THE STATE’S TOP TRANSPORTATION OFFICIAL on Monday gave the MBTA’s subway and bus operations high grades for rebounding in the wake of last Thursday’s winter storm, but said commuter rail […]
MBTA praised for cold-weather performance
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
US attorney threatens state’s pot industry
US ATTORNEY ANDREW LELLING has sent a chilling response to calls from pro-pot advocates to clarify his stance on marijuana prosecution in Massachusetts, a message sure to send potential investors […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 79: Sneak peek at new issue
CommonWealth’s Winter issue comes out Tuesday, but we give you a sneak peek in today’s Codcast. We run down our stories Airbnb, Uber/Lyft, ed reform’s 25th birthday, Worcester’s renaissance, Yvonne […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Sneak peek at new issue
CommonWealth’s Winter issue comes out Tuesday, but we give you a sneak peek in today’s Codcast. We run down our stories Airbnb, Uber/Lyft, ed reform’s 25th birthday, Worcester’s renaissance, Yvonne […]
Posted inOpinion
More pipelines aren’t the answer
NEW ENGLAND IS in the clutches of a frigid winter. This is putting demands on our energy resources and driving up electricity prices during the few hours of the day […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Confusion reigns in states with legal pot
THE ONE THING that is certain with the change in enforcement of federal marijuana laws is that there will be no uniform approach to enforcement by US attorneys in states […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to revisit the need for more gas pipelines
NEW ENGLAND’S GOVERNORS, who for years called for increasing the delivery capacity of natural gas into the region, have largely gone silent. Today, the region is seeing the consequences with […]
Posted inThe Download
Sessions declares it high time for pot clampdown
As if the Trump administration didn’t have enough conflagrations to put out, it has now handed fire extinguishers to US attorneys and told them blast away with the full weight […]
Posted inEconomy
State tax collections soar in December
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TAX COLLECTIONS IN DECEMBER left Massachusetts government flush with unbudgeted cash as revenues for the first half of the fiscal year have exceeded estimates by $728 […]
Posted inEnvironment
Pilgrim nuclear plant goes offline
PILGRIM STATION, the nuclear power plant in Plymouth, took itself offline Thursday afternoon, adding uncertainty to efforts by the New England power grid operator to meet electricity demand as a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Sessions turns back pot clock
ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF SESSIONS has thrown the emerging legal marijuana industry into turmoil by rescinding an Obama-era memorandum that ordered the Justice Department to ignore enforcing federal drug laws in […]
Posted inThe Back Story
Is anyone home at Millennium Tower?
WEALTHY PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD have bought condos at the ultra-luxury Millennium Tower in Downtown Crossing, but not many of them live there full time. City of Boston […]
Posted inThe Download
Help for homeless or Newmarket businesses?
For Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, whose status as a recovering alcoholic is a formative part of his make-up and what drives him to help others, it is easy to see […]
Posted inPolitics
Transportation commission slow to form
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN SEPTEMBER, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced that Gov. Charlie Baker would sign an executive order “in the coming weeks” creating a new commission to review […]
Posted inThe Download
The politics of snow
Many a pol has been accused of waiting to see which way the wind blows before taking a stand. But come wintertime during an election season, the direction doesn’t matter, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cold snap putting squeeze on oil-fired power plants
NEW ENGLAND’S POWER GRID OPERATOR said on Tuesday that the system is “operating under normal conditions,” but warned that the prolonged cold snap is driving up wholesale electricity prices and […]
Posted inTransportation
Walsh will go it alone on Long Island Bridge
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH’S inaugural pledge to rebuild the Long Island Bridge faces some major hurdles, including stiff opposition from Quincy and putting together the financing for the estimated $80 […]
Posted inThe Download
Pot rollout tentative in Cali
Retail pot stores began opening across California on New Year’s Day, at least six months ahead of Massachusetts even though voters in both states approved the legalization of recreational marijuana at […]
Posted inOpinion
Momentum for more housing choices in the state
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER joined the fight to promote housing last week—adding more push to the consensus that 2018 is the year to tackle the Commonwealth’s housing crisis head on. As […]
Posted inOpinion
Businesses want stronger clean energy mandates
FOR CENTURIES, MASSACHUSETTS has been a national hub for innovation. With cutting edge academic institutions, a superb health care sector, and a thriving real estate market, the commonwealth is an […]
Posted inOpinion
The terrible price of inaction
THIS WEEK NEW ENGLAND reached the terrible distinction of having the most expensive natural gas in the world. You read that correctly: Not just the highest natural gas prices in […]
Posted inOpinion
Time to repeal medical device tax once and for all
THERE’S A LOT OF TALK in Washington about health care, its future, and what our health ecosystem could look like in the next 5, 10, and even 50 years. These are important […]
Posted inHealth Care
What’s likely to happen with the Partners-Eye and Ear deal
PARTNERS HEALTHCARE NEEDS a good dose of Vitamin N (a clear No) from either or both the Department of Public Health or the Attorney General with respect to its wanting […]
Posted inThe Download
Free news isn’t free
When I came to work at CommonWealth in late 2008, we had four reporters putting out a print magazine four times a year. Today, nine years later, the print magazine […]