This story has been updated. A TOP AIDE to Gov. Charlie Baker sent a letter to town officials in Somerset indicating the administration is interested in working with them to […]
Baker aide tells Somerset she wants to work with town
Posted inOpinion
9/11 was a ‘pattern break’ for US society
WHAT I REMEMBER most about September 11, 2001, was feeling lucky that I could walk home. I was at a meeting at the Meridien Hotel in Post Office Square, and […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker aide Zooms in on sewage overflow problems
Forget the carefully curated Zoom office background or the blank white wall. Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides testified before the Legislature on Thursday sitting at an outdoor […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker aide Zooms in on sewage overflow problems
FORGET THE CAREFULLY curated Zoom office background or the blank white wall. Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Kathleen Theoharides testified before the Legislature on Thursday sitting at an outdoor […]
Posted inPolitics
Wu rides high in new poll
CITY COUNCILOR City Councilor Michelle Wu continues to hold a commanding lead in the Boston mayor’s race, with three rivals tightly bunched in the fight for second place in next […]
Posted inPolitics
Call for big investments, but no new taxes, fees
THE CANDIDATES for mayor in Boston are calling for major investments in housing, transportation, climate resiliency, schools, and a host of other areas, but they don’t intend to hike taxes […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Department of Correction finally hires ombudsman
AFTER A DELAY of several months, the Department of Correction has entered into a contract with the University of Massachusetts Medical School to create an ombudsman’s office within the department. […]
Posted inTransportation
School bus company pays $165,000 to settle idling charges
A SCHOOL BUS company agreed to pay $165,000 in fines and court costs to settle charges that its drivers routinely allowed their diesel-powered buses to idle for as much as […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mayoral debate more talking points than testy
SOME WERE EXPECTING fireworks, but what we saw was more often a display of sparklers. The five major candidates for mayor of Boston squared off Wednesday night in a televised debate […]
Posted inPolitics
Mayoral debate more talking points than testy
SOME WERE EXPECTING fireworks, but what we saw was more often a display of sparklers. The five major candidates for mayor of Boston squared off Wednesday night in a televised […]
Posted inEducation
Classes in Melrose already quarantined
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MELROSE HAS already quarantined at least two classrooms for a COVID-19 outbreak, but Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday a return to remote learning as an option […]
Posted inEnvironment
Key breakthrough in fusion energy production
A CAMBRIDGE STARTUP working with officials at MIT said on Wednesday that it has achieved a major breakthrough in fusion technology that could begin revolutionizing the way energy is produced […]
Posted inEnvironment
Curtatone to head Northeast Clean Energy Council
SOMERVILLE MAYOR Joe Curtatone announced on Wednesday that he is taking over as president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council when his current term ends in January. Curtatone, who is […]
Posted inThe Download
An education ‘he-cession’
THE PANDEMIC HAS walloped women economically, giving rise to the term “she-cession” to describe the financial fallout from COVID that has disproportionately hit them. Playing out much more quietly has […]
Posted inEducation
An education ‘he-cession’
THE PANDEMIC HAS walloped women economically, giving rise to the term “she-cession” to describe the financial fallout from COVID that has disproportionately hit them. Playing out much more quietly has […]
Posted inOpinion
Put an end to ‘period poverty’
YOUTH WHO MENSTRUATE across Massachusetts are outraged by the current period poverty crisis. Period poverty is a new term coined for a longstanding issue: the inequitable cost of menstrual products. […]
Posted inOpinion
Keep your eye on Twin River Casino in RI
WHEN YOU THINK of casinos in New England, what comes to mind are Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, which continue to dominate the region and account for between 42 percent and […]
Posted inThe Download
Are voters ready to give Dems total control of Beacon Hill?
Over the last 30 years, voters in Massachusetts have been remarkably consistent, electing moderate Republicans as governor to serve as a counterbalance to the Democratic-controlled Legislature. The only exception to […]
Posted inPolitics
Dem candidates for governor pushing big, expensive ideas
OVER THE LAST 30 years, voters in Massachusetts have been remarkably consistent, electing moderate Republicans as governor to serve as a counterbalance to the Democratic-controlled Legislature. The only exception to […]
Posted inPolitics
In governor’s race, stark differences on early, higher ed
FOR SEVERAL YEARS, the dominant conflict on Beacon Hill was how to update funding for the state’s K-12 schools. Now that a new formula is in place, the next battle […]
Posted inOpinion
Rural transportation article fell short
A recent article in Commonwealth that undertook to advance the worthy goal of transportation investment equity for rural counties and communities in Massachusetts fell so far short of making its […]
Posted inHealth Care
At-home COVID tests surging in popularity
THE LAST COUPLE of weeks, customers at Skenderian Apothecary in Cambridge have been asking for at-home COVID tests. But owner Joseph Skenderian hasn’t been able to stock them. “I can’t get a steady line,” Skenderian said. […]
Posted inEnvironment
Why Ida brought record rainfall to the Northeast
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. RECORD DOWNPOURS FROM Hurricane Ida overwhelmed cities across the Northeast on September 1, hitting some with more than 3 inches […]
Posted inOpinion
Rural transportation can’t be left behind
FOR THE PAST several decades, the federal government has chronically underfunded rural transportation. Facing severe budget shortfalls, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 health crisis, rural counties across the […]