JUST HOURS BEFORE Gov. Charlie Baker joined with Hispanic leaders in East Boston on Tuesday afternoon to rally on behalf of his proposal to raise the cap on charter schools, […]
Charter schools’ early days in Massachusetts
Posted inBallot Questions, Health Care, Politics
Steward lone wolf on hospital ballot question
STEWARD HEALTH CARE on Tuesday signaled its support for a blockbuster ballot question that would regulate and make more uniform the rates hospitals are paid for providing care. Kim Bassett, […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Ash pushes corporate tax break
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER, who campaigned two years ago on lowering business taxes, is aiming to align Bay State corporate tax policy with that of 23 states […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Hail to the T’s Control Board
The five members of the MBTA’s Fiscal Management and Control Board are the most intriguing people in state government right now. They work long hours for no pay and take […]
Posted inTransportation
T hikes fares despite angry takeover
THE MBTA OVERSIGHT BOARD ON MONDAY approved a fare increase of more than 9 percent starting July 1 despite angry, vocal protests that disrupted the hearing and forced board members to […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, State House News Service
Lawmakers hear testimony on pot legalization
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Activists in favor of the legalization of the adult use of marijuana squared off Monday with law enforcement officials and legislators in what one activist called […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Uber offers temporary $5 late-night fare
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Uber plans to offer its pool car service at reduced fares on early-morning weekend hours to help people “transition” out of extended-hours MBTA weekend service, which […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Boston students protest inadequate funding
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENTS held a protest march to the State House Monday to advocate for more school funding, Mayor Marty Walsh said that the […]
Posted inTransportation
T board to unveil new online dashboard
THE FIVE MEMBERS of the MBTA Fiscal Management and Control Board on Monday briefed state lawmakers on their progress, offering a glimpse of a new online dashboard that will chart […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, Opinion
Even the paying field for hospitals
THE OVERRIDING MESSAGE from voters across the country to the political establishment could not be clearer: Level the increasingly tilted economic playing field. Stop giving 95 percent of the economic […]
Posted inThe Download
A region coming apart
In this time of attention to growing income inequality in the US, the Boston Sunday Globe layered on a look at an important corollary to the separation of incomes: the […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Common Core supports great teaching
AS A TEACHER passionate about the subject of civics, I am dedicated to the idea that every student leaves my classroom with the tools to succeed as a citizen of […]
Posted inEconomy, Education
Doubts over controversial construction method
A NEW STUDY released by a conservative think tank says schools built in Massachusetts under a relatively new construction approach cost taxpayers far more than similar projects built using the […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Don’t regulate Uber out of existence
EVERYONE LIKES TO HAVE OPTIONS. Massachusetts certainly has plenty of them. Hundreds of colleges and universities, some of the best sports teams in the country, and countless lively bars and […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
House bill: No fingerprinting for Uber drivers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DRIVERS FOR RIDE-FOR-HIRE SERVICES such as Uber would have to undergo a two-step background check process, but would not be required to submit to fingerprinting under a […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
For the record, Trump is a little off-base
Word leaked out several days ago a recent meeting Donald Trump held with the New York Times editorial board included assertions by the bombastic billionaire that what he’s saying on […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Walsh backs MBTA fare hike
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH A VOTE ON FARE HIKES expected Monday, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on Wednesday gave general support to the idea of charging riders more for MBTA […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Back Story
Bogus Health Connector website shut down
The Baker administration has shut down a shadowy commercial website masquerading as the official Massachusetts Health Connector and referring customers to health insurers while collecting a fee in the process. […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Stagger the fare increase on T passes
ON MONDAY, MARCH 7, the MBTA Fiscal Management & Control Board (FMCB) is scheduled to vote on a specific fare increase plan that would take effect this July. The MBTA […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The GOP’s no-win proposition
Barney Frank once shared this bit of wisdom with a would-be candidate for a seat on the Boston City Council: You could lose or, even worse, you might win. For […]
Posted inOpinion
We must listen to racism concerns at schools
THE RECENT CONTROVERSY at Boston Latin School around racial insensitivity echoes a nationwide student movement against racism on campus. Using the hashtag #BlackatBLS, students have been sharing their personal experiences […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Building a developmentally appropriate justice system
YOUNG PEOPLE between the ages of 18 and 24 fill up America’s prisons and return behind bars faster than anyone else. This troubling reality is not taken lightly in Massachusetts, […]
Posted inEnvironment
DeLeo officially backs offshore wind
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO on Wednesday made official what his lieutenants have been saying, that the omnibus energy bill scheduled to come up for a vote in April will include […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Clinton v. Trump: What they said and how they said it
Someone tuning in Tuesday night to the nation’s presidential race saw two frontrunners on television who couldn’t have been more different stylistically and politically. Hillary Clinton hosted a traditional campaign […]