THIS MONTH, at a press conference in the wake of protests over the brutal murder of George Floyd, Mayor Marty Walsh pledged his “commitment to making Boston a national leader […]
If black lives matter, city would hold hearing for Roxbury Prep
Posted inTransportation
I-90 throat options keep coming
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Stephanie Pollack is trying to winnow down the number of options for how to replace the elevated Massachusetts Turnpike and other transportation infrastructure on the narrow strip of […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Spilka makes case for substance over process
IN A WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEW on the CommonWealth Codcast, Senate President Karen Spilka kept returning to the theme of substance over process when it comes to legislation dealing with the state’s many […]
Posted inUncategorized
Spilka makes case for substance over process
IN A WIDE-RANGING INTERVIEW on the CommonWealth Codcast, Senate President Karen Spilka kept returning to the theme of substance over process when it comes to legislation dealing with the state’s many […]
Posted inThe Download
Spilka makes case for substance over process
In a wide-ranging interview on the CommonWealth Codcast, Senate President Karen Spilka kept returning to the theme of substance over process when it comes to legislation dealing with the state’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Soldiers’ Home early retirements costly
IN A PRESS CONFERENCE last Wednesday on the scathing report by an independent investigator into the COVID-related deaths of 76 veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, Gov. Charlie Baker lamented […]
Posted inOpinion
The phrase ‘criminal justice system’ has to go
IT IS BECOMING increasingly clear that we, as a nation, have arrived at a crossroads. Between the coronavirus and the private and state-sanctioned lynchings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd sandwiched […]
Posted inOpinion
State’s SMART program isn’t so smart
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT of Energy Resources will finalize by July 15 regulations doubling the size of the MA SMART solar photovoltaic program from 1,600 to 3,200 megawatts. On the surface […]
Posted inEducation
Education funding shortfall could spur new lawsuit
WHEN MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS passed a landmark rewrite of the state’s school funding formula last year, it was done with a lawsuit hanging over their heads. Now, advocates are keeping a close eye on the […]
Posted inOpinion
Two scourges, intertwined
TREATING PATIENTS in Boston’s busiest emergency room has taught me a lot about the intersection of COVID-19 with race, class, and inequity. From ER visits to protests, black and Latinx […]
Posted inOpinion
In police licensing, the details matter
THE POLICE KILLINGS of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and other black people have brought renewed, international attention to racism in law enforcement. Thankfully, Massachusetts elected leaders have taken […]
Posted inHealth Care
Lawmakers push for Chelsea Soldiers’ Home probe
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CITING THE DEATHS of 31 veterans there, Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on Friday called for an independent investigation into the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker pushes $35m more for economic recovery package
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday proposed a $35 million increase and other changes in an economic recovery package he filed pre-COVID-19. The expanded proposal, which now has a price tag […]
Posted inOpinion
Baker should require licensed administrator at Holyoke
IT IS 10:37 P.M. From my living room, I can overhear half of a conversation between two nursing home administrators talking about a potentially reportable situation at a local skilled […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Police brutality highlights clout of public-sector unions
OUTRAGE OVER THE brutal killing of George Floyd has rightly heightened public scrutiny of police union resistance to desperately needed reforms. Less understandable is the assumption that the police are an […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Tensions rising between House and Senate
A correction and a clarification have been added to this story. JUST AS THE LEGISLATURE heads into crunch time on Beacon Hill, tensions appear to be rising between the House and […]
Posted inThe Download
Tensions rising between House and Senate
Just as the Legislature heads into crunch time on Beacon Hill, tensions appear to be rising between the House and Senate over how bills should emerge from a key committee. […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers back extension of existing MBTA control board
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE AND SENATE leaders reached an agreement Thursday to keep the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board in place for another year and to scrap a […]
Posted inOpinion
Ranked choice voting can promote equality
“I am convinced that if we are to get on to the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values” Rev. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker stops short on key reform measure
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER promised to follow through on all of the recommendations contained in a report documenting a series of management and medical mistakes at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, but […]
Posted inArts and Culture
The fascist roots of Columbus Day
AS STATUES OF Christopher Columbus are toppled (or beheaded), from St. Paul to Richmond to Boston, Americans are beginning to question the motive for raising certain historical actors to mythical […]
Posted inEducation
State: Students low risk for COVID-19
IN CRAFTING A BACK-TO-SCHOOL PLAN for the fall, the Baker administration is relying on nascent medical research suggesting children under 20 are less likely to both contract COVID-19 and transmit […]
Posted inHealth Care
COVID-19 crackdown coming for N. End restaurants
FOLLOWING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about expanded outdoor dining in Boston’s North End not complying with COVID-19 guidelines, the city’s Licensing Board has decided to crack down with random inspections of new “al […]
Posted inThe Download
COVID-19 crackdown coming for N. End restaurants
Following numerous complaints about expanded outdoor dining in Boston’s North End not complying with COVID-19 guidelines, the city’s Licensing Board has decided to crack down with random inspections of new […]