CHRIS LOWE, A 41-year-old carpenter on Martha’s Vineyard, has smoked pot since his early 20s, both legally and illegally. When he lived in Montana, he had a certificate to grow, sell, […]
The gateway debate over marijuana
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Voters trump media predictions
There’s nothing those in the media like reading and writing more than “we got it wrong” stories, provided they have company. And in the case of Donald Trump, there are […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Mass GOP to compete in 40% of legislative races
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S POLITICAL HISTORY being what it is, the Massachusetts Republican Party hopes to make modest electoral gains at the state level this year, favoring a […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Baker won’t vote for Trump or Clinton
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER TOSSING TROUT into Jamaica Pond on Wednesday, Gov. Charlie Baker heaved aside his earlier notion that the Republican presidential nomination has not yet been decided. […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Health care cost transparency no panacea
It has been an article of faith among many of those concerned about soaring health care costs, including Gov. Charlie Baker: Pull back the covers on the costs of health […]
Posted inEnvironment
Beaton pushes hydroelectricity and gas
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION made clear on Tuesday that its ideal combo platter for energy has two main dishes – hydroelectricity from Canada and a new natural gas pipeline. Matthew Beaton, […]
Posted inThe Download
Walsh-Globe records fight takes interesting turn
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s administration is refusing to comply with an order from the state’s supervisor of public records to release any documents the city has received from or turned […]
Posted inTransportation
Are Green Line trains getting less crowded?
THE MBTA’S OWN DATA indicate passenger traffic on the Green Line is declining, but agency officials say they don’t believe the numbers. Jeffrey Gonneville, the T’s chief operating officer, told […]
Posted inTransportation
Cost of all-night bus service put at $5.8m
THE MBTA ESTIMATED on Monday that a proposal for all-night bus service in metropolitan Boston was three to four times more expensive than the $1 to $1.4 million estimated by […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Report: Baker hydro bill won’t lower power rates
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WARNING ENERGY COSTS WILL RISE as the state aims to meet the 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals of its Global Warming Solutions Act, a new […]
Posted inThe Download
‘Free’ community college for Boston students? Not really
Given the crash and burn of the IndyCar race venture, continued drip of news about a federal probe of union strong-arming, and a case of kidney stones that put a […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Whither Boston?
THE RECENT DECISION of the IndyCar promoters to pull out of Boston was met by some with relief, by others with dismay. I was not a fan, and I was […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Back to the future with Paul Ryan
THIS PAST WEEK at Georgetown University, House Speaker Paul Ryan proposed scrapping an essential component of the Affordable Care Act that bans health insurance companies from imposing pre-existing condition exclusions […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Time to put standardized tests to the test
IT’S THAT TIME of year again. State standardized testing season is upon us. Across the Commonwealth students in grades 3 and up will have the opportunity to prove what they […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Committee votes on transgender bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MARKING A POTENTIAL BREAKTHROUGH on the issue, the long-awaited Judiciary Committee vote on transgender rights legislation has commenced, with House Speaker Robert DeLeo expressing confidence that […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn land case defendants found not guilty
A FEDERAL JURY took less than a day to return not guilty verdicts for three men accused of concealing a convicted felon’s ownership stake in a 35-acre parcel of Everett […]
Posted inThe Download
Social media’s gutless wonders
In all the years I’ve been a reporter, no one has ever sent me an anonymous message wishing I was raped again. I’ve never been the subject of tweets calling […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gambling
Was Lightbody in or was he out?
JURORS IN THE FEDERAL conspiracy trial of three men involved in the sale of the Everett land for a Wynn casino began deliberations Thursday with both prosecutors and defense attorneys […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Parents of transgender children want vote on bill
AS PARENTS OF TRANSGENDER CHILDREN in Massachusetts, we’ve been closely following the movement of the transgender protections bill pending in the Legislature. As you can imagine, this bill would have […]
Posted inGambling
Brockton casino rejected on 4-1 vote
THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING COMMISSION on Thursday adopted a cautious approach on gambling in southeastern Massachusetts, voting 4-1 to reject a casino license application for the struggling Gateway City of Brockton […]
Posted inThe Back Story
Hunting the source of leaks
Ralph Gants, the chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, asked the attorney general’s office, the State Ethics Commission, and the US Justice Department on Nov. 9 to investigate whether […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
It’s time for online Lottery
THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE LOTTERY is the most successful in the nation, a dependable source of billions of dollars in local aid that is the lifeblood of our cities and towns, […]
Posted inThe Download
What happened to Worcester?
Adam Davidson, in a piece for this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, examines Worcester through the lens of his family history and finds a city that propelled its residents into the […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Cape Wind goes to court again
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Cape Wind, the offshore wind project planned for Nantucket Sound, has not given up despite some serious setbacks, and this week appealed to the Supreme Judicial […]