IT’S FINALLY springtime in Boston. The grass is green, trees are leafing, and the birds are back. It’s a time for rebirth and renewal. This particular spring seems an especially […]
A plan for Greater Boston’s future
Posted inGambling
Senate passes sports betting on voice vote
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER YEARS OF DISCUSSION and pressure from both inside and outside the State House, the Massachusetts Senate voted Thursday to legalize sports wagering, but lawmakers will […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA spending going up, but not enough for low-income fare
THE MBTA IS planning to increase spending 8 percent in the coming fiscal year, but the transit authority’s general manager said there is not enough money for new initiatives such […]
Posted inTransportation
Poftak, T board offer condolences on Lalin, Monsini
THE MBTA’S general manager and board of directors, who have come under fire for failing to acknowledge the deaths of Robinson Lalin and Peter Monsini, did so on Thursday in […]
Posted inRace/Racism
King sculpture on Boston Common breaks ground
BOSTON UNIVERSITY STATEHOUSE PROGRAM A LARGE GROUP of dignitaries held a ceremonially groundbreaking at the Boston Common on Wednesday for the “Embrace,” a sculpture commemorating the moment when Dr. Martin […]
Posted inUncategorized
Representative apologizes after drunk driving arrest
THE STATE REPRESENTATIVE arrested Tuesday for drunk driving apologized on Thursday and pledged to seek treatment for his addiction. Rep. David LeBoeuf, a Worcester Democrat, wrote in a public statement on […]
Posted inThe Download
Climate change brain drain in Baker administration
Gov. Charlie Baker lost another key aide on the climate change front, as Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said she is leaving the administration next week. Theoharides has […]
Posted inEnvironment
Climate change brain drain in Baker administration
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER lost another key aide on the climate change front, as Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said she is leaving the administration next week. Theoharides has […]
Posted inPolitics
Chang-Diaz turns forum with Healey into a debate
DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL candidate Sonia Chang-Diaz, frustrated in her attempts to negotiate a pre-convention, one-on-one debate with her rival Maura Healey, used a Wednesday night forum on climate change to accentuate […]
Posted inHealth Care
South Coast residents struggle to get health care, insurance
IT IS BY now an axiom that Massachusetts residents have access to some of the best health care in the country. But actually getting that health care and being able […]
Posted inTransportation
W. Mass. showing clout on East-West rail
WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS, with the help of US Rep. Richard Neal, is starting to flex some muscle on the region’s holy grail of transportation — East-West rail. At a meeting in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State Rep. David LeBoeuf arrested for drunken driving
STATE REP. DAVID LEBOEUF was arrested Tuesday night and charged with drunken driving, after he was caught driving with a blood alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit. […]
Posted inHealth Care
House floats UMass health sciences school at Mount Ida campus
FACED WITH a staffing crisis throughout the health care industry, the House’s leading policymaker on health care has an idea: build a new public school for health sciences education, located […]
Posted inThe Download
For Wilkerson, a looming question of culpability
TENACITY ALONE SOMETIMES brings its own rewards, and Dianne Wilkerson certainly looks determined to complete her return from the political wilderness more than a decade after being sent off to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
For Wilkerson, a looming question of culpability
TENACITY ALONE SOMETIMES brings its own rewards, and Dianne Wilkerson certainly looks determined to complete her return from the political wilderness more than a decade after being sent off to […]
Posted inOpinion
Massport is targeting net zero by 2031
CLIMATE CHANGE isn’t something that could happen in the future – it’s already here. And the effects in a maritime city like Boston and coastal state like Massachusetts are particularly […]
Posted inTransportation
Neal, Baker strike deal on East-West rail
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FEDERAL AND STATE officials on Tuesday agreed on a path forward to extend passenger rail service west of Worcester to the cities of Springfield and Pittsfield, […]
Posted inThe Download
David v. (Verizon) Goliath in Pittsfield
THE PITTSFIELD BOARD OF HEALTH is taking a bold stand against a cell phone tower owned by Verizon, claiming the South Street structure is dangerous to those in the area […]
Posted inEnvironment
David vs. (Verizon) Goliath in Pittsfield
THE PITTSFIELD BOARD OF HEALTH is taking a bold stand against a cell phone tower owned by Verizon, claiming the South Street structure is dangerous to those in the area […]
Posted inOpinion
Spending billions fixing gas system makes no sense
TO HAVE ANY CHANCE of averting climate catastrophe, the latest climate science is definitive that we must actively decommission much of our existing fossil fuel infrastructure. Flying in the face […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House Democrats refuse to budge on tax relief
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE DEMOCRATS kicked off debate Monday on a nearly $50 billion state budget bill by rejecting Republican-led efforts to weave tax relief into the annual spending […]
Posted inEducation
Fall River high school students sing Early College program’s praises
CARLOS MARCANO STARTED taking classes at Bristol Community College last year while still a junior in high school. Now a senior at Durfee High School in Fall River, Marcano is […]
Posted inTransportation
Keeping score on MBTA control board’s priorities
A NEW REPORT highlights where the MBTA is lagging behind goals set by its previous oversight board or in some cases moving in an entirely different direction. The report, prepared […]
Posted inUncategorized
Wu backs low-income MBTA fare
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu, who has made a fare-free MBTA one of her top priorities, on Monday said she supports passage of a law creating a reduced fare for low-income […]