in Franklin. Augustus’s decision […]
Posted inGovernment
Brain drain goes on in municipal government
ED AUGUSTUS left his job as city manager in Worcester on Tuesday and on Wednesday started a new job as the first-ever chancellor of Dean College in Franklin. Augustus’s decision […]
Posted inTransportation
East-West rail ‘elephant in the room’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A PASSENGER RAIL extension into western Massachusetts looms as one of the most impactful projects on the table now that Gov. Charlie Baker and federal officials […]
Posted inArts and Culture
In Hynes redevelopment, you’ve got to have arts
GENE RODDENBERY’S classic television series explored the voyages of the starship Enterprise, exploring new worlds, seeking out new lives and civilizations and to boldly go where nobody has before. We […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t forget the poetry of public transit
WHEN ACADEMICS and advocates talk about transit, they talk about the importance of things like access, agglomeration effects, sustainability, and mobility efficiency. It’s often through the lens of these attributes […]