THE BATTLE OVER President Trump’s pick for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, had teachers unions, public school advocates, and many on the political left in high dudgeon. DeVos’s record of support for […]
DeVos selection roils reform sector
Posted inUncategorized
Power auction goes smoothly for 2020-2021
NEW ENGLAND POWER GRID OFFICIALS said on Thursday that they easily secured enough electricity to meet the region’s energy needs three years from now. ISO-New England, the region’s power grid […]
Posted inThe Download
Hitting Trump where it hurts
President Trump’s opponents haven’t had much luck in Washington blocking his cabinet appointments, but they seem to be having some success in convincing people to stop purchasing products associated with […]
Posted inEducation
Will state embrace innovation school zones?
THE HIGHLY CHARGED DEBATE over charter schools last fall ended with a resounding statewide vote against significant expansion of the public, but independently operated, schools. What the vote did not […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Polling matters now more than ever
POLLING IS AN act of political resistance. It agglomerates the messy and inconvenient opinions of everyday people, kneads them into a whole, and forces them through the door into the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
What’s the martyr with Warren?
If Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s intent was to make an example out of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, he better use some of his campaign war chest to buy himself a clue. […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Legislative income inequality
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE NOW THAT PAY RAISES for lawmakers have been finalized, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg will soon dole out the lucrative leadership and […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
No one is taking Healey seriously
Attorney General Maura Healey says she wants to keep her job and plans to run for reelection in 2018, eschewing a showdown with Gov. Charlie Baker. A lot of people […]
Posted inTransportation
T finds demand for late-night
THE MBTA MOVED one step closer to restoring late-night bus service after members of the oversight board gave cautious support for subsidies because of surveys showing there would be an […]
Posted inTransportation
T reaches agreement to fix Silver Line buses
THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a $1 million addition to a contract with a Maine state government-backed equipment refurbishing company after the pact was suspended by Gov. […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Voc-tech schools are a Mass. success story
MASSACHUSETTS VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL high schools are like the person who toils for years, only to be termed an “overnight sensation” when he or she finally achieves recognition. For over a decade the […]
Posted inTransportation
T to jettison parking vendor
THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD voted to approve a potential 15-year contract with one of the country’s biggest parking management companies, ending a troubled relationship with its longtime lot operator that resulted […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
Is criminal justice reform misfiring?
This is the era of criminal justice reform. States across the country are reexamining criminal justice policies with an eye toward addressing the ignoble distinction the US holds of claiming […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Baker’s health care tax is bad policy
IN AN ERA OF ALTERNATIVE FACTS, a bit of revisionist history may seem like a small sin. But in the case of Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposed tax on employers who […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Stipends on steroids
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO and Senate President Stan Rosenberg got much more than a $1,000-a-week pay hike when the Legislature passed the bill to increase their salaries: They also were […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 35: What should Charlie do?
The press has been giving Gov. Charlie Baker a lot of advice on how he should deal with President Trump, so we thought we might as well get into the […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
The Codcast: What should Charlie do?
The press has been giving Gov. Charlie Baker a lot of advice on how he should deal with President Trump, so we thought we might as well get into the […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers override Baker pay raise veto
THE HOUSE AND SENATE on Thursday overrode Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of legislation authorizing big salary increases for lawmakers, constitutional officers, and judges. The Senate also sweetened the pay hike […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Eversource seeks higher fees on customers with solar
Eversource is proposing special charges for customers with solar installations to make sure they pay their share of the cost of operating the power grid. The proposed charges are contained […]
Posted inTransportation
TransitMatters outlines Faster Forward initiative
WE AT TRANSITMATTERS were a bit startled to hear the assertion, made in the governor’s recent State of the Commonwealth address, that while “the MBTA’s historic failure during the winter […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
A protectionist whine
In January, the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission suspended the licenses for several days of Total Wine in Everett and Natick, outlets run by the country’s largest alcohol retailer, Total […]
Posted inPolitics
Some senators in line for even bigger payday
STATE SENATORS COULD SEE THEIR PAY rise dramatically under a little-noticed provision in the pay raise bill and a proposed rules change that together would allow the lawmakers to collect […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Transportation
Let’s boost transit-oriented development
I WAS RECENTLY honored to accept an award on behalf of the Commonwealth Housing Task Force for our work with respect to transit-oriented development. Anyone who has seen all the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download, Transportation
A dirge for taxis
It was raining hard in ‘Frisco I needed one more fare to make my night A lady up ahead waved to flag me down She got in at the light […]