LARGE SWATHS OF mostly minority Boston neighborhoods are so heavily affected by the criminal justice system that nearly every street has a resident who has spent time in jail, a […]
Mapping incarceration in Boston
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Lang: Keolis was on verge of walking away
A MEMBER OF THE MBTA’S oversight board said the transit agency’s commuter rail operator was on the verge of walking away from its $2.68 billion contract earlier this year when […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Warren sets rules of engagement
THIS WASN’T A PRETTY ELECTION. In fact, it was ugly, and we should not sugarcoat the reason why. Donald Trump ran a campaign that started with racial attacks and then […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 26: The shock heard ’round the world
Steve Koczela of the MassINC Polling Group and Politico’s Lauren Dezenski join The Codcast to take stock of the jaw-dropping turn of events.
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
MA must continue to lead on energy
A NEW PRESIDENT always means change in key public policy matters. Before sharing my thoughts about what this transition means for our energy priorities in Massachusetts, I want to share […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker’s weak back
It wasn’t exactly Celtics’ player Cedric Maxwell exhorting his teammates “climb on my back, boys,” before carrying the team to victory in the 1984 NBA playoffs but Gov. Charlie Baker hoped […]
Posted inPolitics
Tom Brady voting record: Incomplete
TOM BRADY FOUND himself at the center of a storm over his possible vote for his friend Donald Trump for president. But it turns out his ballot may not even be counted. […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
After charter defeat, Baker looks to close achievement gap
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REJECTED BY THE voters in his bid for an expansion of charter school access, Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday he will explore other means of reducing […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
The shock heard ‘round the world
DONALD TRUMP WAS elected president, upending the expectations set by virtually every poll going into Tuesday’s election. He won despite alienating and attacking everyone from Hispanics to Gold Star families, […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker seeks changes in pot law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS just said yes to legalizing marijuana Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker, an outspoken opponent of the referendum, said he wants a more efficient process […]
Posted inThe Download
Marginal errors
The ground shook at 10:25 Tuesday night. There were still a number of battleground states with incomplete results and polls remained open on the West Coast but the presidential race […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
The self-examination begins
WE’RE ALL TRYING to figure out how it came to pass that Donald Trump is now our President-elect. Here are three key takeaways from last night’s vote. American politics has […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Electoral College must go
THIS COLLEGE HAS NO IVORY TOWERS, no campus lawn, no library dedicated to a major benefactor. You can’t apply for admission to this college or get a degree from it. […]
Posted inEnvironment
Eversource winter price to drop 8%
EVERSOURCE ENERGY said its customers will pay about 8 percent less this winter for electricity, suggesting that constraints on natural gas supplies coming into the region won’t have a major […]
Posted inThe Download
Patriot politics
Hillary Clinton had President and Michelle Obama, Bruce Springsteen, and Jon Bon Jovi campaigning for her on the final day of the 2016 presidential race, but Donald Trump was not […]
Posted inTransportation
T capital spending rising, but still lags
THE MBTA IS HOPING to spend $870 million on capital projects this fiscal year, which is 17 percent more than the agency spent last year but still $330 million short […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker confirms probe of environmental police
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE of Energy and Environmental Affairs is investigating allegations of environmental police officers spending portions of the work day at home and receiving overtime […]
Posted inPolitics
2016 Election live-blog
5:19 PM:Where to find us this evening as results come in. That wraps it up for us here, but the night is just getting started. Steve Koczela will be on […]
Posted inTransportation
Orange Line trains turn around faster
MBTA OFFICIALS ON MONDAY said they have found a way to speed up their aging Orange Line trains as they wait for newer, faster vehicles to start arriving in late […]
Posted inEducation
Suburbs and the charter school question
HINGHAM DOES NOT look much like the sort of place where a charter school is likely to pop up. While charters schools in Massachusetts are concentrated in lower-income urban communities with struggling district schools […]
Posted inTransportation
T hires GLX manager at $280,000 base salary
THE MBTA ANNOUNCED on Monday that it has hired a Chicago-based construction official to oversee the $2.3 billion Green Line extension into Somerville and Medford, paying him a salary that […]
Posted inThe Download
Come(y) again?
The October surprise that threatened to upend the presidential race days before Election Day has turned into the November 180 that could return the contest onto the trajectory it been […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Robbing MIT to pay international reactor
THE DECADES-LONG QUEST to produce inexpensive carbon-free energy from nuclear fusion is making tangible progress. There is much work ahead but recent research is bringing the elusive goal into clearer […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
A charter convert
I WAS MAYOR of Springfield and chairman of the city’s school committee when the Massachusetts Education Reform Act passed in 1993. As a Democrat, and now a Boston resident, I […]