Deval Patrick, the nation’s only African American governor, made a predictable trip down legacy lane during the National Association of Black Journalists’ recent convention in Boston. Patrick celebrated how his […]
Patrick makes nice with journalists from away
Posted inPolitics
Super PAC supporting Grossman is bankrolled by… his mother
Steve Grossman, call your mother. Wait, no, better not. It could be legally risky if the conversation veers toward a certain random topic, like, say, the fact that you are […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker and the GOP immigration dilemma
Republicans knew early in 2012 that they were staring at demographic obsolescence, and that the only way to stave off a prolonged trip to the electoral wilderness was to broaden […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
We need to separate bikes and cars on roads
Over 5,000 people bike to work every day in Boston. Those of us who don’t bike to work but who bike for exercise know that cycling is fun. Kids everywhere […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Let there be light
What do you get when you jam an 18-month legislative session into a frenzied final few hours of votes? Well, you get what you deserve, but thankfully for the Legislature, […]
Posted inThe Download
The holy media wars
The Boston Globe built some serious buzz for its soon-to-come Catholic website on Wednesday by unveiling the site’s name (Crux) and by breaking the Eighth Commandment by stealing columnist Margery […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion, State House News Service
A choice debate
Boston emerged as ground zero in the recent charter school debate on Beacon Hill. Not only was state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz of Jamaica Plain, co-chair of the Legislature’s education committee, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
120 days and counting
The state’s Public Records Law has three major blind spots. The Legislature, which passed the initial law in 1851, exempted itself from the law’s reach in 1897. The judicial branch […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
RTA planning process crucial to Gateway Cities
One year ago this week, the Legislature passed major transportation finance legislation. The package directed more funding to the MBTA, but for the first time in recent memory, it also […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion, Politics
Gun bill compromise a distinction without a difference
[Earlier this week, Matthews authored a lengthy Voices piece for CommonWealth laying out an argument against giving police chiefs discretion in issuing Firearm Identification Cards for rifles and shotguns. View […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
Patrick signs revamped abortion clinic law
Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law on Wednesday a bill designed to keep the peace in front of abortion clinics. The new law replaces a statute passed in 2007 that […]
Posted inPolitics
Probation juror says DeLeo should have been on trial
One of the jurors in the Probation Department corruption trial sent an email to a radio talk show host on Thursday saying he felt House Speaker Robert DeLeo should have […]
Posted inThe Download
Wegmans has the sizzle while Market Basket burns
As the Arthur S. Demoulas clan continues to fiddle while the Market Basket legacy burns, there is another entrant quietly moving into in the lucrative Massachusetts grocery store sector. This […]
Posted inPolitics
The long arm of Probation
The fallout from the Probation scandal appears to have gone beyond state lines and could have an impact on sentencing for former commissioner John O’Brien and his two top deputies. […]
Posted inPolitics
McCormick is a threat to Baker’s candidacy
Charlie Baker is a businessman who wants to be governor of Massachusetts. His pitch largely revolves around jobs, education, and his private-sector experience. Jeff McCormick is also a businessman who […]
Posted inThe Download
DeLeo on offensive
House Speaker Robert DeLeo has been on the offensive recently, and very little of it has relied on charm. DeLeo has made the rounds with television reporters. He’s battering the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion, Politics
“Discretionary” firearms licensing a risky move
In response to the shooting tragedies in Newtown, Connecticut, and Aurora, Colorado, and after many months of policy study, House Speaker Robert DeLeo introduced new firearms legislation. Public hearings were […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Rally supports accepting undocumented children
Immigration advocates gathered in the shadow of the Irish Famine Memorial in downtown Boston Monday to urge support for housing undocumented children who have streamed into the United States in […]
Posted inGambling
Earnings calls differ for Wynn, Mohegan Sun
The two companies competing for the Greater Boston casino license reported their quarterly financial numbers on Tuesday, and the tone of their conference calls with analysts was very different. Wynn […]
Posted inPolitics
Q&A on Probation case
The following information was gleaned from discussions with a variety of sources close to the Probation Department case involving former commissioner John O’Brien and his top aides, Elizabeth Tavares and […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Dark money unlikely to brighten Grossman’s odds
Cue the dark-money attack ad sliming the candidate in the lead. Cue the counter ad from the attack target calling out the candidate the attack ad is fronting for as […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
On immigrant children, we’re failing a moral test
The lingering question with the thousands of children detained along the US-Mexico border is are we still a nation that takes action or have we become paralyzed by our politics? […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
A six-state solution on energy makes sense
Your recent article entitled “A regional power solution” suggests that the six New England states are plotting a solution to our regional energy challenges without public engagement or a rationale. […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo criticizes Ware, calls him unprofessional
House Speaker Robert DeLeo over the weekend lashed out at Paul Ware for suggesting a statement Ware made in 2010 should not be construed as clearing the Speaker of any […]