THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE recently passed a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill. It aims to improve public safety while reducing the size and cost of the prison system. More importantly, the […]
A new social contract on public safety
Posted inHealth Care
Some top Steward execs relocating
A NUMBER OF TOP OFFICIALS at Steward Health Care, including Chairman and CEO Ralph de la Torre, are relocating their base of operations from Boston to Dallas in the wake […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Questions raised on shuttle buses
OFFICIALS WITH THE Federal Transit Authority have raised questions about the handicap accessibility of Yankee buses being used to shuttle Red Line passengers between stations on weekends when work is […]
Posted inEducation
Oversight of Lawrence schools shifting to state-appointed board
EDUCATION OFFICIALS UNVEILED the next chapter in state oversight of the Lawrence schools on Wednesday with the announcement that the state receiver, Jeff Riley, will be stepping down at the […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Rosenberg: We’re not done with pot
SENATE PRESIDENT STANLEY ROSENBERG said the recreational marijuana law will continue to evolve and he foresees the Legislature making several changes a year. “We created a joint standing committee because […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. needs to put a price on carbon
SINCE THE TRUMP administration stands alone as the only national government in the world rejecting the Paris Climate Agreement, states across the U.S. are standing up, saying “We Are still […]
Posted inThe Download
Brayton Point sale in works
Redevelopment of the 300-acre decommissioned Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset is set to begin, but is likely to be a slow process. The owner of the massive facility, which […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker unveils new opioid legislation
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Monday unveiled his second legislative proposal to deal with the opioid epidemic, focusing primarily on expanding access to treatment, demanding more vigilance on opioid prescriptions, and […]
Posted inThe Download
On pot, just say yes and no
While no one is yet declaring the wall of opposition to the retail sale of recreational marijuana has been demolished, there are a few cracks beginning to appear that are […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Mass. may hire firm to pursue toll evaders
STATE TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS are considering hiring a debt collection firm to go after unpaid tolls and fines incurred by residents of Connecticut and a handful of other states. Stephen Collins, […]
Posted inTransportation
State spending $800,000/year shoring up Pike
STATE TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS said on Monday they are spending $800,000 a year to shore up a structurally deficient elevated portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston used by 145,000 motorists […]
Posted inTransportation
T oversight board at impasse on alcohol policy
THE MBTA’s FISCAL AND MANAGEMENT CONTROL BOARD reached its first-ever impasse on Monday, deadlocking 2-2 on whether to resume accepting alcohol advertising on a limited basis at the transit authority. […]
Posted inPolitics
Calling the question on guns
A week after a gunman mowed down 25 members of the First Baptist Church in Sutherland, Texas, worshippers from the church gathered yesterday for Sunday services — this time in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Debating immigration policy on Beacon Hill
IMMIGRATION REFORM isn’t part of the criminal justice reform bill House members will begin debating today, but Republican lawmakers want it to be. Maybe they’re right and it should be […]
Posted inOpinion
A Rikers view of criminal justice reform
I LEFT MY HOMETOWN of Boston three years ago to find myself inside Rikers Island. What I witnessed inside that most infamous jail complex would become my education on the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Natl. Grid finds novel way to lobby clean energy procurement
NATIONAL GRID, which has been raising concerns about the Massachusetts procurement process for clean energy, found a novel way to make its case: enlist the help of the New Hampshire […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s now Massachusetts’ turn
FOR MANY, ELECTION NIGHT 2017 was a glimmer of hope after a downright dark political year. Races all over the country made history. One of the most significant was the […]
Posted inOpinion
Dear Gov. Raimondo: Express trains wrong ask
DEAR GOVERNOR GINA RAIMONDO: We read with interest your call for express rail service from Providence to Boston. You are spot-on in thinking that improved rail connections regionally will be […]
Posted inOpinion
Tougher distracted driving law badly needed
DESPITE AN INCREASED AWARENESS of the dangers of distracted driving, we are more tethered to our phones than ever before. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine people […]
Posted inOpinion
Report raises doubts about gas ‘crisis’
EVERSOURCE AND OTHER REGIONAL UTILITIES have long claimed that New England desperately needs new natural gas pipelines to meet electricity demand, with the “polar vortex” of 2013-14 as a prime […]
Posted inOpinion
Airbnb’s smoke and mirrors
IN HIS NOVEMBER 8 op-ed in CommonWealth (“Time for state to catch up on Airbnb tax”), Airbnb executive Will Burns raises many excellent points about why it is time for […]
Posted inTransportation
After 11 months, unpaid tolls hit $32m
DRIVERS WITHOUT E-ZPASS transponders racked up $32 million in unpaid tolls and late fees during the first 11 months of all-electronic tolling on all toll roads in Massachusetts. The $32 […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Addressing inmate addiction must be a priority
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE BILLS recently passed by the Massachusetts Senate and released by the House Committee on Ways and Means provide sensible reform to failed criminal justice approaches, including doing […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 74: Filling the news hole
Everyone knows about the retrenchment and redistribution of resources by media outlets, especially newspapers. While some regions have filled the vacuum with blogs purporting to be news but are really […]