ON THE EVE of the opening of the state’s first casino, the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said his agency will spend $15 million to $20 million a year […]
State to spend $15m-$20m a year on problem gambling
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
DeLeo vows more T reforms
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO said the body will continue to fight for MBTA management reforms favored by Gov. Charlie Baker both in ongoing budget negotiations and […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Getting from racist to racism
Is it racist that President Obama used the n-word in making a point about race relations in this country? Have many of the same people who are chastising America’s first […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, State House News Service
Baker unveils plan on opioid addiction
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CLEAR IN HIS AIM to reframe substance abuse as a public health crisis that can’t be solved by law enforcement alone, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday […]
Posted inOlympics, Opinion
Support for Boston 2024 is not too low to win Olympic bid
IT’S NO SECRET THAT BOSTON 2024 has a perception problem. The public is skeptical and the polling on Boston’s Olympic bid has been consistently ugly for the last several months. […]
Posted inArts and Culture, The Download
BPL’s special collections dilemma
The swift-moving narrative on management of the Boston Public Library is likely to take another turn this week, as a consultant’s report suggests inadequate staffing and funding may be the […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
CBO: Obamacare repeal would be costly
MY FAVORED DEFINITION of “health policy wonk” is someone who reads health reports from the Congressional Budget Office — and enjoys it. Guilty as charged. Last Friday’s new report, “Budgetary and […]
Posted inThe Download
The rush to be first, the need to be right
The Boston Herald and the Boston Globe each had exclusive stories last week that sent some warning temblors through Beacon Hill. The Globe reported that a sworn affidavit from […]
Posted inGambling, State House News Service
Ethics complaint against Gaming commission chair dismissed
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE With the first slot parlor authorized under a 2011 law set to open in less than a week, the chair of the state Gaming Commission said Thursday an […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion, The Back Story
Fact-checking the state’s incarceration rate
In the debate over mandatory minimum sentences and corrections reform, those resisting major changes say there is little need for wholesale reform because the state incarceration rate is so low. […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
The pope goes green
Pope Francis is breaking all sorts of molds with his increasingly progressive views in what had been traditionally one of the most conservative seats of power in the world. His […]
Posted inEducation
Brady speech a win for Salem State
TOM BRADY MAY HAVE scored big with his $170,000 speaker fee from Salem State University but school officials insist the appearance by the Super Bowl MVP was a winner for their […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Baker gets pressure on paid parental leave
Message received. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Attorney General Maura Healey, and state Treasurer Deb Goldberg are all offering employees paid parental leave, so now Gov. Charlie Baker is indicating that paid parental […]
Posted inGambling
Boston, Wynn clash on paperwork
THE CITY OF BOSTON AND WYNN RESORTS are now fighting over whether the Las Vegas company filed a required application with the municipality’s Public Improvement Commission to make road improvements […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
SJC paves way for income inequality debate
Now that the Supreme Judicial Court has cleared the way, the House and Senate (and Gov. Charlie Baker, too) can start debating income inequality in Massachusetts and how to address […]
Posted inPolitics
SJC sides with Senate on money bill
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Monday unanimously ruled that the House budget proposal is a money bill under the state constitution, a decision that means the Senate was legally within […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 3: Energy rules need to change
Third of three parts OUR ENERGY SYSTEM is evolving and will look very different in years to come from what we have today. Electricity produced by solar, wind, and other […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Hillary Clinton goes back to the future
Hillary Clinton laid out the themes of her presidential campaign in their fullest form yet with her Saturday speech on New York’s Roosevelt Island. The location was meant to evoke […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
A grand bargain on medical device tax
ONE PROPOSAL TO CHANGE the Affordable Care Act would repeal the law’s 2.3 percent tax on sales of medical devices. On June 2, the House Ways and Means Committee voted, once […]
Posted inThe Download
Thank God we’re a two-paper town
There are two ways you can tell the newspaper tong war is ramping up between the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald. They ignore each other. Or they don’t. And both […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
The right question on Iraq
‘IF YOU KNEW then what you know now, would you have invaded Iraq in 2003?” Other than revealing basic IQ or blind family or party loyalty, is this question really […]
Posted inGambling, State House News Service
Crosby denies wrongdoing at Gaming Commission
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GAMING COMMISSION CHAIR STEPHEN CROSBY, under scrutiny for a potential conflict of interest during the awarding of an eastern Massachusetts casino license, adamantly denied any wrongdoing […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
What’s a money bill?
THE LEGAL BATTLE between the Massachusetts House and Senate over the constitutional authority to raise taxes in this year’s budget hinges on interpretations of a 137-year-old Supreme Judicial Court advisory […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Leveraging student debt as a campaign issue
In 2008, young voters by all accounts were the key to sending Barack Obama to the White House. While their numbers slid back in the election four years later, they […]