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 […]
First lesson this school year must be civility
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 […]
Posted inGambling
Plainridge pulling gambling money back to Mass.
NEARLY 60 PERCENT of the money collected by the Plainridge Park Casino during its first year of operation came from Massachusetts gamblers who previously would have been going out of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Brownsberger’s big tent
IF POLITICS IS a game of addition, put Sen. Will Brownsberger down in the plus column. The lead sponsor of a sweeping criminal justice reform bill convened a marathon rally […]
Posted inOpinion
Inequality, criminal justice reform are linked
FOR ALL THE TALK about inequality these days, it’s rare to see policy proposals that could actually make a difference. Politicians of all persuasions rail against the disappearing middle class, […]
Posted inOpinion
Pipeline gas report is misleading, inaccurate
THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND’S new report on New England electric and natural gas markets provides a profoundly misleading and inaccurate analysis. Two utilities cited in the report (Avangrid and Eversource) did […]
Posted inEnvironment
Natl. Grid calls foul on Hydro-Quebec proposal
THE HIGH-STAKES BATTLE for a multibillion-dollar Massachusetts clean energy contract is heading in an uncertain direction, with National Grid asserting that the bids of one of its largest competitors, Hydro-Quebec, run afoul of the intent of the […]
Posted inThe Download
Eminent domain dust-ups
Brookline says it needs a new elementary school to accommodate its bulging population of school-age children. Waltham says it needs a new high school. Both seem like perfectly worthy pursuits. […]
Posted inGun ownership
House bans ‘bump stock’ devices
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE LAWMAKERS on Wednesday moved rapidly, and some critics said rashly, to ban any device that could be used to increase the rate of discharge of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Report: Eversource artificially constrained gas pipeline capacity
EVERSOURCE ENERGY and Avangrid Inc. participated in a scheme to artificially constrain natural gas pipeline capacity in New England and drive up electricity prices by $3.6 billion over three years, […]
Posted inThe Download
Will players stand for anthem mandate?
The billionaires blinked. In the wake of weeks of threats and invective from President Trump and the increasing number of fans who are incensed that NFL players are protesting by […]
Posted inPolitics
Islanders want their pot, too
THE “LISTENING TOUR” by the board charged with regulating the state’s emerging marijuana industry landed on Martha’s Vineyard Tuesday, where the two members heard pleas from pro-pot advocates to help […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker and mandatory minimums
Gov. Charlie Baker has won praise for his efforts to increase awareness of opioid addiction and treatment options, but he continues to face criticism for his proposal to deal with […]
Posted inTransportation
Shadow transit agency
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FRANK CURRAN LOOKING AT THESE THREE GUYS, you wonder what they have in common. Marc Ebuña is a 30-year-old information technology worker who dresses fashionably, lives in Jamaica […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Trading gangs and guns for a future
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK OSTOW HAKEEM JACKSON DOESN’T mince words. “Just a couple of years ago I was shooting at people,” he says. A wiry 20-year-old with an affable bearing, Jackson […]
Posted inPolitics
Democracy isn’t working in Massachusetts
ON SEPTEMBER 15, 1998, David Nangle, then a State House aide, was effectively elected to the Massachusetts Legislature even though 76 percent of the voters in the district where he […]
Posted inPolitics
All quiet for Baker on the DC front
FOR RICHARD NEAL, the 15-term congressman from Springfield, the reopening in June of the city’s Union Station was a deeply moving moment. Neal, in 1977, had launched his first campaign […]
Posted inEconomy
Islands face special pot challenges
LIVING ON AN island brings with it challenges many on the mainland don’t grasp, from being locked in during storms to being overrun by tourists during the summer season. But […]
Posted inOpinion
Colleges can’t be bystanders on opioids
THE OPIOID CRISIS, rooted in the overprescribing of painkillers, has seized the attention of public officials from Beacon Hill to Capitol Hill. So, too, has the inadequacy of mental health […]
Posted inOpinion
Drugs are best treatment for opioid abuse
THE OPIOID ADDICTION crisis in the United States has prompted leaders at the state and federal level to promise more money, new laws, and greater focus on the problem. That […]
Posted inPolitics
Diversity data gaps
EVERY YEAR, THE governor’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity publishes a detailed report on the diversity of the workforce at each of the executive branch secretariats, now numbering nine. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nurses, hospitals tangle over staffing levels
MARK BRODEUR, a nurse at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, says his unit, which serves patients recovering from anesthesia post-surgery, is usually staffed pretty well. But not long ago he […]
Posted inEnvironment
Utilities on both sides of bargaining table
IN MID-MAY, the MBTA hired a Colorado company to help the agency manage the $2 billion extension of the Green Line into Somerville and Medford. Less than three months later, […]