IN CONNECTICUT, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and the Democrat-controlled legislature responded to the sharp runup in fuel prices by passing a law suspending the state’s 25-cent excise tax on gasoline […]
Bond rating firm not alarmed by gas tax suspensions
Posted inOpinion
MBTA is missing big opportunity with commuter rail
A FEW WEEKS AGO I, along with hundreds of others gathered at the opening of the first phase of the Green Line extension, felt a huge sense of pride seeing […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Koonce murder sentence commuted after 31 years in jail
AFTER SPENDING 31 years in jail for murder, Thomas Koonce will soon be a free man. Gov. Charlie Baker commuted Koonce’s sentence in January and on Tuesday the Parole Board […]
Posted inPolitics
Somerset political infighting continues
VOTERS IN SOMERSET on Monday ousted from the Select Board a leader of the successful effort to shut down a controversial scrap metal export business at Brayton Point, a move […]
Posted inThe Download
House not looking to budget for tax reform
THE CENTERPIECE OF Gov. Charlie Baker’s budget proposal in January was a bill to give Massachusetts taxpayers $700 million in tax breaks – with breaks for seniors, renters, low-income taxpayers, […]
Posted inUncategorized
House not looking to budget for tax reform
THE CENTERPIECE OF Gov. Charlie Baker’s budget proposal in January was a bill to give Massachusetts taxpayers $700 million in tax breaks – with breaks for seniors, renters, low-income taxpayers, […]
Posted inHealth Care
Key lawmakers like Baker health care priorities
KEY BEACON HILL lawmakers said on Monday they were supportive of Gov. Charlie Baker’s bid to tilt health care more toward behavioral and primary care, but they worried that the […]
Posted inEducation
House budget increases spending on subsidized childcare
THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE budget, which will be released from the Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, will include major new investments in early childhood education targeted at expanding the workforce […]
Posted inOpinion
Why we need to reorient our health care system
The following is the testimony Gov. Charlie Baker delivered before the Legislature’s Committee on Health Care Financing on Monday. FOR THE PAST 50 years, the US health care system has […]
Posted inOpinion
Awash in revenue, Beacon Hill says no to gas tax relief
THE NEW YORK STATE Assembly last week introduced their annual budget which included a state gas tax suspension. The New York proposal pushes for a portion of the state’s gas […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The air traffic controller of electricity
Gordon van Welie, the president and CEO of ISO-New England, says there are four pillars that support the regional power grid his organization oversees, and all four are showing signs […]
Posted inThe Download
The air traffic controller of electricity
Gordon van Welie, the president and CEO of ISO-New England, says there are four pillars that support the regional power grid his organization oversees, and all four are showing signs […]
Posted inUncategorized
The air traffic controller of electricity
GORDON VAN WELIE, the president and CEO of ISO-New England, says there are four pillars that support the regional power grid his organization oversees, and all four are showing signs […]
Posted inUncategorized
Runner attempts 24-hour run to raise mental health awareness
BILL WELLS has run marathons, ultramarathons, and even a 100-kilometer race. On Saturday, April 23, he will try to achieve a new milestone: he plans to run for 24 hours […]
Posted inOpinion
Nursing home situation grows dire again
IT’S BEEN TWO LONG, arduous, and devastating years since Massachusetts, the country, and indeed the world, were thrown into a terrifying situation as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through our communities. […]
Posted inOpinion
When driving, get out of the bubble
IT’S NOT OFTEN that I get a warm fuzzy feeling while driving these days. With new cars that are designed to go faster, seal off the outside world, and are […]
Posted inOpinion
Too many containers are being burned, buried, littered
CLIMATE CHANGE is wreaking havoc on our planet, particularly in the Northeast region. A recent report from the United Nations found that climate change is accelerating at a shocking clip. The UN’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Public health system at a turning point
FOR NEARLY 25 YEARS, the first full week of April has been designated as National Public Health Week. This year, it comes at a critical turning point for the future of […]
Posted inThe Download
Changing incarceration trends lead to prison closure
The Massachusetts Department of Correction on Thursday made a surprising announcement: MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole will stop housing prisoners over the next two years. The reason the department gave was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Changing incarceration trends lead to prison closure
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT of Correction on Thursday made a surprising announcement: MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole will stop housing prisoners over the next two years. The reason the department gave was […]
Posted inOpinion
Senate plan puts too much emphasis on electric vehicles
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Thursday rolled out Senate Bill 2819, “An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward.” The bill was apparently meant to showcase the Senate as leading the way for […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State preparing to close down Walpole prison
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE OFFICIALS plan to wind down operations at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole, one of the state’s oldest correctional facilities. The Department of Correction on Thursday announced […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate passes a marijuana equity bill
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Thursday passed a bill that takes significant steps toward helping minority entrepreneurs and those affected by prior enforcement of drug laws break into the legal marijuana […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Holocaust museum planned for downtown Boston
TWO BOSTON AREA philanthropists have purchased an $11.5 million building on the Freedom Trail with the ambitious goal of creating a Holocaust museum in downtown Boston. “We’ve been all around […]