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, […]
Wynn: Building in Boston is expensive
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 […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Democrats’ circular firing squad
Yes, there was the sure-bet presidential contest that slipped away. And both branches of Congress are firmly in Republican hands. But despite all that — or, perhaps more accurately, because […]
Posted inTransportation
T trying to speed up Green Line trains
THE MBTA IS WORKING ON WAYS to speed up service on the Green Line by coordinating traffic lights, consolidating stops, and using technology to prevent bottlenecks. T officials estimate they […]
Posted inTransportation
Mysterious malady plagues commuter rail wheels
JUST AS THE MBTA’S COMMUTER RAIL operator is starting to get a handle on its shortage of working locomotives, the company is facing a mysterious problem with the wheels on […]
Posted inPolitics
Pot panel looks to let ex-cons in
THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE shaping the state’s new marijuana law wrapped up its final session of hearings Monday with an impassioned plea from a convicted drug felon to change the laws […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Uber ego
Uber is what many describe as a “disruptive technology,” that emerging portion of the so-called gig economy that is challenging traditional models of commerce with little regard for the niceties of […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
DCR is an agency without a vision
KUDOS TO THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION for stepping in to help the Department of Conservation andRecreation (DCR) focus on its core expertise – parks and parkways stewardship – by taking management […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
State needs to help with college funding
YOU CAN OFTEN FIND ME and a few students at a table in the basement of the Northern Essex Community College Library while we discuss various issues that face our […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Moving beyond health cost targets
IN LATE MARCH, the board of the Health Policy Commission voted unanimously to leave the 2018 cost growth benchmark for total state health care expenditures at 3.1 percent. This target […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 45: Moulton doesn’t mince words
The phrase “mealy-mouthed politician” often seems redundant, so closely do we associate political figures with an aversion to direct answers that cut through the usual fog. That does not describe […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Codcast: Moulton doesn’t mince words
The phrase “mealy-mouthed politician” often seems redundant, so closely do we associate political figures with an aversion to direct answers that cut through the usual fog. That does not describe […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
New Seaport garage makes sense
THE NEWS THAT MASSPORT is moving forward with a planned 1,550-space parking garage in the Seaport District, and that the city wants to add another 550 spaces to its garage […]
Posted inThe Back Story
What’s going on at Millennium Tower?
IT’S ALL A BIT MYSTERIOUS, but a recent real estate transaction at Millennium Tower sheds some light on the financial challenges of catering to the whims of well-to-do condo buyers. […]
Posted inEducation
Mass. educator named National Teacher of the Year
SYDNEY CHAFFEE, a 9th grade humanities teacher at a Dorchester charter school, is not just a good teacher, she is, by at least one measure, the best one in the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
For Fox, bottom line was the only factor
Bill O’Reilly is out in a major victory for women’s rights and an acknowledgement by Fox News of the clear wrongs he committed over many years while bloviating from moral […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, Opinion
With mixed record on opioids, Baker joining task force
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER IS JOINING a White House task force on opioids, to be chaired by fellow governor Chris Christie, whom Baker endorsed in the Republican presidential primaries. Baker is […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
When not guilty is not innocent
Aaron Hernandez died an innocent man. Technically. The former New England Patriots star tight end, who apparently took his life early this morning in his cell at the state’s maximum security prison […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker public records stance referred to Healey
THE STATE’S SUPERVISOR OF PUBLIC RECORDS said Gov. Charlie Baker failed to comply with an administrative order to produce documents and referred the matter to Attorney General Maura Healey for […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Home loan segregation
A study of home mortgage lending in Massachusetts provides yet another window on racial segregation in Massachusetts. The study, by the Massachusetts Community & Banking Council, found blacks in 2015 […]
Posted inEconomy, Education
UMass Amherst investing in innovation
THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST, the flagship campus of the state’s university system, is diving into the innovation economy with a splash they hope will ripple out far beyond the […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
The world isn’t as flat as we thought
LONG-TERM TRENDS WILL CHANGE the global economy, putting unique strains on both large cities and outlying areas. PwC has identified five megatrends actively shaping our world: rapid urbanization, technological breakthroughs, […]