IN JANUARY 2015, the two of us took pen in hand and collaborated on an article for CommonWealth titled “Looking for the Man or Woman on a Horse: Can the 2016 presidential […]
No transforming option for president
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Healey’s assault weapon directive on target
ONE OF THE main rallying cries of the NRA and the gun lobby is that we don’t need any new gun laws to reduce gun violence. The gun lobbyists assert […]
Posted inThe Download
Paying teachers who don’t teach
The Boston Public Schools will be spending an estimated $8 million this year paying teachers who won’t be teaching. Is that a colossal waste of money, or simply a cost […]
Posted inPolitics
Questions raised over Globe’s Joyce story
MILTON TOWN RECORDS and interviews with local officials are calling into question the accuracy of a Boston Globe story suggesting embattled state Sen. Brian Joyce shortchanged the municipality on property […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Senate chamber to undergo renovations
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER THE NEW LEGISLATIVE TERM begins in January, the state Senate plans to abandon its historic chamber and begin meeting in two temporary workspaces elsewhere in […]
Posted inTransportation
Get Mass. transponder or face higher Turnpike charges
This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. At 3 p.m., because of incorrect information supplied by state officials, it was corrected to say that drivers without transponders will be charged […]
Posted inThe Download
Run, Tito, run!
Tito Jackson, at this point, may only be dipping his toe in the waters for a mayoral run. The Boston Herald, however, is all in. The tabloid runs out a […]
Posted inGambling
Curtatone making up with Wynn
SOMERVILLE MAYOR JOSEPH CURTATONE is making up with Wynn Resorts. The mayor, who delayed by several months the construction of the Wynn Resorts hotel and casino in Everett by challenging […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 15: Baker’s curious VMT decision
Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision last week to veto a legislative provision directing the state to seek federal funds for an all-volunteer study of vehicle-miles-traveled, or VMT, turned some heads. The […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
More time in school key to charter success
FOR MOST FAMILIES, August represents the dog days of summer. Temperatures are at their hottest. Camp is winding down. And the beginning of the school year is still weeks away. […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
The Codcast: Baker’s curious VMT decision
Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision last week to veto a legislative provision directing the state to seek federal funds for an all-volunteer study of vehicle-miles-traveled, or VMT, turned some heads. The […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker pushes health care competition
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is showing signs that it wants to get more aggressive about encouraging greater competition between health care providers. Monica Bharel, the commissioner of the Department of Public […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download
Family feud
Democrats in Massachusetts don’t have many Republicans to fight and the one they do – Gov. Charlie Baker – has charmed them into passivity. But in the ballot question to […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Pence pep talk doesn’t sway Baker
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOP VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE Mike Pence pitched a gathering of Republican governors in Colorado on Tuesday, but even a “terrific” speech by a fellow governor wasn’t enough […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Punishing opt-outs
THE AMOUNT OF energy, time, and money that is being put into curbing students from “opting out” of state- and federal-mandated standardized tests tests makes one wonder what these tests […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Education
State Dems say no to charter ballot question
STATE HOUSE NEWS THE MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATIC PARTY on Tuesday night voted to oppose a ballot question that would expand charter schools in Massachusetts, putting the party at odds with some […]
Posted inEnvironment
SJC nixes ‘pipeline tax’
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT ruled on Wednesday that the Baker administration can not authorize the state’s electric utilities to tap their ratepayers for the money to finance a new natural […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download
Drawing ire over police shootings
There is little disagreement that race relations between African-Americans and police around the country are a tinderbox right now, as combustible as the drought-dried areas of the state ready to […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Baker shortsighted on VMT
THERE ARE MOMENTS IN GOVERNMENT when a small, often little-noticed, decision has large long-term consequences. Unfortunately, Gov. Charlie Baker made such a decision last week when he vetoed a provision […]
Posted inEnvironment
Water restrictions spotty during drought
FOR MOST PEOPLE, the dry stubble covering so many lawns these days is an eyesore, and a painful reminder of the drought hitting every region in Massachusetts. But to those […]
Posted inThe Download
Mashpee Wampanoag tribe no longer trusts feds
It was a minor story, tucked inside the Boston Globe’s metro section and hard to find on the newspaper’s website. Yet the report nevertheless was revealing. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Transit equity has a housing component
ACCESS TO GOOD TRANSPORTATION is the cornerstone of a strong, thriving community. Municipal planners encourage this kind of smart growth which, in addition to combating urban sprawl, stimulates community reinvestment […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Galvin is out of line
William Galvin, the secretary of state, has made no secret of his open hostility to the United Independent Party. In a recent interview with the Boston Globe, he made a […]
Posted inThe Download
Keeping a tab on student homelessness
It’s the kind of effort few newspapers have the time, space, or resources to make an investment in pursuing, but it’s an important issue that needs to be put before […]