THE HOUSE’S TOP POT negotiator said on Thursday he’s not aware of anyone from either the Senate or House who has tried to link the negotiations over the budget and […]
Top House leader unaware of budget, pot links
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Authorities offer financial help to state
Gov. Charlie Baker is asking some of the state’s independent authorities for help in balancing the fiscal 2017 budget, but it appears only three have stepped forward. The Massachusetts Development […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download
Don’t know much about history
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that not all Americans are created equal in their familiarity with the founding documents of their nation or the principles that undergird the […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo puts pot talks on hold until budget done
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO said Wednesday evening that he asked House members of the committee negotiating marijuana legislation to pull out of talks with the Senate until an agreement is […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Let’s rehabilitate moms, not lock them up
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, I met Sylvia, a smart, talented mother with dreams – like most moms – for her family, despite experiencing homelessness. Formerly in prison for a non-violent drug […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The blandness of Bay State politics
For years here in Massachusetts, we prided ourselves on putting the fun in dysfunctional government. Recall the days of “Toga!, Toga!” chants during all-night budget debates, the one-day coup of […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Where Mass. ranks on education tests
IN THE SEASON OF GRADUATIONS, it is worth looking at how Massachusetts and Boston stack up against international competitors in education. According to global university rankings and international school achievement […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
My flag won’t be flying this July 4th
THERE’S NO FLAG flying above the front porch of our place in Maine this year. That flag was a personal expression of belief in the fundamental integrity and stolidity of this great […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Mega booze store out for self
MASSACHUSETTS LAWS AND regulations governing the sale of alcohol are partially based on the idea of maximizing carefully considered controls and oversight to help reduce negative impacts associated with over-consumption. […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Health payment disparity affects labor talks
THE US SENATE on Tuesday delayed debate on its version of changes to the Affordable Care Act. No one knows exactly what the future holds for health care, but Gov. […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA WiFi project put on 30-day hold
THE MBTA SAID ON FRIDAY that it is putting its $140 million commuter rail WiFi project on hold for 30 days while it gathers feedback from customers, residents, and appointed […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 56: McDonough weighs in on health care
No one understands these issues as well as John McDonough, who joined Bruce Mohl and me for this week’s Codcast. McDonough is a professor at the Harvard Chan School of […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
The Codcast: McDonough weighs in on health care
The health care debate is coming to a head in Washington, where the moment of truth has arrived for Republicans who have vowed for seven years to “repeal and replace” […]
Posted inPolitics
Galvin won’t cooperate with Trump voter fraud panel
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S COMMISSION to investigate allegations of voter fraud is reaching out to state officials to gather information, but they won’t be getting a lot of help from Massachusetts Secretary […]
Posted inEnvironment
Access Northeast pipeline put on indefinite hold
THE COMPANIES BEHIND the $3 billion Access Northeast natural gas pipeline said on Thursday that they are putting the project on hold indefinitely. The project faced long odds in Massachusetts […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story, Transportation
Free bump on the Fairmount
Even two weeks of free rides on the Fairmount Line didn’t boost traffic that much, but they did expose more people to the least-used line on the MBTA’s commuter rail […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Remembering Mitchell Chester
David Coleman, the president and CEO of The College Board, shared this remembrance with friends and colleagues of Mitchell Chester, the Massachusetts state education commissioner who died this week at […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Staples sale shows change is the only constant
Once upon a time there were things called stationery stores. These were usually small-ish shops, often family operated, where one could buy fancy pens and not-so-fancy pens, paper, paper clips, […]
Posted inEconomy
More tools needed to combat wage theft
MASSACHUSETTS HAS AN epidemic of wage theft. An estimated $700 million in wage theft occurs annually in our state, robbing workers and their families of essential income and the ability […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Baker slammed for not filing updated budget
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER, at least publicly, has given lawmakers space to reconsider revenue and spending targets in the budget due in just a matter of days. […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Transportation
Public transportation is investment in Springfield’s future
FORGIVE US FOR opening old wounds, but it was just two years ago this spring that our state was crippled with foot after foot of snow. There was perhaps no […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
Getting Obama out of Obamacare
It really shouldn’t be this hard, should it? When one party has the White House and both chambers of Congress, passing legislation and fulfilling promises should be a snap, one would […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Lots of fiscal storm clouds
Even as Gov. Charlie Baker is struggling to balance the current fiscal year’s budget and lawmakers are trying to pare back spending in next year’s spending plan, more storm clouds […]
Posted inTransportation
RIDE call center operator fined $100,000
THE MBTA FINED the operator of its paratransit call center $100,000 in May for a series of contract violations that resulted in poor service for customers. The fines equaled about […]