EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING, a Massachusetts teacher posted on social media that she was “thinking about retirement” and “now accepting virtual hugs.” She concluded, “#WorstMCASscoresEver.” On Tuesday, Massachusetts had released results […]
The politics of MCAS 2.0
Posted inPolitics
Campaign finance chief to step down
THE DIRECTOR of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance is planning to step down sometime in the next nine months, creating a vacancy that prompted the House to change […]
Posted inOpinion
#FreeTheRamp all day long
OF MAJOR AIRPORTS in the United States, Boston’s is closer to the downtown than most. Yet despite the short distance, getting to Logan at rush hour can be challenging. Pick […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Following the money through City Hall
THERE ARE several loose threads spilling out from the case of John Lynch, who pled guilty in September and is currently scheduled to be sentenced in January for accepting bribes. […]
Posted inThe Download
Following the money through City Hall
There are several loose threads spilling out from the case of John Lynch, who pled guilty in September and is currently scheduled to be sentenced in January for accepting bribes. […]
Posted inTransportation
Poll: Voters back subway-like commuter rail
RESIDENTS AROUND THE state want more frequent, reliable, and electrified commuter rail service, but they are more divided over how to pay for such improvements. A majority of the 1,430 […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo eyes comprehensive vaping legislation
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ON THE HEELS of the state’s new temporary ban on the sale of all vaping products, a legislative committee on Wednesday endorsed a bill prohibiting the […]
Posted inTransportation
4 municipalities pitching T on ferry service
FERRIES, OFTEN TREATED like the forgotten middle child of the MBTA, are about to get a chance to shine. After years of discussion and several years of study, the T […]
Posted inPolitics
House OK’s ouster of GOP’s Lyons from commission
THE HOUSE APPROVED legislation on Wednesday making a number of reforms to state campaign finance laws, one of which was attacked by GOP lawmakers as an “asinine,” unnecessary bid to […]
Posted inTransportation
RMV board asks for watchdog’s help
THE QUASI-INDEPENDENT board tasked with overseeing the state’s driver’s license database asked for a little help from the inspector general on Wednesday, and took some steps towards hiring a […]
Posted inTransportation
At last: Red Line back to normal
ONE HUNDRED AND SIX days after a Red Line train derailed and smashed into signal equipment, the MBTA announced Wednesday afternoon that it has finally restored service to normal on […]
Posted inUncategorized
All politics is local
Though he made his biggest mark in Washington as speaker of the House, famous son of Cambridge Tip O’Neill’s most quoted aphorism was his claim that “all politics is local.” […]
Posted inThe Download
All politics is local
Though he made his biggest mark in Washington as speaker of the House, famous son of Cambridge Tip O’Neill’s most quoted aphorism was his claim that “all politics is local.” […]
Posted inTransportation
Poll: Most biotech workers angry about commutes
THE STATE’S BIOTECH workers are stressed out and strapped for time because of bad traffic and unreliable transit, and that is spurring some to consider changing how they get to […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Body cameras will accompany pot deliveries
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION on Tuesday approved home delivery of marijuana by drivers wearing body cameras and also backed the development of establishments where adults […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker bans all vaping products for 4 months
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER declared a public health emergency on Tuesday, banning the use of all vaping products in Massachusetts for four months amid uncertainty about what’s causing a mysterious lung […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Barr donates $500,000 to MassDevelopment
THE BARR FOUNDATION on Tuesday donated $500,000 to MassDevelopment to augment the state agency’s arts-based programming in Gateway Cities. The money will be funneled into two pots. One pot of […]
Posted inPolitics
Industry sets stage for film tax credit fight
THE STATE’S CONTROVERSIAL film tax credit is due to expire on December 31, 2022, and that would mean curtains for several job-creating local businesses that have sprung up around the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Latest MCAS scores are troubling
THE STATE released its latest MCAS results on Tuesday, and the scores seem alarming. According to the Boston Globe, 61 percent of 10th graders statewide met or exceeded expectations on […]
Posted inThe Download
Latest MCAS scores are troubling
The state released its latest MCAS results on Tuesday, and the scores seem alarming. According to the Boston Globe, 61 percent of 10th graders statewide met or exceeded expectations on […]
Posted inOpinion
Election Day voter registration is good for democracy
TODAY — THE FOURTH Tuesday of September—is National Voter Registration Day. It’s also the day that Boston voters will go to the polls for hotly contested preliminary elections for City […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Orr statue now front and center at TD Garden
THE STATUE OF BRUINS GREAT Bobby Orr has a new home right in the middle of the new entrance to TD Garden dubbed The Hub. It’s a prominent spot for […]
Posted inTransportation
DeLeo floats hands-free driving proposal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH A DISTRACTED DRIVING BILL bill stuck in private negotiations for more than three months and frustrated advocates ramping up their criticism, House Speaker Robert DeLeo […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Lessons from Toronto
TORONTO TRANSIT OFFICIALS on Monday briefed the MBTA on their vision for commuter rail – a vision that many Massachusetts transit advocates would like to see the T emulate. Three […]