AS REP. JOE KENNEDY III challenges incumbent US Sen. Ed Markey, Democrats cannot afford to lose sight of the bigger picture. There is little risk of the party losing Markey’s […]
Markey and Kennedy should agree to spending cap
Posted inHealth Care
Physician burnout a threat to docs and patients
A RECENT STUDY published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that physician burnout costs the US health care system $4.6 billion each year. In addition to the economic strain this […]
Posted inOpinion
Campaign finance bill partisan power grab
THE SOLE PURPOSE for any campaign finance law is to hold politicians accountable for any possible corruption. To do so, campaign finance law should always be fair and clear. Fair for all […]
Posted inUncategorized
Trump aide offers no guidance on Vineyard Wind
A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION official attending a conference in Boston on Friday repeatedly refused to say when the agency’s review of the Vineyard Wind project would be completed. The Bureau of […]
Posted inOpinion
DeLeo defends House campaign finance vote
THIS WEEK THE HOUSE of Representatives engrossed H.4067, An Act Relative to Campaign Finance, which updates the campaign finance law with specific emphasis on increasing transparency in elections by requiring […]
Posted inOpinion
Money for nothing
MASSACHUSETTS HOSPITALS appear to be getting more money while providing no added value to patients. Patients, premium payers, and the state or federal governments (funded by our payroll or income […]
Posted inPolitics
Kerry: Republicans shouldn’t rush to president’s defense
JOHN KERRY ISN’T just another Democrat inveighing against President Trump’s suspected crimes. While his political leanings are clear, Kerry also has unique experience in the diplomatic arena in which Trump […]
Posted inEnvironment
Climate change news coverage shifts
A WEEK HAS passed since the global climate strike that sent thousands of students and activists to the streets of Boston, along with millions of others around the world. This […]
Posted inThe Download
Climate change news coverage shifts
A week has passed since the global climate strike that sent thousands of students and activists to the streets of Boston, along with millions of others around the world. This […]
Posted inEducation
On education bill, funding and taxes loom large
THE RELEASE OF a long-awaited bill updating the state’s education funding formula immediately raised one big question: Would new state taxes be needed to pay for the $1.5 billion plan? […]
Posted inOpinion
The politics of MCAS 2.0
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 […]
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 […]