THE MBTA, WHICH has struggled to spend money to bring the system up to a state of good repair, will increase expenditures on capital projects to update the system but […]
MBTA misses capital spending mark
Posted inTransportation
T sees spike in reported injuries
MBTA OFFICIALS SAID on Monday the number of on-the-job injuries among transportation operators soared during the first three months of the year as the transit authority tried to reduce the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Utilities unveil RFP for offshore wind power
THE STATE’S UTILITIES on Monday set in motion a first-of-its-kind procurement for 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind power by asking Massachusetts regulators to approve a bid process that gives companies […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Globe’s Trump parody — one year later
The Boston Globe’s “opinion team” on Sunday took a look back at its Trump parody front page from a year ago and discovered most of its predictions were off-base. The […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
When does reform end and revenue begin at the T?
SO THERE I WAS, enjoying a brisk late April morning and about to dig into the newspapers (and breakfast), when my iPhone beeped and up came CommonWealth’s Sunday Upload. My […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Congressional delegation should butt out
HERE’S ONE THAT COULD BE A JOKE, except it actually happened. Every member of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation recently thought it would be a good idea to sign a misguided letter […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Achievement gaps tell disturbing tale of two states
MASSACHUSETTS HAS THE best schools in America and some of the highest performing districts. We would not stand for it if three-quarters of the third-graders in Newton or Weston or […]
Posted inOpinion
Have you gone on a pilgrimage?
Photographs from Jarrett Barrios’s Facebook page. HE’S IN A SELF-IMPOSED NEWS BLACKOUT so he won’t be reading this. At least not for a while. My friend Jarrett Barrios — a […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
Boston says it’s studying whether to rebuild Long Island Bridge
A SPOKESWOMAN FOR Boston Mayor Marty Walsh issued a statement saying the city is doing a cost-benefit analysis on rebuilding the Long Island Bridge, which is a shift from the […]
Posted inTransportation
Running the numbers on the Fairmount Line
A REPORT RELEASED THIS WEEK by the Boston Foundation pegged weekday ridership on the Fairmount Line at 2,257 passengers in June 2016, which is about 15 percent higher than counts […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
An investment in government transparency
LAST TUESDAY WAS tax day, and like many people I got to wondering where my hard-earned money went. Sure, there is the broad mission statement enshrined in the Constitution’s preamble […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 46: No Boston Olympics, revisited
It was just two years ago that the Greater Boston region was in the thick of a high-stakes showdown over whether to proceed with a bid to host the 2024 […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Codcast: No Boston Olympics, revisited
It was just two years ago that the Greater Boston region was in the thick of a high-stakes showdown over whether to proceed with a bid to host the 2024 […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
A Republican path to ACA reform?
IF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP and Congressional Republicans were to decide that fixing rather than destroying the Affordable Care Act, especially its private health insurance marketplaces, was in their self-interest, could […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story, Transportation
Boston abandons Long Island Bridge
A correction has been added to this story. BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH appears to be backing away from plans to rebuild the bridge to Long Island, partly because of opposition […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Tackling transportation in the suburbs
IF GREATER BOSTON HAS AN ACHILLES HEEL, it’s transportation. This was the number one issue when we launched the N2 Innovation District in Newton and Needham and it remains a […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Millennium marches on
Millennium Partners on Wednesday moved one step closer to building its fourth ultra-luxury project in Boston’s downtown core when the City Council voted 10-3 to seek an exemption from a […]
Posted inPolitics
Advocates hail challenge to Baker on public records
TWO ADVOCATES for greater government transparency are applauding the state supervisor of public records for questioning Gov. Charlie Baker’s assertion that his office is not subject to the Public Records […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Shadow vs $: It’s the wrong debate
THE WINTHROP SQUARE DEVELOPMENT proposed by Millennium Partners is not about the shadows on the Public Garden. It’s about the fact that every major development proposal in Boston seems to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
Does it matter if Hernandez was gay?
How does a reporter write about an issue he or she hasn’t covered without explaining what the issue is? It’s a conundrum facing many outlets in the aftermath of the suicide […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn: Building in Boston is expensive
STEVE WYNN TOLD FINANCIAL ANALYSTS on Tuesday that he has been very surprised at how much it is costing to build his hotel and casino in Everett. As previously reported, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Legislators call for broader criminal justice reform
LAWMAKERS GATHERED OUTSIDE the House chamber Tuesday to declare their commitment to wide-ranging criminal justice reforms, further evidence of a push on Beacon Hill for changes that go beyond a […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
The great union loophole
NEWLY SEATED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE Neil Gorsuch once wrote, “There is something distinct, different, and more problematic afoot when the government selectively infringes on a fundamental right.” The Massachusetts union […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Transportation
The inside story of No Boston Olympics
Two years ago Boston was in the midst of an epic showdown over whether to proceed with a bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. In January 2015, Boston was […]