THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE gave Superintendent Brenda Cassellius a positive job review for her work during a difficult year and seems poised to grant her a two-year contract extension at […]
Mayoral candidates divided on extending Boston superintendent’s contract
Posted inOpinion
Strategies for increasing vaccination equity
BY MANY ACCOUNTS, Massachusetts stands out as one of the top five states in fully vaccinating its citizens. To date, 4.1 M residents are fully vaccinated and an additional 542,000 are […]
Posted inOpinion
Politics doesn’t have to be about blood sport
THIS WEEK marks 40 weeks since I launched my campaign for mayor of Boston—the first of the 2021 election cycle—and just 11 weeks to go until the September preliminary election. […]
Posted inThe Download
Two-month sales tax holiday may not make economic sense
THE DEBATE OVER Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposed two-month sales tax holiday has turned into a partisan, interest-driven dispute. Baker, a Republican who has not yet announced whether he will run […]
Posted inEconomy
Two-month sales tax holiday may not make economic sense
THE DEBATE OVER Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposed two-month sales tax holiday has turned into a partisan, interest-driven dispute. Baker, a Republican who has not yet announced whether he will run […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Poll shows strong support for requiring vaccines for teachers, first responders, and other groups
NEWS THAT THE state’s biggest health care provider systems will be requiring COVID vaccinations of their employees will likely renew debate about whether other organizations or types of businesses should […]
Posted inOpinion
Stop sweetheart deals with state utilities
Electrifying buildings and appliances that now run on gas, oil, and other fossil fuels will be a key piece of meeting Massachusetts’ climate targets. The region’s investor-owned utilities will be […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Lawmakers cool to Baker spending plans
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A PLAN TO SWEEP about $5 billion in federal relief money into a fund controlled by the Legislature is back on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk Thursday, […]
Posted inHealth Care
Concerns raised about Optum coding practices
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission said there was no need to further investigate the proposed purchase of Atrius Health by Optum, but several members of the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Changing the conversation on gun violence
THE MAY 26 San Jose murders, where a gunman opened fire at a public transit rail yard, killing nine people, further illustrate that this country’s epidemic of gun violence makes […]
Posted inOpinion
5 ways to make buses more reliable
THE REMARKABLE RESILIENCE of bus ridership through even the worst months of the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of this surface transportation mode to provide access to jobs and […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Mass. Reboot Episode 1: Art
The Boch Center and the Dorchester Art Project are arts organizations from very different worlds, but both were hit hard by COVID and are now struggling to find their way […]
Posted inGambling
Blackjack players lose their bet at the SJC
“ACCORDING TO THE WISE gambling proverb, ‘If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.’” So begins […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass Reboot: The arts sector
The Boch Center and the Dorchester Art Project are arts organizations from very different worlds, but both were hit hard by COVID and are now struggling to find their way […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Mass Reboot: The arts sector
THE BOCH CENTER and the Dorchester Art Project are arts organizations from very different worlds, but both were hit hard by COVID and are now struggling to find their way […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker seems eager to start spending
WITH STATE GOVERNMENT sitting on a huge pile of cash, Gov. Charlie Baker is suddenly eager to spend it. Early last week he proposed putting up $10 million in federal […]
Posted inOpinion
Playing catch-up with remediation won’t work
FOR A MOMENT, imagine you commute to work each day by train. A co-worker also commutes by train, but on a different line. Every day your co-worker arrives late, missing […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Baker proposes 2-month, not 2-day, sales tax holiday
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH MASSACHUSETTS on track to end the year with a multi-billion dollar surplus, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday proposed a two-month sales tax holiday that would […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. casinos may need Legislature’s help
I GET IT! Massachusetts is slowly beginning to emerge from the cocoon of the COVID-related shutdown of a significant portion of the Commonwealth’s economy. The effects of that shutdown have been […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker, Healey watch as field for governor forms
Another day, another candidate in the race for Massachusetts governor not named Baker. Or Healey, for that matter. With today’s campaign launch by Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, three Democrats have now […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker, Healey watch as field for governor forms
ANOTHER DAY, another candidate in the race for Massachusetts governor not named Baker. Or Healey, for that matter. With today’s campaign launch by Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, three Democrats have now […]
Posted inPolitics
Chang-Diaz launches run for governor
SEN. SONIA CHANG-DIAZ, a hard-charging liberal who has championed issues ranging from education funding to criminal justice reform in her 13 years in the Legislature, declared her run for governor […]
Posted inUncategorized
House votes to put fed funds through budget-like process
THE HOUSE VOTED overwhelmingly on Tuesday to put nearly all of the roughly $5 billion in unrestricted federal stimulus money through a budget-like process, giving Gov. Charlie Baker immediate control […]
Posted inEducation
State ed board approves vocational school admission changes
OVER THE OBJECTIONS of advocates who said the changes did not go far enough, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved new regulations Tuesday morning aimed at creating […]