Hillary Clinton remains very likely to win the Democratic presidential nomination next year. But the cakewalk she was hoping for now features two lesser mortals who will at least be […]
O’Malley joins Sanders on Clinton’s left
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 1: We’re not facing an energy crisis in New England
First of a three-part series NEW ENGLAND’S ENERGY SYSTEM is at an important juncture, but we are not facing a crisis. After last year’s winter, many argued for radical action […]
Posted inOlympics, The Download
How Boston 2024 documents went public
The secret Boston 2024 bid documents that surfaced this week in Boston Magazine and the Boston Business Journal found their way into the public domain via a circuitous route. Boston 2024 […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
Don’t cut lifeline for pregnant women, new mothers
AS AN OBSTETRICIAN/GYNECOLOGIST, I regularly see women suffering from depression in pregnancy and during the year following delivery. The reality is that many women are not caressing their growing bellies […]
Posted inGambling, Politics, State House News Service
Wynn plans new environmental filing this summer
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WYNN RESORTS OFFICIALS who plan to build a $1.7 billion resort casino in Everett expect to provide a key filing for their controversial project sometime this […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Fact-checking MBTA union’s radio ad
WHILE BEACON HILL engages in a high-stakes debate about the future of the T, the Boston Carmen’s Union is running ads on the radio that play loose with the facts. […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Market signal: Roche Bros. arrival a welcome sign
THE RECENT OPENING of Roche Bros. supermarket in what most of us still refer to as the “Filene’s building” was not only a great day for downtown Boston, but also […]
Posted inOlympics, The Download
What is “is” in Olympicspeak?
Well, now, this is a fine kettle of fish, as Laurel and Hardy would say. And it’s beginning to smell. The Boston 2024 people have said repeatedly and publicly that […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Public records issue gets heavy coverage
Updating the state’s Public Records Law is gaining some traction, at least in the media. The problems with the law — the lackadaisical enforcement, the high charges imposed for obtaining […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Imagining the transportation nightmares of Cape Cod and Western Mass.
Transportation problems in places like Cape Cod and Western Massachusetts get overshadowed in the handwringing over how the state’s economic fortunes unravel when the metro Boston transit system is out […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
House seeks SJC ruling on Senate tax votes
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE on Friday asked the state’s highest court to weigh in on whether the Senate abided by the constitution in proposing to freeze […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
Senate T vote is cause for optimism
I’M A PESSIMIST BY NATURE, which has proven to be a generally good trait because it means that I’m rarely disappointed. Today, however, I’ve allowed myself to lapse into a […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, Transportation
Senate approves tweaked T control board
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE late Thursday night agreed to put the MBTA under the management of a fiscal control board, tucking that measure into a $38.1 billion […]
Posted inOlympics, The Download
“Pom-Pom” Leung to the rescue
We’ll never know what the return would have been on the $7,500 a day Boston 2024 was prepared to pay Deval Patrick to shill for the Olympic bid. Let’s just […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
T union raises concern about outside contractor
THE MBTA RESTORED full service to the Orange Line in March but nevertheless shipped 24 disabled Orange Line traction motors to an outside contractor for repair. The T says it […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
T union raises concern with outside contractors
THE MBTA RESTORED full service to the Orange Line in March but nevertheless shipped 24 disabled Orange Line traction motors to an outside contractor for repair. The T says it […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
MBTA pawn in the House-Senate proxy war
With the backing of the most powerful man in the Beacon Hill triumvirate, Gov. Charlie Baker may be inching closer to the formation of a temporary fiscal and management control […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker has reservations on Senate tax plan
A DAY AFTER THE STATE SENATE took a major step towards accomplishing one of his tax policy priorities, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday expressed disappointment that they didn’t match his […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
W. Springfield’s troublesome grenade launchers
As part of post-Ferguson policing reforms, President Obama cracked down on the transfer of military-grade equipment to police departments across the US with an executive order that prohibits sending items […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Earned sick time is good for workers — and businesses
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS PASSED the earned sick time ballot question by an overwhelming margin last November and the Commonwealth’s new earned sick time law is scheduled to begin on July 1. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Appeals court lets Cape Wind case proceed
CAPE WIND, already at death’s door in the wake of decisions by the state’s two largest utilities to terminate their power purchase contracts with the project, absorbed another blow on […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Senate backs boost in EITC, exemption
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Tuesday approved a package of tax cuts aimed at helping the working poor and middle class, dismissing objections from Republicans and some […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Crunching the T’s numbers
In early April, the Boston Globe splashed a report across its front page about excessive absenteeism at the MBTA. Citing pages in a soon-to-be-released report from an advisory panel appointed by […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, Transportation
Straus: Eliminating MBTA as separate agency should be long-term goal
THE BEACON HILL tug of war over the MBTA continues to pit those who support Gov. Charlie Baker’s call for a special fiscal control board against those who think an […]