ACCUSATIONS AND INVESTIGATIONS are underway in response to an academic white paper posted by the Environmental Defense Fund concerning artificially created pipeline capacity constraints and resultant spikes in energy prices. […]
Pipeline charges prompt lots of questions
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 71: Do we need an Amazon kick in the pants?
As you pore over the bids for Amazon’s second headquarters, put your headphones on, call up The Codcast, and listen to Shirley Leung and Chris Dempsey talk about what’s at […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Do we need an Amazon kick in the pants?
As you pore over the bids for Amazon’s second headquarters, put your headphones on, call up The Codcast, and listen to Shirley Leung and Chris Dempsey talk about what’s at […]
Posted inEconomy
The vision for Amazon at Suffolk Downs
THE DEVELOPER OF SUFFOLK DOWNS said his company’s vision for the 161-acre property matches almost exactly what Amazon is looking for in a second headquarters, and he insists that vision […]
Posted inPolitics
New pot czar is known quantity
A TOP AIDE to state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg who fashioned the regulatory infrastructure for the nascent retail marijuana business when that office was set to oversee the emerging industry has […]
Posted inUncategorized
State: Wellesley can ignore public records request
THE STATE’S SUPERVISOR OF PUBLIC RECORDS for the first time has allowed a governmental entity to ignore a citizen’s bid for documents because the request was a form of harassment […]
Posted inThe Download
Drug treatment for drug addiction
Researchers are busy figuring out new ways to deal with the opioid addiction crisis, but one of the most effective approaches also comes with a good deal of controversy. That’s […]
Posted inGambling
$12m sitting unused in horse fund
STATE OFFICIALS SAID on Wednesday that $12 million is currently sitting unused in a fund that provides purses for horse races. The fund, which relies on gambling revenues that flow […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Anti-violence funds jeopardized by House-Senate flap
THE SENATE IS taking the lead on Beacon Hill on criminal justice reform, but the chamber seems to have lost its way on a key initiative to help gang members […]
Posted inThe Download
Traffic trickle down
Do more cars mean less traffic? Hard to tell if you read two new studies designed to address congestion through technology, including one that was done based on Boston’s streets. […]
Posted inEducation
Scores drop on new, more rigorous MCAS
SCORES ON THE state’s revamped MCAS test took a big dip, but state officials say that’s because the test got harder, not because student performance got worse. About half of […]
Posted inHealth Care
Senators stress health care in cost-effective settings
A WORKING GROUP of the Massachusetts Senate unveiled health care legislation on Tuesday that promotes the treatment of patients in more cost-effective settings while laying the groundwork for tougher regulatory […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
5 takeaways from health cost trends hearings
HAVING ATTENDED the Health Policy Commission’s annual cost trend hearings earlier this month, I came away thinking about five interesting moments, which I present in the chronological order in which […]
Posted inThe Download
Worcester power couple unplugged
Michael and Coreen Gaffney, the aspiring power couple of Worcester politics, pulled out of their races for City Council to pursue an “opportunity” they declined to talk about because “the […]
Posted inTransportation
Transportation notes: Rocky rollout at inspection stations
STATE OFFICIALS ON MONDAY conceded that a new system for handing out automobile inspection stickers got off to a dismal start at the beginning of October because of a failure […]
Posted inTransportation
Union: Only 1 firm bid on T bus repair work
THE MBTA’S BID TO PRIVATIZE as many as three of its nine bus maintenance garages may be in trouble, as the union representing existing workers said only one firm had […]
Posted inThe Download
The Globe’s Dear Jeff letter
The Boston Globe published what it called a “newsroom commentary” on Sunday that borrowed the theme of John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address. Instead of asking what Boston can do […]
Posted inOpinion
The hard choice in fighting racism
WE HAD A CHOICE at Westfield State University. After two students of color were targeted with hateful messages on their dorm room door, we could have simply sought to support […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. citizens point the way on climate change
WE LIVE IN a time when the way we power our lives is literally putting our survival at stake. We’re seeing an increase in deadly natural disasters, glaciers melting at […]
Posted inOpinion
You get what you pay for
BOSTON RANKED AMONG the top 20 cities in the world for direct commercial real estate investment in 2016, and it shows – everywhere you turn there’s a new development cropping up […]
Posted inEnvironment
Citing Trump initiative, grid operator delays report
A TRUMP ADMINISTRATION INITIATIVE to financially buttress struggling coal and nuclear power plants is prompting the operator of the New England power grid to put off the release of a […]
Posted inOpinion
First lesson this school year must be civility
THIS IS A busy time in public education as schools open their doors to once again be filled with energy and life after the annual summer hiatus. This is the […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 70: Buying booze the modern way
Massachusetts, where Blue Laws ruled and buying booze on a Sunday is a 21st century idea, has been slow to uncork some of the stringent regulations that were designed to […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Buying booze the modern way
Since the end of Prohibition in 1933, the alcohol industry has been regulated by states, some with a heavy hand, others with a light touch. Over the years, as social […]