AS PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP prepares to take office despite losing the popular vote, many Massachusetts voters may be less than thrilled about the Electoral College process But Gov. Charlie Baker […]
Baker misses key problem with Electoral College
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
T parking revenue up 22%
THE MBTA’S PARKING REVENUE increased 22 percent over the last five months compared to the same period a year ago, reinforcing the notion that theft by employees of the T’s […]
Posted inOpinion
Nothing has changed at City Hall
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH recently began what will be a year-long series of conversations about race in neighborhoods around the city, with an aim to heal old wounds and move […]
Posted inThe Download
How soon is too soon?
Basically, anyone in first grade or older has a pretty firm recollection of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the four-day hunt for the killer-terrorists that held the Greater Boston […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Activists interrupt criminal justice meeting
CHANTING “JOBS NOT JAIL,” advocates for criminal justice reform briefly disrupted the final meeting of a state criminal justice policy commission today, part of a growing chorus of voices expressing […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, State House News Service
Ortiz stepping down early
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE U.S. ATTORNEY Carmen Ortiz, the first woman and first Hispanic to serve as the top federal prosecutor in the district of Massachusetts, will leave her post […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Five Affordable Care Act questions for the GOP
SO, REPUBLICANS ARE planning a major blitz to repeal and delay/replace/collapse the Affordable Care Act/ACA/ObamaCare. I’ve got five questions to ask leaders of the Grand Old Party. First, if your […]
Posted inThe Download
All bets are off
It could be desperation has eased as the economy recovers from the Great Recession. It could be the middle- and lower-classes, the targets of most low-level gambling, are tapped out […]
Posted inThe Download
Ortiz’s shrinking role on corruption
US Attorney Carmen Ortiz is vowing to continue bringing corruption charges against public officials, but the overturning of her convictions of former Probation commissioner John O’Brien and two of his […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
O’Brien conviction overturned; DeLeo cleared
A US APPEALS COURT overturned the convictions of former state probation commissioner John O’Brien and two top aides, saying prosecutors failed to prove key elements of their case and should […]
Posted inTransportation
T addresses costly shutdown process
THE MBTA’S CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER said on Monday the agency is moving up by 10 minutes the departure time for the last Green Line train from Heath Street so that […]
Posted inTransportation
T board raises competitive threat from Uber
IN THE MIDST OF A PRESENTATION on MBTA revenues, members of the T’s oversight board engaged in a debate about the threat to the transit agency posed by new transportation […]
Posted inTransportation
T ‘Picking Room’ taking a hike
THEY CALL IT THE PICKING ROOM, the place where T union employees go one at a time by seniority to pick their schedule for the next quarter by making marks […]
Posted inTransportation
T labor deal yields big wage savings
THE MBTA AND ITS LARGEST UNION announced a new labor agreement on Monday that offers an estimated $22 million a year in savings to the transit authority while putting core […]
Posted inThe Download
Throwing real books at offenders
Laura Santana was facing two years in prison for smuggling nearly a pound of cocaine into Logan Airport. But instead of jail, officials threw the books at her, allowing Santana […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker sets emission reduction targets
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is taking aim at power plants and using a lighter touch with private vehicles as it seeks to comply with a court order requiring the state to […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Airbnb wants to be taxed. Really
It’s almost Alice through the Looking Glass. An emerging industry leader that legally operates tax-free is asking – no, imploring – lawmakers to slap a levy on its business. That’s […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Eversource finds a loophole
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF AN EVERSOURCE/DONG Energy joint venture for offshore wind development should send shivers up the spine of anyone who recalls the strategy behind restructuring the Massachusetts electric industry […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Back Story
Bishops press Beacon Hill for criminal justice reform
THE STATE’S FOUR Catholic bishops are adding their voices to those calling for the Legislature to take up a comprehensive criminal justice reform bill when lawmakers reconvene for a new […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Tito Jackson, man of mayoral action?
It’s just about the worst kept secret in town: Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson seems very likely to challenge Mayor Marty Walsh’s reelection bid next year. Jackson has said publicly […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Winter reliability efforts go only so far
ISO NEW ENGLAND, the operator of the region’s power system, recently announced that electricity supplies should be sufficient to meet the region’s demand for electricity this winter barring “unexpected resource […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Provost: Six steps for GLX
ON DECEMBER 10, 2016, I was invited to give a presentation as part of a program titled “Reviving Federal Investment in Public Transit: Build Subways, not Submarines.” The program, held […]
Posted inEnvironment
DONG, Eversource form Bay State Wind
DONG ENERGY, one of three companies vying for offshore wind contracts from Massachusetts, on Tuesday announced a 50-50 partnership with Eversource Energy, a well-connected regional utility that has crafted similar […]
Posted inThe Download
Is Warren running out of enemies?
Seeing the words “Trump” and “Wall Street” apparently does to Sen. Elizabeth Warren what waving a red cape does to an angry bull. But in Warren’s case, she sometimes jumps […]