The colorful and controversial William Lantigua made it official: He intends to run for his old House seat representing Lawrence as an independent. He still has to submit 150 voter […]
Lantigua takes on Devers
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, State House News Service
Medical marijuana patients concerned about delays
Medical marijuana advocates Dr. Mark Weiner of Sharon and Eric McCoy of Boston. On a day when attention was focused on legislation that would legalize and tax recreational marijuana, advocates […]
Posted inEducation
Charter formula change draws fire
CHARTER SCHOOL LEADERS Leaders are sounding alarms over proposed changes in state education regulations that would shift a number of low-achieving school districts out of the group of communities where […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
The payoff from patronage
Both sides in the upcoming racketeering trial of top former Probation Department officials generally agree that agency jobs were steered to those with political connections on Beacon Hill. One side […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
For Walsh, two strikes on transparency
Marty Walsh was elected Boston’s first new mayor in 20 years on a platform that included a vow to increase transparency in City Hall. But on two important issues that […]
Posted inPolitics
Mohegan Sun rebuts Boston host status
Mohegan Sun executives say they are eager to work cooperatively with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, but insist his efforts to win host community status for their proposed casino are off […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Climate change fight requires practivism
What does it take to change the world? Almost four decades after the phrase “global warming” was first used, and eight years after Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, you could […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Elizabeth Warren, the presidency, and perils of a first-term senator
First-term senators are getting quite a bit of media attention, courtesy of the latest parlor game, “Is Elizabeth Warren running for president?” All the senior senator from Massachusetts had to […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Teacher leftovers story sends wrong message
While we appreciate coverage on our efforts to ensure great teachers in every classroom, we worry that Bruce Mohl’s recent article, “Teacher Leftovers,” sends the wrong message. The Boston Public […]
Posted inGambling, The Download
The uphill casino climb
The years of legislative infighting that led up to the legalization of casinos in Massachusetts were supposed to be the hard part. When Gov. Deval Patrick signed casinos into law […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Fresolo soap opera ends
The on-again, off-again run by John Fresolo to recapture his old state rep seat in Worcester ended on Wednesday when he sent a letter to state officials asking them to […]
Posted inPolitics
Walsh asserts casino double standard
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and a group opposed to casinos suggested on Friday that the proposed Mohegan Sun gambling facility is so intertwined with the Suffolk Downs race track straddling […]
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
BPS forecasting 200 teacher leftovers
John McDonough, the interim Boston Public Schools superintendent, and Richard Stutman, president of the Boston Teachers Union, respond to this article here. The Boston Public Schools system is now forecasting […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Things are looking ducky for Elizabeth Warren
Politicians can proclaim their disinterest in an office all they want, especially president, but until the deadline passes – or they stop talking and acting like a candidate – they […]
Posted inPolitics
Where’s Martha?
It took place on the opposite side of Boston Common from the city’s theatre district, but the best show in town today was the matinee on the steps of the […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Walsh at 101 days
Marty Walsh rang in his 101st day as mayor of Boston on Wednesday. As he stood at the front of an East Boston gymnasium, ticking off a laundry list of […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
The SAT fills in the blanks
The SAT, the college admission standardized test, has been under siege for years. Many critics of the exam contend that the test does not correlate to academic success in college […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Lawmakers pitch ways to ease student debt
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE As student loan debt tops $1 trillion nationally, state lawmakers are recommending ways to ease the burden on Massachusetts college students. Approximately 66 percent of Massachusetts […]
Posted inPolitics
Threading the needle
From the archives This article first appeared in CommonWealth’s Spring 2014 issue. Click here view more issues. CHARLIE BAKER BOUNDS into the Charlestown Knights of Columbus, where the once and […]
Posted inPolitics
Harsh history lessons
IT’S HARD TO HEAR as the chatter bounces off the bare tile floor of the crowded VFW hall in Ipswich. The Democratic town committee is holding its annual breakfast on […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
DOR web problems force deadline change
State officials have extended the filing deadline for income tax filers because of problems with the Department of Revenue’s website, the latest technology glitch that is causing issues for state […]
Posted inEducation
Back to school on the American Dream
Degrees of Inequality: How the Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream By Suzanne Mettler New York: Basic Books 261 pages the american dream is in trouble. As our […]
Posted inTransportation
A can-do attitude
The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry that Built America’s First Subway By Doug Most New York: St. Martin’s Press 404 pages once upon a time, before […]
Posted inPolitics
The guiding hand
mindy myers has never called New England home, but she’s nevertheless left her political mark on the region. The 37-year-old Washington insider has run the successful election campaigns of three […]