TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Stephanie Pollack announced on Thursday that she intends to replace the deteriorating, elevated portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike near Boston University with an at-grade highway and make room […]
Pollack’s Allston decision: Pike at grade, Soldiers Field Rd. elevated
Posted inGambling
Gaming Commission on two tracks with Wynn
IT WAS AN ODD JUXTAPOSITION at Thursday’s meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, with commissioners one minute trying to figure out when they will be able to see a report […]
Posted inHealth Care
Perfect storm led to healthy kidney removal
ANKUR PARIKH, a 37-year-old urologist, logged into the medical records system at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and examined what he thought was a CT kidney scan that had […]
Posted inPolitics
Beacon Hill pols prefer less scrutiny of Beacon Hill pols
IF, AS THE Washington Post now proclaims on its masthead, “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” the already low-level lighting on Beacon Hill was just dimmed to a 5-watt flicker. When lawmakers passed […]
Posted inThe Download
Beacon Hill pols prefer less scrutiny of Beacon Hill pols
If, as the Washington Post now proclaims on its masthead, “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” the already low-level lighting on Beacon Hill was just dimmed to a 5-watt flicker. When lawmakers […]
Posted inEducation
Momentum growing for ed funding bill
SIX MONTHS AFTER the clock ran out on negotiations to revamp the state’s education funding formula, a broad coalition of lawmakers, mayors, and school leaders unveiled legislation on Wednesday to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Spilka: Addressing climate change top priority
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATE PRESIDENT KAREN SPILKA told a room full of environmental advocates on Wednesday that nothing the Legislature does in the next two years will be as […]
Posted inEducation
Superintendents spotlight ed funding formula flaws
PUBLIC SCHOOL superintendents made the case for changing the state funding formula for education at forums in New Bedford, Fitchburg, and Malden on Tuesday as lawmakers on Beacon Hill prepared […]
Posted inThe Download
Superintendents spotlight ed funding formula flaws
Public school superintendents made the case for changing the state funding formula for education at forums in New Bedford, Fitchburg, and Malden on Tuesday as lawmakers on Beacon Hill prepared […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker facing pressure on flame retardant bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is facing mounting pressure to sign a bill that would ban the use of certain toxic flame retardant chemicals in many products as […]
Posted inTransportation
Bostonians clinging to their cars
MOST BOSTONIANS have more and more ways of getting around town – bikes, scooters, ride-hailing apps, and car shares – but it seems their love of car ownership is not […]
Posted inTransportation
State rep’s rail-car warning echoes in DC
STATE REP. SHAWN DOOLEY acknowledged last month that some might think he had a screw loose for sounding a warning over the cybersecurity risks posed by the MBTA contracting with […]
Posted inThe Download
State rep’s rail-car warning echoes in DC
State Rep. Shawn Dooley acknowledged last month that some might think he had a screw loose for sounding a warning over the cybersecurity risks posed by the MBTA contracting with […]
Posted inTransportation
Poftak outlines his priorities for MBTA
STEVE POFTAK, the MBTA’s new general manager, started to put his imprint on the transit authority on Monday, outlining five priorities for the agency that include recruiting high-quality employees and […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: $10 weekend fare didn’t need to go away
MBTA OFFICIALS WERE mistaken last month when they said the transit authority needed to discontinue its special $10 weekend commuter rail fare to prepare an equity analysis of its impact. […]
Posted inEconomy
Lockout finally over at National Grid
THE SIX-MONTH LOCKOUT at National Grid ended on Monday when employees approved a new contract that appears to give the utility what it wanted in two key areas while offering […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 133: Rules reform battle in House not over
Two first-term legislators who tried unsuccessfully last week to change the way the speaker is selected say the fight for rules reform in the House is far from over. Rep. […]
Posted inPolitics
Rules reform battle in House not over
TWO FIRST-TERM legislators who tried unsuccessfully last week to change the way the speaker is selected say the fight for rules reform in the House is far from over. Rep. […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Rules reform battle in House not over
Two first-term legislators who tried unsuccessfully last week to change the way the speaker is selected say the fight for rules reform in the House is far from over. Rep. […]
Posted inOpinion
Running the numbers on the ‘union loophole’
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 […]
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 […]