BROADWAY MBTA STATION — We hoped, as usual, to bring loyal Download readers pithy thoughts on an important news story of the day. We understand Donald Trump said he wouldn’t […]
A report from T captivity
Posted inPolitics
Parsing Baker’s tax, fee philosophy
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday vetoed legislation directing the state to seek federal funding for a voluntary study of whether a vehicle-miles-traveled tax could be a viable alternative to a […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Baker signs economic development bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE With the stroke of a pen Wednesday morning, Gov. Charlie Baker authorized $500 million in new state infrastructure spending, $45 million for contaminated site cleanups, and […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Jay Ash seeking Cambridge job
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S chief economic development advisor Jay Ash has applied to become the next city manager of Cambridge, potentially making him the first major exit […]
Posted inThe Download
Oh, shoot, what did Trump say now?
Listen to the tape. If all you do is read the stories or the transcripts of what Donald Trump said regarding Hillary Clinton and guns, there surely is some wiggle […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, Transportation
Baker to nix VMT pilot bid
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WHEN GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signs a highway and small bridge repair funding bill on Wednesday, the Republican governor plans to nix a proposed pilot program to […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Levy misses the mark in critique of Rosenberg
LAST WEDNESDAY, COMMONWEALTH recorded its weekly podcast interview, The Codcast. Michael Jonas and Bruce Mohl asked the questions. The guest was Senate President Stanley Rosenberg. The podcast was posted the […]
Posted inThe Download
Even in Princeton
Judging from the news coverage, murders are not supposed to happen in places like Princeton. It’s one thing for a woman and her friend, sitting inside their Worcester home, to […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker inks long-sought energy law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER sat in the sun on the State House lawn Monday afternoon, relishing a victory for his administration and some in the Legislature. With […]
Posted inPolitics
Weld: We’re in it to win
BILL WELD, WHO seemed to sign on as the Libertarian Party’s vice presidential candidate less than three months ago as a bit of a lark, now says the ticket is […]
Posted inTransportation
T helps Baker balance FY16 budget
HERE’S A TWIST: the Baker administration needed financial help from the MBTA to balance the state’s fiscal 2016 budget. To help close a fiscal 2016 budget shortfall, the Baker administration […]
Posted inTransportation
T board OKs $15m more for Green Line ext.
THE MBTA’S FISCAL MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL BOARD on Monday approved spending another $15 million on the Green Line extension even as state officials said they expected to hear this week […]
Posted inTransportation
How far does South Coast Rail commitment go?
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 […]
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 […]