THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION and officials representing New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pushed the MBTA’s oversight board on Monday to approve a pilot project extending weekday commuter rail service to […]
Baker, Kraft push Foxborough commuter rail service
Posted inPolitics, The Download
A model for Baker in Maryland
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker continues his tightrope walk between owning the “R” after his name and trying to create distance with the R-occupant of the White House. The trouble is, […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Do legislative staffers deserve a raise, too?
NOW THAT MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATORS have secured increased compensation for themselves, they should take a hard look at the pay levels of those who work for them. Fair and livable wages […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Republicans showing their hand on ACA ‘replacement’
LATE LAST WEEK, Politico released a leaked 105-page draft bill defining the House Republican plan to repeal/replace/repair/re-whatever the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare. The draft legislation was dated February 10, so likely […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
T is rebuilding station in worst possible way
MUCH OF THE MBTA COMMUTER RAIL network is still not accessible for disabled passengers. But the current proposed solution to add accessibility to the Auburndale commuter rail station in Newton […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
A better way to address regional inequality
IN THEIR RECENT PIECE “Bridging the urban-rural divide in Mass.,” Lawrence S. DiCara and Matt Waskiewicz address the issue of regional inequality. They explain how the erosion of manufacturing jobs has caused […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn casino price tag goes up $300m
WYNN RESORTS DISCLOSED on Friday that the estimated cost of building its Everett casino has risen to approximately $2.4 billion, a $300 million increase from estimates as recently as August. […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 37: Pacheco Law punch-out
In what may be a precursor to a soon-to-come Beacon Hill debate on the Pacheco Law, state Auditor Suzanne Bump squared off with Greg Sullivan, research director at the right-leaning […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Codcast: Pacheco Law punch-out
In what may be a precursor to a soon-to-come Beacon Hill debate on the Pacheco Law, state Auditor Suzanne Bump squared off with Greg Sullivan, research director at the right-leaning […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Clean energy intrigue alleged
Environmental advocates say a 1,200 megawatt clean energy solicitation developed by the Baker administration is biased in favor of large-scale hydro projects favored by some of the state’s utilities. The […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
MBTA outsourcing is not paying off
IT’S A simple equation. Whenever we privatize or outsource public services, we as a state and as taxpayers lose control. Case after case has shown that when we hand over […]
Posted inThe Download
Boston’s Lake Wobegon restaurant ratings
We’re living in the age of data and metrics. Baseball now runs on them. Political campaigns have mastered the art of microtargeting voters based on preferences scraped from various […]
Posted inEnvironment
Utility raises concerns on emission targets
A TOP OFFICIAL WITH EVERSOURCE ENERGY said on Wednesday that Massachusetts was in danger of not meeting its carbon emission reduction targets for 2020. In a conference call with financial […]
Posted inEnvironment
Eversource facing big Beacon Hill challenge
EVERSOURCE ENERGY FACES a monumental lobbying challenge this year – convincing Beacon Hill lawmakers to pass legislation allowing electric ratepayers to finance the construction of a natural gas pipeline into […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
MBTA control board is on track
REMARKABLE PROGRESS HAS been made since a Fiscal and Management Control Board was installed during the summer of 2015 and given powers not previously available to MBTA management. Yet those […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Uber finds itself ‘disrupted’
Chances are you’ve never heard of Susan Fowler, but a blog post she wrote on Sunday is shaking up the ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc., one of the nation’s biggest […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State leaders unveil bill aimed at cutting recidivism
STATE LEADERS UNVEILED long-awaited legislation Tuesday aimed at reducing recidivism rates in the criminal justice system. But whether the bill tackles the most pressing issue facing the system or simply […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DA Conley pushes back against Gants
SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY DAN CONLEY on Tuesday pushed back against efforts by Chief Justice Ralph Gants and members of the Senate to do away with mandatory minimum sentences and […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The long-running soap opera of Roxbury Community College
There was a time that missteps by administrators at Roxbury Community College were met with sighs and snickers over the continual stream of malfeasance at the two-year state school. But […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Brownsberger: Criminal justice reform top priority
MY ONGOING TOP PRIORITY as Senate Chair of the Judiciary Committee is criminal justice reform. The criminal justice system is filled with committed professionals – police, prosecutors, judges, and probation, […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Boston emerging as mobility innovation center
IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING that mobility – the movement of people and goods – is an incredibly hot space. Start-ups are cropping up across the entire value chain as significant […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Ira Stepanian will always be ‘Big Ira’
WHEN IRA STEPANIAN, then president of BankBoston, asked me to join him as executive vice president for external affairs, I told him that I didn’t know much about banking. “That’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, State House News Service
Sentencing commission backs repeal of mandatory minimums
IN ANOTHER SIGN of support for broad criminal justice reform, the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission voted to recommend abolition of mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except murder. The move comes […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Bridging the urban-rural divide in Mass.
EVAN HOROWITZ AND JAMES PINDELL of the Boston Globe remarked in a November 14 article that “the Trump effect” occurred in Massachusetts as well: while Greater Boston voted more Democratic […]