Audiences and readers are down, followed out the door by advertisers, trailed by revenues, which in turn kills jobs. That is the tale of newspapers, magazines, and television network news, […]
Brian Williams’ Stolen Valor
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
Is state takeover of Holyoke schools coming?
IN 2012, THE chronically low-performing Lawrence school system became the first district put into state receivership under a 2010 education law that gives the state sweeping new powers over struggling […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment
Power incentives hit $4b
FACED WITH POWER plant closures, New England’s regional power grid operator is paying out an estimated $4 billion in incentives to ensure adequate supplies of electricity three years from now. […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, Transportation
Baker: No rush to hit T revenue button
THE BEST LINE of the morning at Gov. Charlie Baker’s breakfast speech on Thursday to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce didn’t come from the governor, but from Paul Guzzi, […]
Posted inThe Download
Say it ain’t snow
When did natives of the Caribbean take over key public works positions in Massachusetts? That has to be what happened, otherwise how else to explain the haphazard approach to clearing this […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn Resorts earnings fall sharply
WYNN RESORTS, WHICH is planning to build a $1.7 billion casino resort in Everett, announced lower-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter, largely because of a falloff in revenue at its […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
MBTA: A textbook case of civic dysfunction
What is the value of holding a major civic event after a winter storm in a city where the wheels have gone off the mass transit system? When the history […]
Posted inPolitics
Rosenberg’s open door
THE PALATIAL OFFICE of the Senate president is big enough for the entire Democratic caucus of more than 30 lawmakers to occasionally gather for private sessions amidst its ornate wood […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo has lots of jobs to hand out
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RECENTLY GRANTED THE ability to hold his office indefinitely, House Speaker Robert DeLeo has 10 empty chairmanships to fill, along with a leadership position and the […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
Baker seeks to slash MassHealth
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER unveiled his plan to bridge the $768 million budget deficit with nearly one-third of the spending cuts coming from MassHealth, the primary funding vehicle for the state’s […]
Posted inHealth Care, Olympics, The Download
Vaccines become campaign issue
The editorial pages of the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal rarely agree on anything, but on Tuesday both newspapers criticized parents and politicians who think vaccines are potentially dangerous […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
The Sun comes up on Worcester
A former employee at the Telegram & Gazette is preparing to launch a digital daily news startup sometime between April and July. The Worcester Sun will appear online only during […]
Posted inPolitics
Big Three back tax diversion
THE BIG THREE on Beacon Hill are in agreement that about $200 million in capital gains tax revenue slated for deposit in the state’s rainy day fund should instead be […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Opinion
Don’t raise the gas tax
I HAVE WATCHED with a combination of amusement and amazement as columnists across the ideological spectrum have recently called for a federal gas tax hike. First it was the Washington […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Mitt out of luck
It turns out the third time isn’t charm after all. Or, if it is, we’ll never know. After flirting for a couple of weeks with another run for president, our […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Piling on
Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story. That seems to the operative approach to the fact that Boston resident John Kerry got a $50 ticket […]
Posted inOlympics, Opinion
How about a Gateway Cities Olympics?
EVEN NAYSAYERS BELIEVE the 2024 Olympic bid is a rare opportunity to generate fresh ideas about the future of the Commonwealth. For a productive conversation, a shared understanding of priorities […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Offshore leases attract little interest
AN AUCTION FOR potential wind farm parcels off the coast of Massachusetts drew little interest on Thursday, as two firms submitted low bids for two areas and no bids were […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Political paleontology
IN NATURE, EVOLUTION occurs over millions of years. In politics, it is often on a much faster timeline. In the Massachusetts House of Representatives, about six years seems to be […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo: My thinking has evolved
SAYING HIS THINKING has “evolved,” House Speaker Robert DeLeo said on Thursday that he wants to do away with a rule he instituted six years ago that would require him […]
Posted inHealth Care
Judge rejects Partners deal
A SUPERIOR COURT judge emphatically rejected the deal that would have allowed Partners HealthCare to acquire three local hospitals, saying a decision to allow the takeovers would have an enormous […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Stormy performance fit to a T
The jury is still out on Gov. Charlie Baker’s performance during the blizzard, though some are giving the rookie good grades at least for appearances. But one thing is certain as […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo reportedly wants longer Speaker term
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DeLeo will push his caucus on Thursday to approve new internal rules eliminating term limits on the speakership, allowing the Winthrop Democrat to […]
Posted inOpinion
It’s good to be king
LIFE IS GOOD when you’re the king. When you are king, you get to decide unilaterally. No Congress to check your impulses, no Supreme Court to balance your ideology, no […]