IT’S CLEAR THE CLIMATE is changing. According to FEMA, the U.S. has experienced more severe flooding in the last decade (18 severe floods during 2010-2019) than during the prior three […]
With climate changing, get educated about flood insurance
Posted inOpinion
The principal pipeline is broken
PANDEMIC-RELATED challenges are pushing an already broken education system to the brink. The great resignation is real, and our education system has not been spared. While educators have done remarkable […]
Posted inOpinion
The T should not be playing fiscal musical chairs
WE ARE HEADING for a massive MBTA operating budget deficit next year, and no one in power on Beacon Hill is doing anything about it. Â This is not a theory […]
Posted inOpinion
Suspending the gas tax doesn’t make sense
WITH GAS PRICES recently soaring as a result of unscrupulous foreign oil cartels, greedy oil companies, and a bloodthirsty Russian autocrat, the Massachusetts GOP has a solution for Massachusetts drivers: […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA ridership rebounding, particularly on commuter rail
MBTA PASSENGER LEVELS, Â which took a hit earlier this year when COVID levels shot up, have recovered their lost ground and appear to be picking up steam, particularly on the […]
Posted inThe Download
MBTA in no big rush on electrification
The MBTA is pushing ahead with electrification, but on its own terms. Transit advocates, climate activists, and many lawmakers are pushing the T to ditch its diesel buses and quickly […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA in no big rush on electrification
THE MBTA is pushing ahead with electrification, but on its own terms. Transit advocates, climate activists, and many lawmakers are pushing the T to ditch its diesel buses and quickly […]
Posted inTransportation
Ct. suspends gas tax; Mass. Senate rejects the idea
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS MOMENTUM GROWS around the country for the suspension of state gas taxes, the state Senate on Thursday rejected a Republican-led push to pause gas tax […]
Posted inEconomy
SJC says franchises must comply with independent contractor lawÂ
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT ruled Thursday that companies operating as franchises need to comply with the state’s independent contractor law, a ruling that could lead companies to newly scrutinize the […]
Posted inTransportation
T needs to step up its game on ‘diversions’
TWO WEEKENDS AGO the MBTA did something previously unthinkable. It closed half of a major subway line, through downtown Boston, on a game day, with shuttle buses running from Back […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA shutting down chunk of Blue Line 13 days
THE MBTA is preparing to take a large chunk of its busiest subway line out of service for 13 days starting April 2 to replace 1,800 feet of track and […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker’s $4,000 employer hiring bonus called ‘deeply misguided’
ONE OF THE STATE’S leading policy analysts is raising alarms about a proposal put forward by Gov. Charlie Baker to give nonprofit and for-profit businesses a $4,000 stipend for each […]
Posted inThe Download
Wind down of housing assistance raises concerns
AS A FEDERAL rental assistance program winds down, housing advocates are looking to the state to help fill the gap. But the state assistance programs are not as generous as […]
Posted inUncategorized
Wind down of housing assistance raises concerns
AS A FEDERAL rental assistance program winds down, housing advocates are looking to the state to help fill the gap. But the state assistance programs are not as generous as […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC suspends judge for inappropriate touching
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Wednesday suspended Judge Paul Sushchyk without pay indefinitely after finding that Sushchyk grabbed the butt of a court employee at a court-sponsored event, then lied […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Correction Department denies unsafe conditions at Bridgewater
THE MASSACHUSETTS Department of Correction is disputing the findings in a report that said the agency has refused to address pervasive mold and the potential for asbestos exposure at Bridgewater […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker offering employers $4,000 for each worker hired
FRUSTRATED ATÂ the disconnect in Massachusetts between available jobs and available employees, the Baker administration is offering for-profit and non-profit employers $4,000 for each new worker they hire this year. The […]
Posted inEconomy
GOP lawmakers renew effort to suspend gas taxÂ
REPUBLICAN STATE SENATORS plan to force a vote on a temporary suspension of the state gas tax on Thursday, despite failing in a similar effort in the House. Although they […]
Posted inThe Download
Dealing with deserted downtowns now high on Baker menuÂ
THERE WAS MORE than just the scent of bacon and eggs in the air at yesterday’s Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast. There was a whiff of irony present, too. […]
Posted inEconomy
Dealing with deserted downtowns now high on Baker menuÂ
THERE WAS MORE than just the scent of bacon and eggs in the air at yesterday’s Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce breakfast. There was a whiff of irony present, too. […]
Posted inEducation
Wu: State takeover of Boston schools would be counterproductive
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THE STATE’S elementary and secondary education commissioner prepares to review the Boston Public Schools, Mayor Michelle Wu on Tuesday said she “firmly” opposes the idea […]
Posted inOpinion
A low-income fare would make a real difference
TWO MONTHS before my daughter was due to be born, I developed preeclampsia and had to be rushed from Brockton to Tufts Medical Center to give birth. My baby was […]
Posted inUncategorized
Auditor flags 29 bills for impact on local budgets
WHEN THE LEGISLATURE implemented early voting by mail during the pandemic, the state paid for some staff time for local election workers and postage costs. But not all city and […]
Posted inEducation
State receivership wrong step for Boston schools
A NEW PIONEER INSTITUTE report decries the current state of Boston Public Schools and calls for state receivership. The report relies on a March 2020 state Department of Elementary and […]