THE STATE’S OPIOID EPIDEMIC is worsening much faster than the Department of Public Health (DPH) said this week in a press release. Over the last two years, there has been […]
DPH press release understates growth in opioid deaths
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Sounds of health-care silence in GOP debate
I HAD ONE mission last night watching the Republican debate among the party’s top 10 presidential contenders: What, if anything, could we learn about the state of play regarding the […]
Posted inThe Download
Shaughnessy vs. Henry
John Henry owns the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Globe, which can make for some awkward moments at times. The coverage of Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Two cheers for a ‘dark money’ executive order
LAST WEEK, SUPER PACs disclosed their donors to the Federal Election Commission. The reports included important data and tell a story of the power of large donors. More than 30 […]
Posted inGambling, State House News Service
Brockton mayor makes casino pitch
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BROCKTON MAYOR BILL CARPENTER pitched his city as a strong contender for the state’s remaining casino license on Thursday, saying it would benefit from the jobs, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Back Story
DCR forgives $23,000 of club’s unpaid rent
THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION and Recreation is forgiving three-quarters of the back debt owed by a Quincy yacht club renting space from the state on Wollaston Beach. The Wollaston […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Paintgate comes to an end in Billerica
Up in Billerica, they’re calling it Paintgate. Selectman George Simolaris was so alarmed that seven town crosswalks hadn’t been painted that he bought some green deck paint and painted them […]
Posted inEconomy, Transportation
Uber finds a way at Logan
Second in a series UBER, THE RIDE-SHARING app that is gobbling up the taxi business in Greater Boston, is now setting its sights on Logan International Airport despite a state […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Economy, Politics
Senator still working on film tax credit changes
THE SENATE COCHAIR of the Legislature’s Revenue Committee said on Wednesday that he is still working on legislation that would reduce the cost of the state’s film tax credit. “It’s […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
There’s no such thing as an old junkie
There was a public service ad that ran in the United Kingdom a few years back that depicted elderly men and women using drugs in various forms – cooking up heroin […]
Posted inOlympics, Opinion
The gay marriage-Boston 2024 connection
I CLOSELY FOLLOWED the debate around the Boston 2024 Olympics bid, and it seemed odd to me at first, but I just kept connecting it to the gay marriage fight, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Going green can help Gateway City homeowners
THE JUNE HOME SALE NUMBERS for Massachusetts once again showed that Greater Boston sale prices rose, and the market clearly benefited sellers. Unfortunately, that is not the case in many […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
It’s time for Boston 3.0
SO NOW WHAT? Our Olympic wrestling match is over. The international sports spectacle will move on to another venue, most likely in Europe, and most Bostonians (in our unerring spirit […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Policymakers face Uber dilemma
State and local policymakers don’t know what to do about ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft that are steadily destroying the taxi industry. The apps are transforming right before our […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
Getting smart about transportation spending
MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT transportation spending is a little like shopping for dinner at the supermarket. Chances are that you considered a number of factors before you got to the checkout […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Biden his time. Will Joe run?
Hillary Clinton is surely muttering the same thing over and over today: Say it ain’t so, Joe. After months of monotony about how the former First Lady, US senator, and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Massachusetts commits to criminal justice review
WITH POLICING PRACTICES, high incarceration rates among minorities, and stiff drug sentencing laws drawing scrutiny across the country, Massachusetts will join a national wave of state efforts to rethink criminal […]
Posted inGambling
Steve Wynn picks up phone and calls Walsh
BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH said on Friday that Las Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn called him on Wednesday and offered the city a nine-figure sum in an effort to put […]
Posted inEducation
On No Child law, Warren carries Kennedy torch
IN 2002, TED KENNEDY celebrated one of the signature achievements of his legislative career when George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, which the Massachusetts senator helped […]
Posted inThe Download
Globe reaches for the cloud
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Boston Globe is seeking to buy out an unidentified number of newsroom employees to cut costs and put the paper on a better […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
The legacy of community health centers
IT HAS BEEN 50 YEARS since the government health care program called Medicaid and the Community Health Center (CHC) movement began bringing quality health care to millions.  Faced with high need […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Baker’s dire deficit projection misses mark
A clarification has been added to this story. THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION’S dire warnings last winter about a $768 million deficit for fiscal 2015 have turned out to be off the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
Focusing in on police actions
Since last summer, when the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York at the hands of police triggered a national debate on the use […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn says he can’t find MA welcome mat
STEVE WYNN on Wednesday brought up his company’s ongoing struggles with the city of Boston during a conference call with financial analysts and revealed that when he was originally searching […]