Why no Olympian effort on racial diversity? Just after I read your Fall 2013 cover story, “No seat at the table,” an article appeared in the Boston Globe about an […]
Winter 2014 correspondence and updates
Posted inPolitics
Dark money rising
Citizens United upended electoral politics across the country. The 2010 Supreme Court decision, and the court rulings and regulatory decisions that have followed, held that corporations and unions could spend […]
Posted inHealth Care
Sex at the cellular level
What do you mean when you say every cell has a sex? Men and women are different down to the cellular and molecular levels. You either have two X chromosomes, […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Transportation
Pumped over gas tax
When the Massachusetts Legislature voted last year to raise the gas tax by 3 cents to 26.5 cents per gallon and allow the tax to rise automatically in future years […]
Posted inPolitics
The blue-red color divide in Massachusetts
On a national political map, Massachusetts is reliably blue, a Democratic stronghold. The congressional delegation is all Democrat, the State House is overwhelmingly Democrat, and every constitutional officer is a […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
Leading the fight against e-cigarettes
When Susan Liss became the top lobbyist for Massachusetts in Washington in 2006, she had a million things to juggle, from the rollout of the state’s new health care law […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Warren and de Blasio: Dueling liberalisms
Those hungry for a liberal revival have seen the election over the last 14 months of Elizabeth Warren to the US Senate and Bill de Blasio as mayor of New […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Walsh to audit Menino’s BRA
Alleged personal tensions between Marty Walsh and Tom Menino made for great tabloid fodder during last fall’s mayoral election. The Herald painted the Walsh and Menino clans as Hatfields and […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Big rail growth in state spending plan
State transportation officials just unveiled their first capital spending plan since being rebuffed last year on an expensive, ambitious plan to pour higher income taxes into Massachusetts roads, rails, and […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Chris Christie’s bridge to nowhere
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been touting his image as a bridge to bipartisanship in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. The bridge, it seems, has collapsed. We […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Addressing poverty requires holistic approach
Alone, poor, and guilty. Guilty of poverty itself and its toxic effects. That’s still the way single mothers are cast today because in our culture it’s “her baby, her fault.” […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Coal, oil stage comeback
Nearly written off as dinosaurs heading toward extinction, New England’s struggling coal and oil power plants have staged a temporary comeback during the recent cold snap. Data compiled by New […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Clash of the commuter rail titans
Should anyone cry a river for the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad? The long-time operator of the MBTA’s commuter rail network has objected to the process that appears to have put Keolis, […]
Posted inPolitics
Globe owner talks
John Henry told a business group on Wednesday that his job as owner of the Boston Globe is similar in some ways to his job as the principal owner of […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Marty’s moment
Vowing to listen, learn, and lead, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh puts his humility front and center in an inaugural address that comes more from the heart than the head, CommonWealth […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Gubernatorial candidates scramble for money
Very real differences are emerging between the candidates for governor in terms of their ability to raise money from voters in Massachusetts who could actually vote for them in November. […]
Posted inPolitics
Linehan the kingmaker exits the volunteer ranks
The woman who gained a reputation as a behind-the-scenes kingmaker in Massachusetts politics is now getting into the game of governing herself. Joyce Linehan, the Dorchester activist who CommonWealth has […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Dell dating Middlebrooks
Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks tweeted a photo of himself and NESN reporter Jenny Dell celebrating together on New Year’s Eve. The happy couple looked like they were having […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Small donors: nice sound bite, not much money
It has become something of a cliché for political campaigns to tout, when announcing the month or quarter or year’s fundraising totals, the large percentage of donations from small donors […]
Posted inPolitics
The Walsh era begins
Boston turned to the future – and to the past – as Marty Walsh became the city’s first new mayor in 20 years, a fresh, young leader, who also returns […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Rivera in; Lantigua gone missing
**A correction has been made to the Reinstein item in the Beacon Hill section. Daniel Rivera took over as mayor of Lawrence in a private swearing-in ceremony at City Hall […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download
The dawn of Obamacare
Now, the rubber hits the road. As of today, millions of Americans will begin getting health coverage under the Affordable Care Act and over the next few months, we’ll find out which […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Public Records Law changes likely
The Massachusetts House seems poised to make some changes to the state’s Public Records Law, and will even explore bringing Beacon Hill lawmakers under the law’s purview. A bill drafted […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Rep. Reinstein resigning to take beer firm job
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEAfter 15 years in the House, Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein plans to resign from the Legislature this month to take a job with the Boston Beer Company, a […]