It looked like a good-news story to revel in. The valuable pieces of artwork that were presumed missing from the Boston Public Library weren’t missing after all. They were apparently […]
Throwing the book at the library president
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Part 2: What states are doing on energy
Second of three parts IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, policymakers across New England may commit tens of billions of ratepayers’ dollars to gas pipelines and electric transmission that will shape […]
Posted inThe Download
Media glare a tempting lure for academics
“Publish or perish” has long been the axiom in academia, where having research work appear in prestigious scholarly journals is often the yardstick used to determine tenure and other types […]
Posted inEconomy, Olympics, Politics
New Bedford proposed as site of Olympic sailing
THE GROUP ATTEMPTING to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to Boston said Thursday that New Bedford will serve as the venue for Olympic and Paralympic sailing if their bid is […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker rules out new taxes for the T
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Thursday announced an $83 million winter resiliency plan for the MBTA, urged the Legislature to pass a separate package of management reforms, and ruled out new […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Baker administration revises T absence rate
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is now acknowledging that the MBTA absenteeism information cited in a report by the governor’s special advisory panel probably overstated the problem and that the reported comparison […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Another education storm brewing
It is, like a tropical depression, nothing to be concerned about yet but it has the potential to develop into a full-blown hurricane, the likes of which haven’t been seen in […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Deval Patrick’s education legacy
WHEN THINKING OF a governor’s last act before leaving office, pardons for long-time prisoners usually come to mind. For Deval Patrick, the last big move came five months after his […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
Tax debates rage across New England, but not in Mass.
THERE ARE TWO TAX DEBATES happening in New England that are worth watching, both for their substance and political theater. In Connecticut, big business has declared war on Gov. Dannel […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Public records reform gets Galvinized
Secretary of State Galvin, who oversees the state’s public records law, recently unveiled his nuclear option in his push for reform: threatening lawmakers with a referendum. There is no shortage of pending […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, State House News Service
Sheriff: War on drugs ‘joke’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SAYING MANY OF THOSE incarcerated in his facilities belong elsewhere, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins on Tuesday said the War on Drugs was a “joke” and a […]
Posted inGambling, The Download
Walsh’s no-show casino strategy
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh refused on Monday to send any representatives to attend a meeting on Sullivan Square traffic issues that included officials from the Baker administration, the Massachusetts Gaming […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Healey backs lifting cap on solar subsidy
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY said Monday she backs an immediate lifting of the cap on one type of solar production subsidies in Massachusetts. In written testimony […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
O’Malley joins Sanders on Clinton’s left
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 […]
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 […]