THE APPOINTMENT OF LUIS RAMIREZ as the new general manager of the MBTA again raises the question of whether a successful private sector businessman or woman can make a successful […]
Lack of public sector experience is troubling
Posted inThe Download
Hating on the haters
Boston is no place for hate – and we’ll beat you and isolate you to prove it. Message sent, message received. From elected officials to the 15,000 to 40,000 demonstrators […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Sorting out our perverse electricity markets
THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT by developers of the Access Northeast natural gas pipeline that they are suspending the project until legislation allows for electric ratepayer financing of pipelines illustrates a major […]
Posted inGambling
Convictions shouldn’t preclude all casino jobs
THE MGM SPRINGFIELD CASINO is scheduled to open late next year, and casino managers are worrying about how they’ll fill all the jobs that will need filling. The big problem: […]
Posted inOpinion
Biking for cancer research is uphill climb
I RODE FOR THE FIRST TIME in the Pan Mass Challenge fundraiser for cancer research this year. The weather was perfect, and it was a glorious experience. Thousands lined the […]
Posted inPolitics
‘This ain’t Charlottesville’
This story was updated at 5:15 p.m. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS converged on Boston Common Saturday to chant, wave signs, and boo about 50 people holding what they described […]
Posted inUncategorized
T privatization survives key union challenge
THE MBTA’S BUDGET SHORTFALL, once pegged at $335 million for the current fiscal year, is now down to $30 million. That’s good news for riders, taxpayers, employers, and legislators—really everyone […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 62: The T’s chief technology officer
Riding the T sometimes feels like a step back in time. Red Line cars that are 40 years old. Payment systems that are slow and inefficient. Underground stations that leak […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: The T’s chief technology officer
Riding the T sometimes feels like a step back in time. Red Line cars that are 40 years old. Payment systems that are slow and inefficient. Underground stations that leak […]
Posted inOpinion
On immigration, Baker follows Trump playbook
ON JULY 24, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its decision in the case of Lunn v. Commonwealth, holding that Massachusetts law enforcement officers lack authority to hold individuals on […]
Posted inTransportation
Study prices out N-S Rail Link
A RAIL LINK BETWEEN North and South Stations would cost between $3.8 billion and $5.9 billion to build, according to a data analysis conducted by a group of students and […]
Posted inEnvironment
Health insurers, despite anxiety, are doing well
Daily newspaper headlines report that the nation’s health insurance companies are anxious about the future and may seek rate increases to protect themselves. Rate increases would seem logical, given uncertainty arising from paralysis in Congress […]
Posted inThe Download
Drowning out health care
Amid the chaos that passes for leadership in Washington these days, the fate of health care for millions of people, including in Massachusetts, hangs in the balance as President Trump continues […]
Posted inOpinion
Price shouldn’t be sole focus of clean energy buys
NEWS ITEM: Large-scale hydro-electricity from Hydro-Quebec may cost more than the average wholesale price of energy. Should we be alarmed by this? Not quite. But why not? First, some background. […]
Posted inOpinion
Trump misunderstands history’s arc
“A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE is a dangerous thing.” It’s an old saying that perhaps resonated more clearly than ever before when one heard the person holding the office of president of […]
Posted inThe Download
Feds overreach on Teamsters
The feds came up short again on Tuesday in trying to turn obnoxious or even sleazy behavior into federal crimes. It happened when the US Attorney’s office in Boston tried […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA’s new GM likes to blog
NOT MUCH IS KNOWN about the MBTA’s new general manager, Luis Manuel Ramirez, but a blog he wrote at his Dallas business consulting firm TodoModo Group provides some clues. Most […]
Posted inEducation
AP courses are bridge to college
GREAT TEACHERS NOT ONLY LOVE to teach, they love to learn how to be even better teachers. That’s why over 520 teachers from Massachusetts and across the country gathered recently […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA adopts corporate mindset with GM pick
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION adopted a very clear corporate mindset at the MBTA on Tuesday, hiring a general manager and CEO with strong business and turnaround skills but no public sector […]
Posted inThe Download
Trump’s disruptive power
Donald Trump signed 42 executive orders in his first 200 days as president. By comparison, Barack Obama, who Trump criticized for signing too many, averaged 35 executive orders a year […]
Posted inTransportation
T board member hits absenteeism data
A MEMBER OF THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board criticized agency officials on Monday for presenting data on employee absenteeism in a way that made it appear union workers […]
Posted inPolitics
Walsh, Baker condemn hatred, bigotry
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH delivered a stern message on Monday to “hate groups” who may be planning to come to Boston this weekend. “Boston does not welcome you here. Boston […]
Posted inTransportation
T approves 2 pilot service expansions
THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD on Monday approved two, year-long pilot projects expanding the transit authority’s operations – one that adds limited, early morning buses to help workers start into work […]
Posted inTransportation
Uber, Lyft gain market share at Logan
A SIX-MONTH STUDY of traffic patterns at Logan International Airport generally confirms what earlier data suggested – that transportation network companies such as Uber, Lyft, and most recently Wingz are gaining market share but […]