GOV. CHARLIE BAKER, who is apparently becoming a regular Blue Line commuter, said the MBTA is perfectly safe and urged his fellow riders to get back on board. “I’ve ridden […]
Baker to MBTA riders: Get back on board
Posted inEconomy
Despite pandemic, Baker proposes higher spending
Despite the pandemic-related recession and high unemployment rates, and an expected drop in state tax revenues, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday released a budget proposal for the current fiscal year […]
Posted inUncategorized
Courts gear up for eviction crush
IN PREPARATION for an influx of eviction cases when the statewide moratorium ends this weekend, housing courts across Massachusetts are gearing up to make the process more accessible with translators, […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Health care in the age of COVID
MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH care costs are expected to actually drop this year because of a decline in non-COVID care, but the executive director of the state’s Health Policy Commission says many […]
Posted inHealth Care
The COVID body count continues
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER touted all the ways yesterday that Massachusetts is now better prepared to deal with coronavirus than it was seven months ago. But the impressive accounting of the […]
Posted inOpinion
Civic education works: Let’s keep doing it
CIVICS EDUCATION is vital to the development of all youth and to the health of a vibrant democracy. Current events show us how young people are already leading efforts to […]
Posted inPolitics
State GOP leaders form PAC to back local candidates
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH VOTING SET to end in Massachusetts in 22 days, three prominent state Republicans announced on Tuesday that they had formed a political action committee to […]
Posted inHealth Care
Lawmakers ask what went wrong at nursing homes
A MARCH 18 report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated just how deadly COVID-19 could be at a nursing home. The report indicated a woman at […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker: Younger people causing runup in COVID-19 cases
Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday blamed the runup in COVID-19 cases over the last two months on lax behavior by people in their 20s and 30s, and insisted the state […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Walsh, Gross pledge to implement police reforms
BOSTON MAYOR MARTIN WALSH and Police Commissioner William Gross said on Tuesday they intend to implement all of the recommendations of a police reform task force, including the creation of […]
Posted inPolitics
Republican challenger struggles for foothold in ‘purple’ Andover-based rep district
AGAINST A GENERALLY bleak landscape for Massachusetts Republicans in state legislative races next month, the contest for an Andover-based state representative seat seems like it ought to offer some hope […]
Posted inThe Download
Seltz dissects Mass. health care market
Massachusetts health care costs are expected to actually drop this year because of a decline in non-COVID care, but the executive director of the state’s Health Policy Commission says many […]
Posted inHealth Care
Seltz dissects Mass. health care market
MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH care costs are expected to actually drop this year because of a decline in non-COVID care, but the executive director of the state’s Health Policy Commission says many […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker unveils $171m in eviction assistance
WITH THE STATE’S eviction moratorium set to expire at the end of the week, the Baker administration on Monday unveiled a $171 million initiative that includes new aid for landlords […]
Posted inPolitics
Mass. GOP opposes ranked-choice voting
THE MASSACHUSETTS Republican Party is opposing a ballot question establishing ranked-choice voting, saying the measure would create “a confusing and destructive system completely at odds with our democracy.” Ranked choice […]
Posted inOpinion
Voters should weigh trade-offs of Question 1
WITH MAIL-IN VOTING underway, Massachusetts citizens may be puzzling over Question 1, which aims to require automobile manufacturers that sell vehicles with telematics systems in the Commonwealth to allow owners […]
Posted inOpinion
Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day
THE UNITED STATES is grappling with the legacy of slavery, systemic racism, and oppression. This requires us, as responsible citizens, to reflect on our own lives, and question our long-held […]
Posted inOpinion
Vocational schools need a lot more support
COVID-19 has magnified many of America’s already acute economic disparities. According to research by the Pew Research Center, those without any college education have fared particularly poorly in the economic […]
Posted inOpinion
The era of Christopher Columbus is over
WHEN I WAS A KID growing up on the second floor of an East Boston triple decker, Columbus Day was a pretty big deal. Alternating with the North End, the […]
Posted inOpinion
Legislature needs to act on transportation electrification
NOW IS THE TIME to pass legislation in Massachusetts that protects the long-term public health of communities and acts on climate. A number of transportation electrification bills were under consideration at […]
Posted inTransportation
MassDOT spreadsheet on throat options raises questions
A 15-page state Department of Transportation spreadsheet comparing the four options for rebuilding the roads and rail lines in the narrow throat section of the I-90 Allston interchange appears to […]
Posted inOpinion
Gomez, Falchuk urge yes on Q2
AS AMERICANS, we are at our best when we are united. But these days, our politics are driving us further and further apart. It doesn’t have to be this way. […]
Posted inPolitics
Galvin tones down his name-dropping
IN THE FACE of criticism from the State Ethics Commission, Secretary of State William Galvin has cut down on promoting himself by name in the informational voting material he prepares […]
Posted inOpinion
Pandemic hasn’t erased the opioid epidemic
HE HAD JUST LOST his father to COVID-19. His dad had succumbed to this relentless disease while living in a long-term care facility. He was just beginning to cope with […]