THE MASSACHUSETTS TAXPAYERS FOUNDATION released a report on Tuesday raising concerns about the state’s ability to maintain and improve its transportation infrastructure, but called for another study of the issues […]
Study raises transportation concerns, punts on solution
Posted inTransportation
T notes: RIDE call center consolidation delayed again
THE MBTA ON MONDAY said it is once again postponing the consolidation of all of its paratransit call centers under one roof, saying the company in charge of the operation […]
Posted inTransportation
T develops wish list for biz group funding
MBTA OFFICIALS, looking to one of the state’s business groups for help in hiring and retaining staff, unveiled a wish list of initiatives on Monday that could end up costing […]
Posted inThe Download
Knee pain
We should be focused on the destruction in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and other hard-hit places in the Caribbean. And on health care, as the Senate prepares to take […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Codfather’s day of reckoning is here
ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY, Federal District Court Judge William Young will sentence New Bedford-based fishing magnate Carlos Rafael for his extraordinary crimes. Sometimes referred to as “the Codfather,” Rafael pled […]
Posted inEducation
Minority numbers in accounting don’t add up
SOMETIMES OPPORTUNITY DOESN’T knock – you have to bang on the door. That’s one takeaway from the story of Santiago Fernandez, who had big dreams and one major goal — […]
Posted inOpinion
Afterschool programs work
EACH YEAR, THOUSANDS of working Massachusetts families rely on afterschool programs to provide a safe, supervised haven for their children. But there are thousands more children sitting on wait lists […]
Posted inOpinion
Turning protest into policy reform
AS 40,000 PEOPLE converged on the streets of Boston in late August to march against white supremacy, Massachusetts stood as a beacon of nationwide resistance to the racist policies coming […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 67: Boston’s chief of the streets, Part 2
Everyone talks about equity these days. Pay equity, gender equity, racial equity. You can add to that list mobility equity and neighborhood equity, areas that are affected by all other […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Boston’s chief of the streets, Part 2
Everyone talks about equity these days. Pay equity, gender equity, racial equity. You can add to that list mobility equity and neighborhood equity, areas that are affected by all other […]
Posted inEconomy
Attract Amazon + fix the T
WE BOTH HAD THE SAME THOUGHT as soon as we heard about Boston vying for Amazon’s new headquarters facility: Locate it at Suffolk Downs and leverage the opportunity to take […]
Posted inThe Back Story
Could feds pave way for new Mass. gas project?
Environmental activists who oppose the construction of new natural gas pipeline capacity in New England are watching what’s going on at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington with growing concern. The federal […]
Posted inThe Download
Charter ballot money is fuel on ed debate fire
When asked a year ago about the propriety of the chairman of the state board of education donating $100,000 to the campaign to raise the cap on charter schools in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Walsh: Legalizing marijuana ‘huge mistake’
SOME WIRES APPEAR TO BE CROSSED at Boston City Hall. One of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s top aides said at the end of last month that the mayor has changed […]
Posted inEconomy
First the Greenway, now the waterway
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH wants to transform Fort Point Channel into a waterway lined with parks that would serve almost as levees during periods of storm surge. During an address […]
Posted inThe Download
It’s good to be king
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, in a speech before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Wednesday morning, announced plans for a long-delayed memorial to the late Dr. Martin Luther King. Details […]
Posted inEconomy
Give us a break, Amazon
IT’S A STORY TYPICAL of 21st century America. Amazon, a $150 billion company with $12 billion a year in profit and more than $20 billion in the bank, tells governments […]
Posted inTransportation
Bus maintenance outsourcing makes sense
IT’S ALL BUT irresistible to characterize the MBTA’s efforts to contract out part of its bus maintenance operation as a union issue: Will bus maintenance continue to be performed by unionized T […]
Posted inThe Download
For Mass., high stakes in health debate
Efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act gained some momentum this week as Republicans put forward legislation that would put the brakes on federal health care spending in a way […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Ramirez says riders don’t think MBTA cares
NEW MBTA GENERAL MANAGER LUIS RAMIREZ said he spent a lot of time traveling on buses and subways over the last week and came away convinced that most riders don’t think […]
Posted inTransportation
T, bus repair union negotiating again
MBTA OFFICIALS AND THE UNION representing workers at three bus maintenance garages facing privatization have entered into serious negotiations, with a member of the T’s oversight board working to bring […]
Posted inThe Download
Globe comes clean
The Boston Globe aired its dirty linen in public over the weekend, running a front-page story that revealed the newspaper is still a long way from resolving problems with its […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker opens a legal can of worms
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER filed new legislation last month to battle the opioid crisis. His bill proposes some “important updates” to our arsenal of weapons in this fight, one of which, he […]
Posted inOpinion
Nonprofits deserve a lot more scrutiny
THE ISSUE ARISES every so often, like a phoenix from the flames, especially around budget time. This year was no different. How do we, and how should we, tax nonprofit […]