THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS Committee is set to unveil a bill that would allow those who are thwarted in seeking public records to collect attorney fees, a stick designed […]
Public records bill does little to open access
Posted inOpinion, Politics
States must do right thing, accept Syrian refugees
FRIDAY’S ATTACK ON PARIS felt like an attack that happened in our backyard despite it having taken place an ocean away. The reason for that is the attackers didn’t target […]
Posted inTransportation
Ridesharing changes benefit all
MORE THAN 30 years in law enforcement has taught me that the phrase “the only constant is change” is undeniably true. The pace of change is only accelerating and law […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
State board approves new ed test
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE BOARD of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday voted to accept Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester’s recommendation to create a new “next-generation” student assessment program […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Baker talks tough on Syrian refugees
In times of crisis, elected leaders don’t want to appear indecisive. When the Tsarnaev brothers went on their Boston Marathon rampage, former governor Deval Patrick shut down the city. When […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Baker still Mr. Popularity, but his T is not
CHARLIE BAKER WALKS on water. Earlier this year, National Journal dubbed him “the most popular politician in America,” and he remains close to those lofty heights today. He has a sparkling […]
Posted inUncategorized
Solar advocates slam House net metering bill
THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE unveiled a solar power bill Monday night that would temporarily lift the cap on a key incentive but then rein in costs associated with […]
Posted inGambling
Judge OKs Wynn deposition of Walsh aide
A SUFFOLK SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE has authorized Wynn Resorts to question under oath a top aide to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and the city’s outside legal counsel to determine who […]
Posted inThe Download
Evil of Paris attacks clear, path forward not
French President Francois Hollande vowed to “lead a war which will be pitiless” against ISIS, the Islamic terrorist group that claimed responsibility for Friday’s massacre of more than 125 people […]
Posted inUncategorized
Quebec premier pitches baseload hydro power
(A correction has been added to this story.) QUEBEC PREMIER PHILIPPE COUILLARD came to Boston on Friday to pitch hydro-electricity from his province as a source of baseload power for […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
House manufactures a solar industry crisis
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD that the Massachusetts House is attempting to pass a bill to continue our solar programs. If the House fails to act before the Thanksgiving break, a […]
Posted inOpinion
New England electricity market is working as is
2015 HAS DRIVEN SOME DRAMATIC ENERGY ISSUES to the forefront across New England with intense winter weather leading to electric price volatility, retirements announced of large power plants, and continued […]
Posted inThe Download
In news, you get what you pay for
The Spotlight movie, which focuses on the efforts of the eponymous investigative team at the Boston Globe credited with triggering the worldwide outrage over the clergy sex abuse scandal, is […]
Posted inEducation
Chester recommends “MCAS 2.0”
STATE EDUCATION COMMISSIONER Mitchell Chester proposed that the state develop a “next generation” testing system that combines elements of the Common Core-aligned PARCC test and the MCAS exam that Massachusetts […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Solar power rhetoric, lobbying heats up
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE House leaders are taking their effort to pass a solar energy bill before the winter recess down to the wire, fomenting an increasingly bitter and public […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Trump knows what he’s doing
For months, Donald Trump has been defending his plan to deport illegal immigrants by following the lead of former President Dwight Eisenhower, who took action to oust 1.5 million undocumented aliens […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Hingham letter investigation could turn criminal
HINGHAM OFFICIALS ARE HINTING that their $40,000 probe into who wrote two anonymous letters to the Board of Selectmen in April could possibly turn into a criminal investigation. One Hingham employee has already […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Debating veterans affairs
WBZ’s Jon Keller broached the idea that the Republican debate in Milwaukee should focus on veterans affairs, specifically what to do about the Veterans Administration, mental health issues faced by returning […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
From journalist to climate crusader
IN 2013, WEN STEPHENSON sat down with his son and daughter to explain why he might end up in jail. “How do you explain to your children that climate change […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Zombie politics
Stephen Murphy lost his at-large Boston City Council seat in last week’s election, but a delicious piece of gossip buzzing through political circles has him rising from the political dead […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
SJC seeks probes of DeLeo transcript leak
THE MASSACHUSETTS SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT told House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Monday that it was asking three state and federal law enforcement agencies and its former independent counsel to investigate […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Two cheers for a charter school’s “Got to Go” list?
Pushing unruly kids out of high-performing “no-excuses” urban charter schools isn’t exactly something that draws praise. Indeed, the typical reaction is quite the opposite, with harsh condemnation for the idea […]
Posted inOpinion
Heating oil vs. natural gas: Round 2
ANTHONY BUXTON AND BENJAMIN BOROWSKI’S opinion piece in Commonwealth argues that the region needs more natural gas pipelines because so many residential heating customers in New England use oil for […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
No MBTA fare hike until service improves
IF YOU DOUBT FOR A MINUTE that we continue to be mired in a mid-20th Century way of thinking about transportation, consider this: in a state that recently went to […]