ON FRIDAY, AFTER a week of growing conflict between Suffolk University’s board of trustees on one side, and students, faculty, staff, and alumni who supported President Margaret McKenna on the […]
Suffolk settlement a big win for McKenna and university
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Health care pricing regulation gains backing
Slowly but surely the case is being made for some form of state intervention in health care pricing. Attorney General Maura Healey broached the idea in October during a series […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Rubio tries not to break a sweat
Ever since Richard Nixon dabbed the sweat off his upper lip during his televised debate with John F. Kennedy in 1960, presidential campaigns have been about the optics and technology. While […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Smoking out support for legalizing pot
THERE IS A MOVEMENT AFOOT to light up the smoking lamp in Massachusetts, if you will. A Washington, DC-based group with wired-in local connections is on the verge of placing […]
Posted inEducation
Suffolk dumps McKenna and Meyer
THE SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES agreed to a plan Friday that wipes the slate clean and removes both Chairman Andrew Meyer and President Margaret McKenna. Meyer will step down in […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Rivera: Lawrence is strong, people are talking about city
The following is a slightly edited version of the State of the City speech of Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera, which was delivered on Tuesday. I STAND BEFORE YOU TONIGHT to […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
McKenna’s marketing deal with the Globe
As the Suffolk University soap opera heads toward some resolution today, one storyline hasn’t received much attention — the decision by President Margaret McKenna to enter into a $670,000 advertising […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Senate unanimous in support of Public Records Law update
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ACKNOWLEDGING THAT ADVANCES in current technology has rendered the decades-old law ineffective, the Massachusetts Senate on Thursday passed a public records reform bill updating the statute […]
Posted inEducation
Two Suffolk groups slam board chairman
SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY STUDENT and alumni organizations turned up the heat on the school’s board of trustees on Thursday and sided with the school’s embattled president in the leadership controversy that […]
Posted inGambling
Boston-Wynn ‘treaty’ approved
The war between the city of Boston and Wynn Resorts is officially over, complete with the approval of what the executive director of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission described as a […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Uber uses threats, political pressure to thwart regs
AS LAWMAKERS CONTINUE to work on legislation to regulate the emerging ride-hailing industry in Massachusetts, the biggest sticking point appears to be mandating fingerprints for drivers, a move that has […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Suffolk’s McKenna gaining upper hand
Suffolk University President Margaret McKenna met for four hours on Wednesday with her nemesis on the board of trustees, a sign that some resolution of the ugly public fight over […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, State House News Service
Charter battle exposes rift in teachers union
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LEADERSHIP OF THE Massachusetts Teachers Association has vowed to fight a ballot initiative to expand charter schools with everything it has, but the issue has exposed […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Cordy to retire from SJC
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT Justice Robert Cordy plans to retire in August, the court announced Wednesday, creating the first opportunity for Gov. Charlie Baker to make an […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
A fare warning
Is the MBTA’s plan to raise fares running into signal problems? The agency, now under full control of Gov. Charlie Baker through the the Fiscal and Management and Control Board […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker administration making public records progress
A clarification has been added to this story. THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is making significant progress in fulfilling the governor’s pledge to make it easier and cheaper for the public to […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Providing opportunities for all
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER introduced a major economic development package last week. Reading the tea leaves, one conclusion can be drawn for sure: The administration is serious about empowering its leaders […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Are dashboards the right tool to measure progress?
YOU RUN A government agency or nonprofit. You ask management experts how you can assess your “bottom line,” given that earning profits is not your mission. You want to know […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
We’re on to New Hampshire
Well, that will leave a mark on Donald Trump. The consensus front-runner right up until the first votes were cast is now leading from behind. The Iowa caucuses handed him a humbling […]
Posted inEnvironment, Transportation
Kinder Morgan’s pipe dream is economic nightmare
THE JANUARY 22 opinion piece (“CLF’s contradictory philosophies”) by Anthony Buxton, an attorney for the energy company Kinder Morgan, argues that the Conservation Law Foundation’s (CLF) policy positions on MBTA […]
Posted inTransportation
All aboard
WHEN IS ENOUGH enough when it comes to crowded trains? For about 20 percent of those who ride the MBTA, apparently there is nothing that will stop them from trying […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Suffolk-cating presidents
Suffolk University is in a constant identity crisis. Of course, when you have five presidents in six years, that’s bound to happen. And, if the university’s board of trustees has its […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Why Suffolk community stands behind Margaret McKenna
MARGARET MCKENNA IS the fifth president Suffolk University has had since 2010; now, seven months into her first term, the chairman of Suffolk’s board of trustees wants to fire her. […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
What gives with T’s sweetheart deal?
The Pioneer Institute released a report this week highlighting what it called a “sweetheart deal” for MBTA employees, but union officials are saying the deal isn’t as sweet as the […]