STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CAST IRON AND STEEL PIPES and valves integral to the tunnel system that provides 60 percent of the water to eastern Massachusetts communities served by the […]
MWRA: Old water tunnels in poor condition
Posted inPolitics
Pot opponents hit ‘Big Marijuana’
OPPONENTS OF THE BALLOT QUESTION to legalize adult use of pot are pivoting their focus away from the dangers of the drug and taking aim at “Big Marijuana,” the burgeoning […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
September tax revenues remain sluggish
REVENUE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS on Wednesday said collections in September were 1 percent above the monthly benchmark target, but cautioned that the state is hardly out of the woods financially because […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service
Baker dumps more workers at DCR
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER A DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION official was fired and another resigned, management changes are in the pipeline at the agency whose personnel has recently […]
Posted inTransportation
T says hiring Brink’s would save millions
THE MBTA IS PREPARING to turn over its cash collection and money-counting operations to Brink’s Inc., the first major privatization move at the agency under special authorization granted by a 2015 […]
Posted inTransportation
T cleaning contract creates political divide
THE MBTA’S CURRENT CLEANING CONTRACT with two private vendors illustrates how the administrations of Gov. Charlie Baker and former governor Deval Patrick are both alike and different when it comes […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
MassDOT looks to trash records
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IF YOU USED an old Fastlane transponder on the Massachusetts Turnpike 18 years ago, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation likely has a record of that trip. […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
The cost of the charter school cap
IN NOVEMBER, VOTERS in Massachusetts will decide whether to raise the cap on charter school enrollment. The irony is that for most voters—those living in suburban and rural communities with […]
Posted inThe Download
Bail Weld?
Former governor William Weld, running for vice president, is apparently feeling liberated and it has little to do with his party affiliation. Weld, never one to hew to the party […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
States are where clean energy action is
ON THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE and energy policy, the candidates for president couldn’t be farther apart, as evidenced by their brief exchange at last week’s first debate. For Hillary […]
Posted inOpinion
New poverty numbers are misleading
NEW CENSUS NUMBERS released last month saw incomes rise by 5 percent nationally and the poverty rate dropping to 13.5 percent from 14.8. The news made major headlines. Many are celebrating. And […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Pilgrim is safe, shouldn’t close early
DESPITE ASSERTIONS TO THE CONTRARY, the facts demonstrate that the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has run very reliably in recent years. For calendar year 2014, our capacity factor was 97 […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
SJC upholds parent rights of same-sex partner
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE PARENTING RIGHTS of a mother in a same-sex relationship extend even when the couple is unmarried and the mother has no biological connection to the […]
Posted inThe Download
Campanello firing remains mystery
Gloucester Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken on Monday fired Leonard Campanello, the city’s famous police chief, for misleading investigators who were apparently probing his relationships with two unidentified women who allegedly […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Boston Pops to produce July 4 events
THE BOSTON POPS announced on Monday that it is going to take over production of the July 4 Esplanande events next year. In a press release, the Pops also said […]
Posted inHealth Care
Insurers raise concerns on Children’s
THE MASSACHUSETTS ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH PLANS on Monday urged the Department of Public Health to reconsider its conditional support for a proposed expansion at Boston Children’s Hospital. Lora Pellegrini, the […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service
Baker appalled by DCR official’s actions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said Monday he was “appalled” by the actions of a former top state parks official, confirming that video showed him driving with lights […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Sacrifice is out of style in politics
First in a series. IN HIS FIRST INAUGURAL, Ronald Reagan observed “we’re too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams . . . We have every right to […]
Posted inThe Download
Globe numbers look promising
Circulation statements filed by the Boston Globe suggest the newspaper is doing fairly well maintaining its print subscriber base and growing its digital following. The statements, included in the Sunday […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
Baker’s DPH backs Children’s expansion
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH has recommended approval of a $1 billion expansion at Boston Children’s Hospital, a step that moves the controversial project closer […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 20: Grading the Legislature
The Environmental League of Massachusetts put out its latest legislative scorecard this week, and the rankings provided a number of interesting insights about Beacon Hill.
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
The Codcast: Grading the Legislature
The Environmental League of Massachusetts put out its latest legislative scorecard this week, and the rankings provided a number of interesting insights about Beacon Hill. First, the Environmental League’s scorecard […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Lawmakers close FY16 budget gap
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE on Thursday fast-tracked a spending bill to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk aimed at closing the books on fiscal 2016, which ended June 30, […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Pollack wants to step up climate-change efforts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CLIMATE CHANGE WILL BECOME a “huge focus” of the Baker administration’s transportation efforts, according to a top state official who said the old method of building […]