**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 […]
Rivera in; Lantigua gone missing
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 […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The authority to make changes on the way out
As Mayor Thomas Menino prepares for life after the throne, his crown could become somewhat tarnished as the piñata that is the Boston Redevelopment Authority continues to take a near-daily […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cape Wind expects to receive tax credit
Cape Wind on Monday announced it has signed a contract to purchase an unspecified number of wind turbines and other equipment from the German company Siemens, and both firms said […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
Obama’s crack commutations
President Obama commuted the federal crack cocaine sentencesof eight inmates, including the first cousin of Gov. Deval Patrick. The New York Times described the commutations as a bid to curb […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Getting to yes, turning to no
Yes, yes, and yes. Those are the answers developers give communities when they want to get approval for their projects. But once those projects are underway, it seems, the deals […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Wynn: Gambling law changes needed
Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn is urging Massachusetts lawmakers to make changes to the state’s gaming law, something they are reluctant to do for fear of reopening the debate […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Target: Data breach could affect 40 million
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Target, the major retailer with locations throughout Massachusetts, confirmed Thursday “unauthorized access to payment card data” that may have impacted 40 million credit and debit card […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Scott Brown’s northern exposure
Conservatives may be cheering on former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown’s likely New Hampshire US Senate run next year. But the inevitability of Brown is getting a little old for our […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
A win for Cape Wind?
Cape Wind has been beset by legal delays and questions over its finances . But the offshore wind power project looks like it may be ramping up just in time […]
Posted inOpinion, Transportation
South Coast Rail not the way to go
Residents of Massachusetts’ South Coast believe their region hasn’t received the state investment it deserves. They’re right. The Big Dig vacuumed money away from transportation projects across Massachusetts. More recently, […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Golden days for college presidents
High school seniors and their families are excitedly beginning to hear from colleges they have applied to for admission next fall. An acceptance notification is generally grounds for applicant glee […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
UMass football losing more than games
A new report says the cost of the UMass Amherst football program keeps growing, and so does the support required from students and taxpayers. The Boston Globe reports that students […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Murray campaign pays out nearly $200,000
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEFormer Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray’s once robust campaign account has been spent down to just $34,620 after the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce executive shelled out nearly […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
A taxing time of year
It’s that time of year again. Well, yeah, it’s holiday season, but it’s also the time of year that many cities and towns set their property tax rates. The exercise […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Fighting Cape Wind $1 million at a time
The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound put out a press release last month suggesting that its strong fundraising was “another sign of growing opposition to Cape Wind.” The Alliance pointed […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Apathy triumphs in Fifth Congressional race
Despite Frank Addivinola’s early evening robocalls proclaiming a path to victory through low turnout, an upset was not on the agenda in Tuesday’s Fifth Congressional District special election . Katherine […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Digital journalism guerrilla heads for Hub
New York Times media critic David Carr spends his days sifting through the wreckage, and the opportunity, that digital journalism has created. Now he’s coming to Boston to sort through […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Ethics rules require Crosby recusal
The Boston Globe published stories on November 21 and December 8 revealing that Steve Crosby, chairman of the Gaming Commission, had a previous seven-year business partnership with Paul Lohnes, part-owner […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Lawrence teachers push for bargaining rights
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEUnion officials urged lawmakers to restore collective bargaining rights to Lawrence public school teachers, arguing the state education commissioner and state-appointed receiver overseeing the turnaround of city […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Can Mayor Walsh battle inequality?
Progressive union leaders and other community activists, including the Greater Boston Labor Council, jumped on board the Occupy protests that sprang up two years ago to decry growing economic inequality. […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Cape Wind: The international connection
The stories about Cape Wind are coming faster and faster as a key December 31 deadline approaches. The first story was in CommonWealth, which reported that the proposed wind farm […]