In the aftermath of the Orlando massacre, fingers are being pointed and questions asked about why federal law enforcement officials didn’t detain — or at the least keep track of […]
The unobstructed view of hindsight
Posted inTransportation
T outsources security at revenue facility
STATE HOUSE NEWS FOLLOWING IDENTIFIED VULNERABILITIES at its Charlestown revenue facility, the MBTA shifted security from the MBTA Transit Police Department to the private firm G4S, which is in the […]
Posted inTransportation
Problems with privatization at T parking lots
MBTA OFFICIALS made the case on Monday for privatizing the agency’s warehouse and parts operations even as they continued to investigate what appears to be a major loss of money at […]
Posted inTransportation
T warehouses called management failure
MBTA OFFICIALS ON MONDAY described a massive management failure at the agency going back decades that has left the authority with a costly and inefficient warehouse system that often leaves […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
A toxic mix ignites again
Vigils and makeshift memorials will dot the country today as Americans try to reckon with the worst mass shooting in the nation’s history. But such expressions of unity and concern […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Bringing the real world into the classroom
IN HIS REMARKS on General Electric’s relocation to Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh heralded a new era for public-private partnerships in education, saying that with GE’s help “we’re going to reinvent […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Clearing the air on natural gas
WANT TO KNOW how Massachusetts can lower electric bills while safeguarding the health of not just our own children but everyone else’s children, too? By following our existing state and […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Elizabeth Warren, queen of the trolls
Was there ever any thought Sen. Elizabeth Warren wouldn’t endorse the Democratic party’s nominee? She apparently was just waiting to see who it was. One thing is certain, though, and that […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
‘Third way’ in education not the answer
IS THERE A “Third Way” to close the charter-district school divide? A recent CommonWealth article suggested there might be. I’d like to add my two cents concerning that possibility and even suggest there might […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Back Story
Weld’s views ‘developing’ on criminal justice reform
WHEN HE RAN for governor in Massachusetts 26 years ago, Republican Bill Weld cut a more moderate profile on many social issues than his Democratic opponent, John Silber – a […]
Posted inTransportation
Carmen’s Union grieves T absenteeism policy
A correction was added to this story regarding the language of the Family and Medical Leave Act. THE BOSTON CARMEN’S UNION has filed a grievance over the MBTA’s new absenteeism […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Children’s Hospital expansion won’t cut costs
IN 2008, A SEMINAL ARTICLE was published in Health Affairs by Donald M. Berwick, Thomas W. Noland, and John Whittington, entitled “The Triple Aim: Care, Health, And Cost.” Its conclusions […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The House’s non-debate on energy
The Massachusetts House debated the state’s energy future in public on Wednesday (the session was even streamed live over the internet), but the real negotiations took place in private out […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service
House OKs hydro, offshore wind bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE House lawmakers voted near unanimously on Wednesday to diversify the state’s state energy mix by requiring utilities to solicit and enter into long-term contracts for large-scale […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Politics
SJC hears appeals on marijuana ballot question
OPPONENTS OF THE BALLOT QUESTION to legalize marijuana argued before the state’s highest court Wednesday that the initiative should be shelved for a number of reasons, including the fact that […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn: Curtatone appeal not delaying casino
STEVE WYNN said Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone’s appeal of an environmental permit for his company’s proposed Everett casino is groundless, but he no longer is saying the legal challenge is […]
Posted inEducation
Report: State needs to boost degree production
IT’S THE LONG-RUNNING saga of the Massachusetts economy that’s been told repeatedly as a cautionary tale: Massachusetts lives by its wits — and lives well by them — but only […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Codcast: Weld flashes the old charm
William Weld made libertarianism sound like a political middle ground between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during an interview Tuesday night with CommonWealth magazine. The […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 6: Weld flashes the old charm
William Weld made libertarianism sound like a political middle ground between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during an interview Tuesday night with CommonWealth magazine.
Posted inTransportation
Aiello: One of T’s biggest challenges is workforce
THE HEAD OF THE MBTA oversight board said on Tuesday that one of the authority’s biggest infrastructure challenges is its management workforce. Joseph Aiello, the chairman of the T’s Fiscal […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cape Wind sharply attacks House energy bill
CAPE WIND ISSUED a position statement on Tuesday calling the House’s energy bill anticompetitive, unconstitutional, and the result of “a form of legislative bid-rigging.” The unusually harsh statement was issued […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
History and demagoguery
A raspy-voiced Hillary Clinton shared the news with supporters at Long Beach, California, rally as the word broke yesterday that the Associated Press tally of her pledged delegates and superdelegates […]
Posted inTransportation
T board ends commuter rail refunds
COMMUTER RAIL PASSENGERS will no longer be able to get refunds on unused tickets, a change that puts them on the same track as other MBTA riders and could save […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA says it can’t reconcile fare data, cash deposits
MBTA OFFICIALS ACKNOWLEDGED on Monday that they still can’t reconcile what their fare machines are telling them is being collected and the money actually being deposited in the bank, a […]