Think of them as falling somewhere between Meet the Press and The Late Show. This week saw the third installment of the Boston Globe’s Political Happy Hour as Boston Mayor […]
Political gab hour hits Hub
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker defends push for hydro contracts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOPING TO PUSH two energy bills through the Legislature this fall, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday defended his push to encourage the purchase of large-scale hydropower […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Pipeline needed before it’s too late
SOME GAS OPPONENTS appear confused about the synergistic relationship between natural gas and renewables, as well as the climate benefits New England will realize with adequate natural gas pipeline capacity. […]
Posted inEconomy, The Back Story
Rainy day blues
Rainy day funds have a natural rhythm. They shrink during a recession when reserves are drawn down to offset declining tax revenues. Once the economy rebounds and tax revenues start […]
Posted inEducation
Dealing with stressors at urban schools
AS STUDENTS RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM this week, some will arrive burdened by more than a heavy book bag. For many children in low-income communities, back-to-school means managing social and […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Funding transportation beyond state taxation
The gas tax indexing defeat left Massachusetts cities and towns scrambling to figure out where new dollars to fund roads, bridges, and mass transit repairs would come from. With state […]
Posted inUncategorized
Globe hires chief growth officer
THE BOSTON GLOBE announced on Thursday that it has hired Tim Marken as its chief growth officer, a new position that reflects what appears to be a different approach to […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker cautious on North-South rail link
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER told two of his predecessors on Wednesday that he and his staff would explore a proposed rail link between North and South Stations, but he appeared to […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Once again, MBTA maps out growing budget deficits
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA HAS sketched out a growing deficit within its transit system that would balloon to $427 million in four years, as expenses far outpace growth […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Voting, for a change
On the upside, the number of people who voted in yesterday’s preliminaries in Boston and other cities was higher than the usual poll sampling. On the other hand, that ain’t […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker minimizes impact of net metering cap
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday urged local officials to encourage the construction of new solar energy projects, despite the fact that the cap on the amount […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
DeLeo undergoes weight-loss surgery
House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who often shies away from dealing with the press, opened up to the Boston Globe over the weekend about weight-loss surgery that has helped him shed […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming Commission may change licensing approach
THE MASSACHUSETTS GAMING COMMISSION said on Friday that it is considering breaking with its standard policy on issuing casino licenses to reassure investors behind a Brockton project. The commission opened […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Obama visit underscores labor agenda
PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL be in Boston on Monday to recognize the central role of the Massachusetts labor movement when he speaks at the Greater Boston Central Labor Council’s annual Labor […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download
Deflategate reporting bias everywhere
In all the reporting on Deflategate, the stories too often seem to reflect the bias of the writers. Federal judge Richard Berman ruled on Thursday that the NFL had overstepped […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming commission dismisses Boston’s allegations
IN THE LATEST blow to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s war on a proposed casino in Everett, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission dismissed the city’s allegations that investigators for Wynn Resorts improperly […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
The Dukakis-Weld rail link
FORMER GOVERNORS Mike Dukakis and Bill Weld are heading up to Beacon Hill next week to put a rail link between North and South stations on Gov. Charlie Baker’s radar. […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Majority rules
While it didn’t start with its passage in 1980, Proposition 2½ opened the eyes of activists to what could be done through the ballot to change the laws in Massachusetts. […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Rivera: Pushing for change creates enemies
A group in Lawrence is mounting a campaign to recall Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera from office. What follows is the mayor’s response to that effort. His mention of landlords “looking […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, Opinion
When the doctor and the grocer team up to heal a community
AN INSIDIOUS RELATIONSHIP between poverty, access to healthy food and poor health is eating away at America’s low-income communities. It’s happening across the country, and is present every day in […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Politics
Healey approves 20 ballot questions for 2016
TWENTY PETITIONS proposing new laws that would, among other things, legalize recreational marijuana, expand the state’s authority to license charter schools, and protect whales from fishing nets, passed their first legal […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Biking and driving on the streets of Boston
Cyclists are some of the most passionate advocates that the Bay State’s transportation sector has ever seen. Thanks to the pressure of bike advocates, bike lanes have been carved out […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Kinder Morgan’s misinformation campaign
IF YOU WATCH TELEVISION — in any of several New England markets — you’ve probably noticed the ads trying to link support for renewable energy with support for new gas […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
40 children in state care died in 2014
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REPORTS OF ABUSE AND NEGLECT of children in Massachusetts rose in 2014, according to an annual report released Tuesday, which documents the deaths of 40 children […]