Last week’s news that natural gas supply constraints will cause massive increases in energy costs for Massachusetts’s consumers—both residential and commercial alike—is a serious problem that needs more discussion among […]
Natural gas called bridge fuel for Ma.
Posted inOpinion, Politics
For political poetry, listen to Warren
Poetry makes nothing happen, Auden said. Maybe so, but a poem can capture the essence of a moment in words that resonate long after the events have faded from memory. […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
No escaping the polls
We are deep into the 2014 polling season – that time during every gubernatorial election year when pollsters and prognosticators vie for our collective attention as they do their level […]
Posted inPolitics
Prosecutors dismiss bid for Probation acquittals
Federal prosecutors who won the convictions of former Probation commissioner John O’Brien and two deputies on racketeering, conspiracy, and mail fraud charges are urging a judge to dismiss motions by […]
Posted inHealth Care
Medicaid insurers facing more losses
The insurance plans serving Massachusetts Medicaid patients are rated the best in the country in terms of care, but they are losing lots of money and say rates for the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Judge has concerns in Partners deal
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet Sanders said in light of volumes of opposition comments, she has concerns about the impact of an agreement between the Attorney General and Partners Healthcare […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion, Politics
Candidate answers vague on electricity price spike
With electricity prices expected to rise to record levels this winter, you’d think the candidates running for governor would have detailed plans ready to address the problem. You’d be wrong. […]
Posted inPolitics
A critic from within
Peter Antonellis, a compliance officer with the state’s Elder Affairs office, has become his agency’s biggest critic. In a series of investigative stories this month on problems concerning the agency’s […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Modal shift is answer to reducing congestion
Second of four parts I remember sitting in the audience in a ballroom at the Copley Plaza Hotel in October 1999, listening to remarks from then-Turnpike Authority Chairman and Big […]
Posted inGambling, State House News Service
Crosby fulltime again at gaming panel
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE With the Boston-area casino license vote completed, Stephen Crosby is back as chair of the five-member gaming commission as it moves ahead with an expected casino […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Environment, Politics, State House News Service
Gas tax indexing ballot question could stump voters
Polls indicate voters are split on whether the state’s gas tax should be indexed to inflation, but it’s unclear whether the tight race is a reflection of real policy differences […]
Posted inHealth Care
Partners deal amended; Coakley rebuts critics
Attorney General Martha Coakley on Thursday revised her antitrust agreement with Partners Healthcare Systems, convincing the hospital giant to agree to additional price caps and service commitments on the North […]
Posted inEnvironment
Electricity prices to soar
An update has been added to this story National Grid says it expects its six-month electricity rate for this winter to rise to its highest level ever, an increase caused […]
Posted inHealth Care
Elder Affairs lets Athol facility remain open
The state’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs allowed a boarding house in Athol to function as an assisted living facility for 2½ years without being certified by the state. The […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
Association chief hails industry’s role
Your recent online article, “Oversight questions raised on Elder Affairs,” presented a narrow and misleading account that is not indicative of the assisted living industry as a whole and fails […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
Time to get serious
First of four parts We have a transportation funding crisis in America, a crisis that gets played out on both the federal stage and in each of the 50 states. […]
Posted inGambling
Mohegan Sun claims Wynn given advantage
Mohegan Sun objected late Tuesday night to the way the Massachusetts Gaming Commission awarded a casino license to Wynn Resorts, asserting that the commissioners gave Wynn an unfair advantage by […]
Posted inEconomy
Film tax credit spending flows mostly out of state
A new state report says the Massachusetts film tax credit program generated more than $300 million in new spending in 2012, but, as in past years, most of that money […]
Posted inGambling
McHugh worries politics could sink Wynn casino
As the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday debated the pros and cons of Wynn Resorts versus Mohegan Sun, an interesting philosophical divide emerged among the commissioners about the ability of […]
Posted inGambling
It’s a Wynn win
Kim Sinatra, former governor Bill Weld, and Robert DeSalvio, who will run the Everett hotel, prepare to testify. The pugnacious Steve Wynn compromised just enough on Tuesday to win the […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
A double-standard on Martha Coakley
People make mistakes all the time. Sometimes, they make mistakes that are well intentioned. Sometimes mistakes happen because of forgetfulness or some other benign cause. On other occasions, mistakes arise […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Battle of the blands
In an election where the most passionate candidate for governor appears to be the United Independent Party candidate Evan Falchuk, it may be worth considering the state of the Bay […]
Posted inGambling
Wynn, Mohegan differ on commission approaches
The two applicants for a Greater Boston casino license responded in typical fashion to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s proposed licensing conditions, with Mohegan Sun trying its best to please the […]
Posted inGambling
Gaming panel seeks casino clarifications
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday seemed to be near an impasse in choosing a Greater Boston casino licensee, so the agency asked representatives of Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts […]