MASSACHUSETTS, WITH ITS innovative industries and history of leadership and reform, should be the laboratory for reimagining public education to ensure equity, opportunity and excellence for all. But that’s not […]
Ed reform needs a new plan
Posted inOpinion
Pharmacy middlemen manipulating the system
A RECENT FEDERAL LAW allows pharmacists to inform patients when the price of their medication is less than the copayment they would pay using their insurance. This is helpful to […]
Posted inEducation
MTA will push for $1.5 billion in new ed spending
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION is pushing lawmakers to increase state funding for public education by more than $1.5 billion a year by May 1, a campaign […]
Posted inOpinion
Track care providers who commit abuse
IN EARLY NOVEMBER, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Children and Families heard compelling testimony from families, caregivers, and state agencies about the need to pass Senate bill 2606, an act […]
Posted inPolitics
Moulton caves — and declares victory
IT’S EASY TO poke some fun at Seth Moulton and liken his message to that of George Aiken, the Vermont senator who famously declared in 1966 that the US should […]
Posted inThe Download
Moulton declares victory — and caves
It’s easy to poke some fun at Seth Moulton and liken his message to that of George Aiken, the Vermont senator who famously declared in 1966 that the US should […]
Posted inEnvironment
Why are electricity prices spiking this winter?
RETAIL ELECTRICITY PRICES are going up this winter in eastern Massachusetts because of the price spike that occurred during an extreme cold spell last winter. The explanation for the rising […]
Posted inPolitics
Mass. Fiscal social justice claims ring hollow
BACK IN 1932 James Michael Curley arrived at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago without a seat in the Massachusetts delegation. Curley dexterously engineered himself into becoming the chairman of […]
Posted inPolitics
Globe seeks more women in House leadership
THE BOSTON GLOBE editorial page is demanding more women in House leadership, particularly at the helm of the House Ways and Means Committee. The message is a familiar one for Shirley Leung, […]
Posted inThe Download
Globe seeks more women in House leadership
The Boston Globe editorial page is demanding more women in House leadership, particularly at the helm of the House Ways and Means Committee. The message is a familiar one for Shirley […]
Posted inUncategorized
Price of electricity going up in E. Mass.
THE PRICE OF ELECTRICITY in eastern Massachusetts is going up this winter to its highest level since 2015. Eversource Energy said its price for so-called basic service will be nearly […]
Posted inTransportation
Ramirez out, Poftak in as T general manager
This story was updated at 2 p.m. to include compensation information. LUIS RAMIREZ IS OUT as general manager of the MBTA after just 15 months on the job and the […]
Posted inPolitics
Housing blues is long-running lament
IT’S THE LONGEST running tragicomedy on the Boston area political stage. We desperately need to build more housing to accommodate growth and temper a price run-up that puts home ownership […]
Posted inThe Download
Housing blues is long-running lament
It’s the longest running tragicomedy on the Boston area political stage. We desperately need to build more housing to accommodate growth and temper a price run-up that puts home ownership […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Gearing up for new commuter rail contract
THE MBTA IS PREPARING to hire a consulting team to help the agency sort through a number of complicated scenarios for contracting for commuter rail service after the existing deal […]
Posted inTransportation
T to consider privatizing some bus service
THE CHAIRMAN of the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board raised the possibility on Monday of expanding the authority’s fleet of buses and using private contractors to both operate and […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 128: ‘Beat the Press’ celebrates 20 years
Emily Rooney, who is celebrating her 20th year hosting Beat the Press on WGBH, says the biggest change she’s witnessed over that time period has been in the news-gathering business […]
Posted inTransportation
T board mad weekend commuter rail pass is ending
MEMBERS OF THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board weren’t pleased on Monday when they learned a largely successful six-month pilot program offering commuter rail customers a $10 ride-as-much-as-you-want weekend […]
Posted inUncategorized
‘Beat the Press’ celebrates 20 years
Emily Rooney, who is celebrating her 20th year hosting Beat the Press on WGBH, says the biggest change she’s witnessed over that time period has been in the news-gathering business […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: ‘Beat the Press’ celebrates 20 years
Emily Rooney, who is celebrating her 20th year hosting Beat the Press on WGBH, says the biggest change she’s witnessed over that time period has been in the news-gathering business […]
Posted inEconomy
Guess what’s anchoring many small downtowns?
THE NEW ENGLAND MOBILE BOOK FAIR of my childhood wasn’t exactly mobile; it was a cavernous cinderblock warehouse of a store in Newton. Yet visiting the store was like going […]
Posted inOpinion
BIDs can play role in climate resiliency
THE OCTOBER ANNOUNCEMENT of the “Resilient Boston Harbor” proposal by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh united two critical public policy considerations: long-term adaptation response to climate change and increased access to […]
Posted inEducation
Mass. cities losing clout in ed funding fight
WE PREVIOUSLY CO-AUTHORED an article in CommonWealth detailing the increasing discrepancies in municipal finance between the “haves” and the “have-nots” among Massachusetts cities and towns. It should not be surprising, therefore, […]
Posted inEducation
Use pot revenue to expand afterschool programs
IN A RECENT report on the importance of afterschool programs, the Legislature’s Afterschool and Out-Of-School Time Coordinating Council, chaired by Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rep. Jennifer Benson, reached a familiar conclusion, […]