The Codcast this week is an MBTA twofer: James Aloisi and Josh Fairchild of TransitMatters make a pitch for an overnight bus service pilot and also interview Matthew Casale, a […]
The Codcast: How reliable is the T? Do we need overnight buses?
Posted inPolitics
House, Senate end bickering, sign budget deal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DEVICES KNOWN AS BUMP STOCKS that were used in the Las Vegas shooting a month ago to turn ordinary rifles into automatic weapons would be banned […]
Posted inEnvironment
Eversource touts N. Pass ‘certainty’
EVERSOURCE ENERGY on Thursday once again insisted its problem-plagued Northern Pass transmission project is on track and the best solution to Massachusetts’ clean energy needs. In a conference call with […]
Posted inThe Back Story
MBTA overnight bus service a tough sell
The MBTA put off action this week on an overnight bus service pilot project, and a review of the underlying numbers suggests the initiative will have a hard time gaining traction without someone other than […]
Posted inThe Download
Judge, jury, executioner, and president
For someone who touts himself as a law-and-order kind of guy, President Trump does law enforcement officials and prosecutors no favors with his impulsive social media and campaign-style rhetoric. The […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health Policy Commission pans Partners-Mass. Eye & Ear deal
THE STATE HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION is pouring lots of cold water on the proposed acquisition by Partners HealthCare of the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, saying the deal would increase […]
Posted inEconomy
Commission backs sticking with one type of ‘time’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS WILL FALL BACK this weekend after all and will likely continue to adjust their clocks twice a year for the foreseeable future. A legislative […]
Posted inEconomy
Wynn to spend $90m buying land near casino
LAS VEGAS MOGUL STEVE WYNN said he has already spent $75 million buying up property near the Wynn Resorts hotel-casino complex in Everett and plans to spend a total of […]
Posted inThe Download
Walsh plays it cute in council contest
It’s less than a week until Boston’s municipal election, which means we’re officially in the silly season phase. This stage of the race is the one in which we’re reminded […]
Posted inPolitics
The mantra in Boston mayoral races: lean left
TITO JACKSON’S biographical campaign video ends with a bold declaration appearing on the screen, one he has used to frame his insurgent campaign: “Tito Jackson. The Progressive Choice for Mayor.” The […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker balks at parts of Senate criminal justice bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS MAJOR PROVISIONS of the criminal justice bill passed late last week by the Senate “just seem to not make a heck of a lot of sense,” Gov. […]
Posted inThe Download
Naloxone is Band-Aid, not cure
New research indicates naloxone has been a huge life-saver for opioid overdose victims, but doctors say 1 in 10 of those rescued by the drug overdosed again within a year […]
Posted inTransportation
T budget deficit up
MBTA OFFICIALS ARE eyeing a nearly 67 percent spike in the agency’s projected structural deficit, a hole caused by lower fare revenues from people avoiding what they view as the […]
Posted inTransportation
Late night T proves costly
MBTA OFFICIALS MOVED a step closer to approving a pilot late night bus service to launch next summer, running from Mattapan to Revere, but members of the Fiscal and Management […]
Posted inThe Download
Beacon Hill harassment
In the old days, we’d say House Speaker Robert DeLeo reacted to news about sexual harassment at the State House before the ink was even dry on Globe columnist Yvonne […]
Posted inOpinion
Boston teachers deserve to be respected, not disparaged
RECENTLY, BOSTON EDUCATORS ratified a new contract with the Boston Public School administration. Our schools are already reaping the rewards of that contract, which went into effect at the start […]
Posted inOpinion
Paying environmental tribute to neighboring states
THE BIDS ARE IN: Developers of transmission for hydroelectric energy from Canada, wind from Maine, and solar power from all over New England sharpened their pencils, negotiated with property owners, […]
Posted inOpinion
Instead of attacking Medicaid, let’s celebrate its innovations
IT’S TIME FOR our nation’s health care leaders to stand up against those who denigrate the nation’s invaluable Medicaid program. Such talk is wrong-headed, usually untrue, and counter-productive to the […]
Posted inOpinion
A disability shouldn’t be a handicap
“EXCUSE ME, DO you need that parking space? Because my 85-year-old mother does.” My sister, Maria, and I turned our heads to see a middle-aged woman scowling at us moments […]
Posted inPolitics
Boston city council races reflect change – and tradition
THEODORE H. WHITE WROTE many years ago that the life of a city is like a ballet. Anybody who has studied the American city, specifically the City of Boston, understands […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 72: Subsidizing congestion
Everyone knows about traffic congestion in Boston. It’s why we’re often late for meetings. It’s why sightseeing firms are paring back their tours because the tourists are spending too much […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Subsidizing congestion
Everyone knows about traffic congestion in Boston. It’s why we’re often late for meetings. It’s why sightseeing firms are paring back their tours because the tourists are spending too much […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, State House News Service
Eversource puts tab for memberships on ratepayers
EVERSOURCE ENERGY is pushing for state approval of a $284 million rate hike, and tucked inside all the documentation is paperwork seeking reimbursement for annual membership fees and dues the company pays to 74 business organizations and trade groups. In […]
Posted inEnvironment
DPU reviewing report’s pipeline claims
THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES launched “a thorough review” of allegations in a recent report that Eversource Energy and Avangrid Inc. artificially constrained natural gas pipeline capacity in New […]