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 […]
Sessions turns back pot clock
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
Alcohol task force calls for higher taxes, more oversight
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HIGHER TAXES, INCREASED FINES, and a significantly larger government oversight agency are among the recommendations of a task force that spent months reviewing laws and regulations […]
Posted inEnvironment
Frigid weather causing spike in natural gas prices
FRIGID LOW TEMPERATURES are pushing up energy demand across New England, sending the price of natural gas soaring and prompting many of the region’s power generators to switch from gas […]
Posted inThe Back Story
How John Henry ended up buying the Globe for nothing
IT TOOK A LITTLE LONGER than he planned, but John Henry managed to purchase the Boston Globe and a new printing facility in Taunton for nothing. Henry, a billionaire who […]
Posted inPolitics
Crighton only name on ballot for Senate seat
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN, but Rep. Brendan Crighton of Lynn is poised to become the newest senator on the North Shore. Crighton will walk uncontested on the […]
Posted inArts and Culture
City Hall skating fees raise some eyebrows
SHANE MURPHY, a resident of Springfield, was walking around Faneuil Hall with his date recently when he decided to visit the newly minted skating rink on Boston’s City Hall Plaza. […]
Posted inOpinion
Fiscal irresponsibility from Mass Fiscal Alliance
IN DECEMBER, when you open your mailbox, you’re used to the usual flow of holiday cards from relatives and old friends, as well as end-of-year fundraising solicitations. However, residents of […]
Posted inEducation
Pool teachers not unwanted, just underutilized
I’VE BEEN AN EDUCATOR IN BOSTON public schools for more than 30 years. I am a high school biology teacher, who holds a graduate degree from Harvard. I spent three […]
Posted inOpinion
Francis Appleton, a man on autopilot
Author’s Note: This story will disappoint you if you approach it expecting a Christmas ghost story. No eerie images appear on doorknockers, no apparitions escort our protagonist to ancient graveyards. […]
Posted inOpinion
Notes from the ACA front lines
THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT is still the law of the land after a series of failed attacks in Congress. Still, in many states, the time frame for enrolling in the […]
Posted inThe Download
The name game
The Boston Globe finally published the name of the political reporter who was forced to resign after inappropriate advances to a colleague and two women outside the company. But that’s not […]