WHEN VOTERS PASSED the referendum legalizing adult use of marijuana, most people focused on the ability to use pot in their own homes or with friends. State regulators, however, are […]
Open bar
Posted inThe Download
It’s now up to Hefner’s accusers
In the space of five days, Beacon Hill has offered us a glimpse of all the complexity and unfairness associated with allegations of sexual assault and harassment in a political […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Blue Line only major peak concern
WITH THE EXCEPTION of the Blue Line, MBTA officials on Monday forecasted that the transit system’s subway lines should be able to absorb sharply higher numbers of riders at peak […]
Posted inPolitics
Chandler elected acting Senate president
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE SENATE INITIATED an Ethics Committee investigation on Monday night into its now former president Sen. Stanley Rosenberg in a dramatic day of upheaval that saw […]
Posted inTransportation
T targets poor reliability of buses
MBTA OFFICIALS RELEASED FIGURES on Monday indicating the agency’s bus system, which carries up to 450,000 people on a typical weekday, is unreliable a large amount of the time and […]
Posted inTransportation
T’s director of parking leaves authority
THE MBTA’s DIRECTOR OF PARKING left the transit authority on Friday after just a little over a year on the job, raising concerns that oversight of one of the transit […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 76: Cashless T won’t leave people behind
There’s been a lot of talk about the MBTA’s plan to install a new fare collection system, most of it focused on the problems associated with going cashless. The concerns […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Cashless T won’t leave people behind
There’s been a lot of talk about the MBTA’s plan to install a new fare collection system, most of it focused on the problems associated with going cashless. The concerns […]
Posted inEnvironment
Who’s behind consumer energy group?
A GROUP CALLED Consumers for Sensible Energy is refusing to say who is bankrolling the operation amid reports that the Newton-based organization is linked to a similar-type outfit in New […]
Posted inOpinion
Putting cash in its place at the MBTA
A HIGHLY FUNCTIONING urban transit system is characterized by its speed, convenience, and reliability. The Netherlands, a role model for efficient and sustainable mobility, has examples of this in abundance. […]
Posted inTransportation
State: No West Station until 2040
A STATE TRANSPORTATION FILING prompted a chicken-and-egg debate on Friday about whether a new transit station should be constructed in conjunction with the new neighborhood Harvard University is building in […]
Posted inPolitics
Rosenberg denies Senate meddling by Hefner
SENATE PRESIDENT STAN ROSENBERG said he was “devastated” by the charges of sexual harassment and assault against his husband, who plans to seek inpatient treatment for “alcohol dependence.” Rosenberg faced […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cape Wind calls it quits
THE DEVELOPER BEHIND CAPE WIND, who sought to pioneer offshore wind power in the United States but never managed to shake legal challenges from locals led by billionaire William Koch, […]
Posted inThe Download
What’s the standard for Rosenberg?
We have, it seems, crossed the Rubicon in Massachusetts politics regarding sexual harassment with the latest allegations against the husband of Senate President Stan Rosenberg. The bombshell story Thursday from […]
Posted inOpinion
Our schools ignore US history at our peril
ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO, as a member of the Massachusetts Senate, I co-authored the Massachusetts Education Reform Act. Drafting a complex bill with such far-reaching consequences requires significant compromise, but one […]
Posted inUncategorized
DPU cuts Eversource rate hike by 60%
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES on Thursday cut Eversource Energy’s overall rate hike request by 60 percent, turning aside the company’s bid for $90.8 million and allowing an increase […]
Posted inThe Back Story
An exercise in democracy or a crapshoot?
THE DEMOCRATIC CONTEST to succeed retiring US Rep. Niki Tsongas is shaping up to be a wild scramble, with 12 candidates in the race as of this week. On the […]
Posted inThe Download
Passing the buck(s)
It’s not exactly as if they were deviously cooking the books at Boston City Hall and the Boston Public Schools. It’s more like someone lost track of all the index […]
Posted inEconomy
Harvard unveils plans for new Allston neighborhood
HARVARD UNIVERSITY unveiled some broad brush strokes of its plan to build a new neighborhood along Western Avenue on the edge of its campus in Allston. The project, dubbed variously […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker will run. Yawn.
Seriously, who thought it was ever a question that Gov. Charlie Baker may not run for reelection next year? Of course, reporters had to ask the question, and, of course, Baker […]
Posted inUncategorized
Pot board finds a home
SALT AND PEPPER. Hammer and nail. Bacon and eggs. Crimson and clover. Yin and yang. Pot and gambling. All things that apparently go together in many people’s minds. The Massachusetts […]
Posted inThe Download
Post turns tables on O’Keefe
James O’Keefe, known for his no-holds-barred undercover video stings, had the tables turned on him by the Washington Post. The Post lays out a great yarn about a woman who […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Privatization proposal moving forward?
DESPITE STRONG OPPOSITION from the state’s Democratic political establishment, MBTA officials hinted on Monday that they plan to bring a proposal forward to outsource work at three bus maintenance garages. […]
Posted inTransportation
Green Line shutdowns coming for track repairs
THE MBTA’s FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT CONTROL BOARD on Monday gave staff the green light to periodically shut down chunks of the Green Line to replace entire stretches of track, which […]