THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION says the state is committed to South Coast Rail, even though the route and the cost of the project are not even close to being finalized. State […]
How far does South Coast Rail commitment go?
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Covering Trump
Jim Rutenberg, media columnist for the New York Times, posed a question in yesterday’s paper that has been looming over the presidential contest: “If you’re a working journalist and you […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Pay equity law’s unintended consequences
WITH THE PASSAGE of “An Act to Establish Pay Equity,” young women entering the workforce in Massachusetts might figure that they are protected from the gender-based inequalities that have been […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Boneheaded transportation moves
AUGUST IS THAT MONTH when there isn’t an official federal or state holiday because so many people are assumed to be on vacation. This makes August a time when people […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service, Transportation
Baker hails Uber bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday afternoon signed into law what he described as the strongest regulatory framework in the country for app-based ride-for-hire services like Uber […]
Posted inThe Download
Sounds of silence at Suffolk
The silence coming out of Suffolk University is deafening. The board of trustees still isn’t talking about why it fired president Margaret McKenna, and McKenna herself hasn’t said anything since […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn project shifts into gear
WYNN RESORTS led everyone to believe it put construction of its $2.1 billion Everett casino and hotel on hold when Somerville challenged a key environmental permit, but the worksite on […]
Posted inGambling
An unlikely spot for a $2.1b hotel
ON ONE SIDE is a massive power plant. On the other is a commuter rail line and a group of big box stores. To the rear is an MBTA repair […]
Posted inGuns, The Back Story
AG’s gun communications lacking
Two weeks after Attorney General Maura Healey announced her crackdown on assault weapons sales, there is still confusion over how and when she issued her directive, whether she did or […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Paid family leave is good for business and communities
AT SOME POINT in everyone’s life, a serious personal or family medical emergency happens. Individuals receive an unexpected diagnosis. An elderly parent’s health rapidly declines. A family member faces a […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Weld outshines Johnson in CNN town hall
FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR Bill Weld is a typical political alpha male. Always has been. He proved that by once jumping headfirst in a not-so-clean Charles River as a display of […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 13: Rosenberg laments broken system
When you cut through the Beacon Hill weeds, Senate President Stan Rosenberg’s message is clear: The system for reviewing and considering legislation is badly broken, and he’s not happy about […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
The Codcast: Rosenberg laments broken system
He offers plenty of wonky background on the details of Joint Rule 10 and bill-reporting deadlines, but when you cut through the Beacon Hill weeds, Senate President Stan Rosenberg’s message […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
House, Senate lawmakers trade fire
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE AND SENATE may be done trading major policy proposals for the year, but the back-and-forth between members of both branches is only heating up. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Energy bill a solid step forward
IF YOU’RE DISGUSTED BY POLITICS in this country, take heart. This is Massachusetts. The state’s clean energy bill, passed in the wee hours of July 31, is an important step […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, State House News Service
Fentanyl fuels rise in opioid deaths
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FENTANYL HELPED FUEL an increase in opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts over the first six months of the year, according to state public health officials whose […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Criminal Justice, State House News Service
Pot supporters say ballot question about fairness
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS PROPONENTS GATHERED outside the State House Wednesday to urge support for marijuana legalization and condemn arguments against it as rooted in fear, opponents of a […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
The inconvenient truth of energy policy
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE just enacted some of the most ambitious clean energy procurement legislation in the nation. It is a significant step to meet the Commonwealth’s emissions reduction goals and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion, Transportation
Davey: Continue state subsidy for Greenway
THE GREENWAY CONSERVANCY, a not-for-profit entity charged with programming and maintaining the Rose Kennedy Greenway, has recently generated headlines that have called into question the appropriate level of state support […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download
Boston pols square off on pot question
They aren’t exactly a murderers’ row of top-shelf political muscle. But when the heavy hitters are all lined up on the other side, you go with the team you’ve got. […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn construction could start this week
WYNN RESORTS is expected to move ahead with construction of its $2.1 billion hotel-casino complex in Everett this week after Somerville decided not to seek reconsideration of an environmental permit […]
Posted inThe Download
When it comes to the T, follow the money
Nothing happens with the cash-strapped MBTA without a reference to money — absolutely nothing. Monday’s meeting of the Fiscal & Management Control Board was a case in point. Outside of […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Driverless car revolution is coming
This is the second in a series entitled The Future of Mobility, a joint project of CommonWealth and Meeting of the Minds, a San Francisco-based organization that seeks to build alliances around […]
Posted inTransportation
T to pay $400 million for mandated safety system
MBTA OFFICIALS SAY a mandatory $460 million system to ensure rail safety is on track to be installed by 2020 but though they claim it’s an 80-20 split with the […]