POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS across Massachusetts stopped hiring smokers in 1997 as part of a pension system overhaul. In 2011, the Massachusetts Hospital Association implemented the same policy for its […]
U-Haul won’t hire smokers in Mass., 20 other states
Posted inOpinion
Add homes at train stops, reduce traffic
HIGH HOME PRICES and soaring rents. Countless hours spent sitting in traffic. This is all par for the course for Massachusetts residents, but it doesn’t have to be. Allowing modest […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Limpy the Turkey’s run ends on New Year’s Day
FOR READING’S BELOVED WILD FOWL, New Year’s Day brought great tragedy. Limpy the Turkey had gained celebrity as he waddled around town for months, inspiring art, tee shirts, magnets, fundraisers in his name — […]
Posted inThe Download
MassDOT contractor facing heat after fatal collision
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is starting the new year reviewing a contract it has with a highway safety company after one of the firm’s employees was allegedly driving drunk […]
Posted inTransportation
MassDOT contractor facing heat after fatal collision
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION is starting the new year reviewing a contract it has with a highway safety company after one of the firm’s employees was allegedly driving drunk during […]
Posted inTransportation
The big squeeze at Big Dig 2
THE MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE PROJECT that some are starting to call Big Dig 2 is struggling to squeeze 12 lanes, four railroad tracks, park land, a pedestrian path, and two bike […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
The folly of Baker’s drug price control plan
WHEN THE Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) selected Charlie Baker as Governor of the Year in 2018, the group may have misjudged Baker’s understanding of the industry. Baker recently offered legislation that […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Should private colleges open libraries to public?
LOCAL PRIVATE COLLEGES are divided on whether to open or close their libraries to the public. Harvard University, Northeastern University, and Emerson College don’t allow members of the public to […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Couple turns old mill into sprawling arts complex
VITEK KRUTA, a professional painter, sculptor, and conservator, originally went looking more than a decade ago for a larger studio space in Holyoke. Instead, he and his life partner, Lori […]
Posted inOpinion
The cost of insulin is skyrocketing
WITH MORE THAN 30 MILLION Americans living with diabetes, the chances are that you personally know someone with the disease. Here in New England, over 1.4 million individuals have diabetes […]
Posted inTransportation
Keolis crews get more training on switches
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA AND KEOLIS will expand training programs for commuter rail personnel after an initial investigation determined that human error in switch usage caused a derailment […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Partners vowing to end surprise billing
Partners HealthCare is moving to eliminate surprise billing, where consumers receive large, unexpected hospital bills after unknowingly being treated by a doctor who doesn’t accept their insurance. The Partners policy […]
Posted inHealth Care
Partners vowing to end surprise billing
PARTNERS HEALTHCARE is moving to eliminate surprise billing, where consumers receive large, unexpected hospital bills after unknowingly being treated by a doctor who doesn’t accept their insurance. The Partners policy […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. Dems actually lean to the middle
AS WE ENTER 2020, the Democratic Party is in the midst of an identity crisis. The conventional wisdom says that a highly progressive wing, buoyed by the victories of Alexandra […]
Posted inEconomy
Trump move threatens Mass. maritime economy
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is trying to circumvent an almost century-old law that protects our national security, creates well-paying, blue-collar jobs, and ensures safe working conditions for merchant mariners. This is […]
Posted inTransportation
Subway ridership rebounding, but still lackluster
RED LINE RIDERSHIP appears to be rebounding, with the number of average weekday trips now trending back to the same level it was prior to the June 11 derailment at […]
Posted inOpinion
I’ve got questions on Rep. Neal, Partners
AS DECEMBER DRAWS to a close, there have been a number of “happenings” in health care, both nationally and locally, that have major implications for policy. A few are worth […]
Posted inEducation
Finding middle ground in the debate over recess
Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. – Fred […]
Posted inHealth Care
Board admonishes Beth Israel cardiologist
THE STATE MEDICAL BOARD recently disciplined a prominent cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for losing his temper and using disrespectful language while performing a complex procedure. The state […]
Posted inOpinion
What we should focus on in the rail debate
A correction has been added to this story. Congestion at rush hour: That is the problem we should be trying to solve as we contemplate alternative rail and transit expansion […]
Posted inThe Download
Mass. Cultural Council secures gambling funds
The long-delayed closeout spending bill that finally passed on December 15 contained a provision funneling 2 percent of the tax revenue from the state’s two resort casinos into a fund […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Mass. Cultural Council secures gambling funds
A correction has been added to this story. THE LONG-DELAYED closeout spending bill that finally passed on December 15 contained a provision funneling 2 percent of the tax revenue from […]
Posted inPolitics
Liberty Mutual, Verizon pushed tax change
LIBERTY MUTUAL AND VERIZON were two of the companies lobbying for a controversial corporate tax relief provision that appears to have nearly derailed a closeout budget bill late this year. […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Weld: ‘All of this is totally unprecedented’
As a young lawyer working for the congressional committee investigating President Nixon, Bill Weld’s job was to study every impeachment that had previously occurred in Great Britain and the United […]