As the Massachusetts Legislature prepares to amend the voter-approved pot law, it’s a good time to take stock of where we are and where we’re headed. Voters approved the recreational […]
High Times indeed
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
What your pharmacist can’t tell you
I’VE BEEN AN INDEPENDENT PHARMACIST for 37 years and during that time I have gotten to know many patients. In some cases, I know quite a bit about their families, […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
House to roll out rewrite of legal pot bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE LEADERSHIP WILL unveil its proposal to overhaul the voter-backed law legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts on Wednesday, setting up an expected debate and vote before the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Fighting inequality: A losing battle?
It’s the overarching issue of our time, so income inequality was certainly deserving of the package of pieces devoted to the topic in yesterday’s Globe Ideas section. There was only […]
Posted inTransportation
Uber, Lyft changing traffic patterns at Logan
RIDE-SHARING SERVICES appear to be changing traffic patterns at Logan International Airport, boosting the number of people paying for chauffeured services while causing a slight drop in the use of […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Why Lowell is torn over new high school
MEETINGS OF THE LOWELL CITY COUNCIL are typically sparsely attended affairs, characterized by amicable discussions among councilors and unanimous votes. This has all changed in recent weeks, as the city […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Paris withdrawal won’t deter wind, solar
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S WITHDRAWAL from the Paris climate agreement, and the reactions to that retreat, are more theater than substance. Whether the United States is in or out does little to […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Blue state chauvinism
IN THE PURSUIT of tax equity and fairness, Massachusetts progressives who support the proposed “fair share” amendment could end up placing a larger tax burden on poorer residents in other […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
State bond rating drops one notch
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH SLUGGISH REVENUES testing Gov. Charlie Baker’s ability to balance investment needs with fiscal prudence, one of the country’s largest credit rating agencies on Friday downgraded […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
Warren: GOP trying to ram through health care bill
Sen. Warren sent the following message to her supporters on Friday. I LEARNED SOME SCARY NEWS yesterday: the Senate Republicans are going to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act […]
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics
Dissecting Baker’s stance on millionaire’s tax
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER hasn’t formally said he’s against the so-called “Fair Share” ballot question, which would create a surtax on incomes over $1 million and earmark the proceeds for education […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
From refugee camp to high school grad
The following is a pre-graduation speech delivered at the City on a Hill charter school. MY NAME IS MARYAN ADEN and I am a member of the founding class at […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 52: Auburndale whistleblowers
Today’s Codcast features the TransitMatters guys who put the brakes on an $11 million MBTA redesign of the Auburndale commuter rail station that was going to improve handicap accessibility but […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
The Codcast: Auburndale whistleblowers
Today’s Codcast features the TransitMatters guys who put the brakes on an $11 million MBTA redesign of the Auburndale commuter rail station that was going to improve handicap accessibility but […]
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
Fear and loathing on Haverhill school vote
THE SILVER HILL Horace Mann Charter School in Haverhill is seeking a five-year extension of its charter, but the seemingly routine process has mushroomed into a high-stakes battle reminiscent of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion, Politics
Fact-checking the district attorneys
AT MONDAY’S JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING on criminal justice reform legislation, District Attorneys Joseph Early of Worcester County, Timothy Cruz of Plymouth County, and Michael Morrissey of Norfolk County testified in […]
Posted inGambling
Crosby: Thoroughbred racing can be saved
THE STATE’S ON-THE-ROPES thoroughbred racing industry can be resurrected, the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said in a letter to the Legislature on Wednesday. Stephen Crosby, the chairman of […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Baker and Warren look for crossover votes
“Make ticket-splitting great again!” It may not roll off the tongue easily. And the obvious allusion to a certain candidate’s slogan is actually the last thing he’d want to do. […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
FY18 budget shortfall could be $1b
IT IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED on Beacon Hill, certainly among budget writers, that the fiscal 2018 budgets passed by the House and Senate depend on unrealistic revenue projections. But it is […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo unsure how Baker will balance budget
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Gov. Charlie Baker has told House Speaker Robert DeLeo not to worry about deficient tax collections blowing a hole in this year’s state budget. And the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download, Transportation
Uber bad behavior
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Criminal justice reform at the State House
STATE HOUSE NEWS FOR MONTHS, CRIMINAL justice advocates have said this legislative session is the time for Beacon Hill to tackle sweeping reforms aimed at reducing recidivism and incarceration rates, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Nipping and tucking
Charlie Baker is the state’s nip and tuck governor. State revenues were better than expected in May, but Massachusetts still faces an estimated $439 million shortfall that has to be […]
Posted inPolitics
May tax revenues $30m higher than expected
STATE TAX REVENUES in May came in $30 million higher than expected, but that still leaves Beacon Hill officials with a $439 million revenue shortfall to deal with before the […]