IN 2015, TWO family-owned Massachusetts businesses—1A Auto in Pepperell and 126 Self Storage in Ashland—filed a lawsuit challenging the Massachusetts campaign finance “union loophole.” Since 1988, unions and non-profit associations […]
Running the numbers on the ‘union loophole’
Posted inPolitics
Border wall talk is affront to American creed
SOME HAD NUMBERS stenciled on their forearm. Some carried pictures of relatives lost forever. They came from a different place. They spoke a different language. Most came with only the […]
Posted inOpinion
Tsongas and the dying art of bipartisanship
ACCORDING TO A REPORT published by Pew Research in October 2017, the divide between Republicans and Democrats is the widest it’s been in the last 23 years, reflecting a sharp […]
Posted inOpinion
Electricity aggregation success extends beyond Newton
THE METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL applauds Newton for taking the next great leap in green aggregation (“Municipal electricity aggregation really works”), and we feel it is important to highlight the […]
Posted inOpinion
Four reasons medication-assisted treatment may not help inmates
IN DECEMBER, a federal district court judge in Massachusetts ordered the Essex County jail to provide an entering inmate methadone so that he could continue his successful methadone treatment of […]
Posted inPolitics
Warren faces the affability ceiling
FOR ALL THE talk about the glass ceiling that women face in politics, it turns out the barrier isn’t whether voters think women have the strength or the smarts to do […]
Posted inThe Download
Warren faces the affability ceiling
For all the talk about the glass ceiling that women face in politics, it turns out the barrier isn’t whether voters think women have the strength or the smarts to […]
Posted inOpinion
Cannabis entrepreneurs should come from Boston’s neighborhoods
THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL recently called several hearings to explore the city’s licensing and regulation of the cannabis industry. Whether would-be retailers want to admit it or not, we have […]
Posted inUncategorized
What if an offshore wind farm was up and running last winter?
Last year at this time, New England was gripped by a blast of unusually cold weather that went on for 16 days. The prolonged low temperatures increased demand for natural gas for both heating and electricity, which with […]
Posted inThe Download
Gaming Commission facing heat on Wynn probe
With just six months to go before the $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor opens, the validity of the Wynn Resorts casino license is still up in the air. The Massachusetts […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming Commission facing heat on Wynn probe
WITH JUST SIX MONTHS to go before the $2.6 billion Encore Boston Harbor opens, the validity of the Wynn Resorts casino license is still up in the air. The Massachusetts […]
Posted inEconomy
Natl. Grid, steelworkers reach tentative deal
NATIONAL GRID and the union locals representing 1,250 steelworkers said late Wednesday night that they have negotiated a new contract that, if ratified, would end a bitter, six-month lockout that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins takes office with reform agenda
RACHAEL ROLLINS, who has broken barriers throughout a two-decade legal career, cracked another one on Wednesday as she became the first woman to serve as Suffolk County district attorney and […]
Posted inPolitics
Beacon Hill notes: DeLeo cruises to speaker reelection
REP. ROBERT DELEO cruised to reelection as House speaker for the sixth time on Wednesday, but a small band of lawmakers from his own party registered their disapproval of the […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 132: Transportation advocates list priorities
Three leading transportation advocates – Jim Aloisi of TransitMatters, Chris Dempsey of Transportation for Massachusetts, and Stacy Thompson of the Livable Streets Alliance – ring in the new year on The Codcast with a […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 131: A Transit Holiday Season
Jim Aloisi likes to write a holiday verse every year for CommonWealth, and this year he went all out. This year’s ditty is a clever take on linking the Red […]
Posted inTransportation
T to relaunch $10 weekend commuter rail fare
AFTER NEARLY A ONE-MONTH hiatus, the MBTA plans to resume its $10 ride-all-you-want weekend commuter rail fare this coming weekend. The special fare was suspended, much to the disappointment of […]
Posted inTransportation
Transportation advocates list priorities
Three leading transportation advocates – Jim Aloisi of TransitMatters, Chris Dempsey of Transportation for Massachusetts, and Stacy Thompson of the Livable Streets Alliance – ring in the new year on The Codcast with […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Transportation advocates list priorities
Three leading transportation advocates – Jim Aloisi of TransitMatters, Chris Dempsey of Transportation for Massachusetts, and Stacy Thompson of the Livable Streets Alliance – ring in the new year on The Codcast with […]
Posted inPolitics
The steady hand
AS SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN made her way down the rope-line on election night, a familiar figure was close by her side. Roger Lau had managed Warren’s lopsided victory over a […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker signs National Grid legislation
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed into law on Monday morning a bill that extends the unemployment benefits of workers locked out by their employers, giving a legislative victory to steelworkers locked […]
Posted inOpinion
Developing Widett Circle is short-sighted
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH is urging the Boston City Council to declare surplus several parcels of city property along Frontage Road, including Widett Circle. This would allow the land to […]
Posted inTransportation
Problems on Mattapan line extend beyond trolleys
A HEAVILY REDACTED study on the future of the MBTA’s rail link between the Red Line’s Ashmont Station and Mattapan indicates problems associated with the line are not confined to […]
Posted inOpinion
Municipal electricity aggregation really works
ONE DOWN, 350 to go. That’s how many cities and towns in Massachusetts do not yet have so-called “municipal aggregation” electricity programs with an ambitious amount of renewable power from […]