ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY on Tuesday urged Baker administration officials to actively participate in deliberations over what to do about the stalled Northern Pass hydro-electricity project, and not leave the […]
Healey to Baker: Don’t leave N. Pass decision to utilities
Posted inTransportation
Baker pushes phased S. Coast Rail
FOLLOWING THROUGH ON A CAMPAIGN PROMISE, Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday sought environmental approval for a phased approach to South Coast Rail that will allow service between Boston’s South Station […]
Posted inPolitics
The case for paid family leave and a boost in minimum wage
25 YEARS AGO, on February 5, 1993, President Clinton signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which allows certain workers to take up to 12 weeks of […]
Posted inEducation
Connolly to chair new Lawrence school oversight board
JOHN CONNOLLY, WHO made education the centerpiece of his unsuccessful 2013 campaign for mayor in Boston, has been tapped to chair the new state-appointed board that will oversee the Lawrence […]
Posted inThe Download
Uber vs. the T
A new poll of 944 Massachusetts users of ride-hailing apps indicated that services like Uber and Lyft are adding to congestion on the roads and drawing passengers away from public […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Pay-to-play on transportation projects
STATE TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS say they will increasingly look to third parties to financially support expansion initiatives. A policy memo released on Monday at the Fiscal and Management Control Board meeting […]
Posted inTransportation
T abandons privatization of bus garages
THE MBTA ON MONDAY abandoned efforts to privatize bus repair work at three garages after the union representing the existing workers agreed to wage and work rule concessions that will […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 83: Riley’s collaborative ways
Chip Tuttle and Jay Gonzalez are at the forefront of those pressing for the commission to do just that. They say the resignation of Steve Wynn as chairman and chief […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Riley’s collaborative ways
Jeff Riley won the backing last week of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to be the next state education commissioner based in large part on his work […]
Posted inOpinion
Unchoke the throat
FRIDAY IS THE DEADLINE for comments on the state’s billion-dollar plan to rebuild the Mass Pike through Allston. So far, most news has focused on the project’s billion-dollar price tag and […]
Posted inOpinion
Bezos could change the dynamic
THERE WAS A TIME when the idea of government serving the public good meant something in our country. Government was the means by which people who wanted to pursue transcendent, […]
Posted inEnvironment
State’s 3 utilities will decide fate of N. Pass
THE DECISION ON WHETHER Massachusetts should stay the course with Northern Pass or move on to another project will be made by the state’s three utilities, one of which is […]
Posted inEducation
Little-tapped Boston contract provision tied to big school improvement
JUST FIVE YEARS AGO, Mildred Avenue K-8 School in Mattapan was one of the worst performing schools in the Boston Public School system and ranked in the lowest percentile of […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker hits some turbulence
Suddenly, Gov. Charlie Baker doesn’t seem so invulnerable. He may still be the most popular governor in the country, but over the last few weeks Baker has hit some serious […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
NH regulators give thumbs down to Northern Pass
NORTHERN PASS, the $1.6 billion project selected by Massachusetts last week to bring a massive amount of hydro-electricity into New England from Quebec, failed to win a key permit from […]
Posted inHealth Care
Group Insurance Commission reverts to status quo
THE STATE’S GROUP INSURANCE COMMISSION on Thursday shelved an ambitious proposal to save an estimated $21 million by paring back the number of health insurance carriers available to its 430,000 […]
Posted inMicrophilanthropy
Knitting together help for the homeless
THERE ARE GRAND policy plans and programs to serve the homeless – and then there are more direct, small acts of kindness. Last night, a team of 300 volunteers and […]
Posted inThe Download
A Wynn-lose situation
If you lie down with dogs, you might end up with fleas. So goes the old saw, versions of which have been variously attributed to everyone from Ben Franklin to […]
Posted inHealth Care
GIC chief takes the fall
THE HEAD OF THE STATE’S Group Insurance Commission took the fall on Wednesday for a bungled rollout of a plan to cut health care costs for more than 400,000 state […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming Commission could yank Wynn Resorts license
THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING COMMISSION said on Wednesday that its investigation of Steve Wynn could lead to the revocation of the Wynn Resorts casino license in Everett and indicated the early […]
Posted inThe Download
What does Ayanna Pressley know that we don’t?
This being Super Bowl week, pigskin-related analogies are everywhere. In that vein, we’re focused on the special teams warning about outkicking the coverage. That’s where a punter or kicker sends […]
Posted inEnvironment
Lawmakers slam new solar charges
HOUSE AND SENATE ENERGY LEADERS made clear on Tuesday that they aren’t happy with the way Eversource Energy and state regulators have implemented legislation requiring homeowners with solar installations on […]
Posted inHealth Care
Four thoughts for the GIC
MANY OF US ARE BREATHING a sigh of relief with the hope that the Group Insurance Commission will vote to rescind its initial January 18 decision to accept the staff […]
Posted inEducation
Personalized learning key to tackling education inequities
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, Massachusetts set out on an ambitious reform plan for education. The Education Reform Act of 1993 established two main cornerstones for improving education in the Commonwealth: infusing […]