Since coming into office nearly six years ago, President Barack Obama has pushed America into charting a course toward energy independence that employs a portfolio that includes every possible fuel […]
Big subsidies for wind, solar don’t make sense
Posted inEducation, Opinion, Politics
A tale of two cities
Throughout this municipal election season, we have highlighted – here, here, and here – the bifurcated nature of Boston’s electorate. On November 5, Boston selected its first new mayor in […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Elizabeth Warren’s 2016 nightmare
There are a few speed bumps on the way to Hillary Clinton’s long march to a possible 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, and one of them is the senior senator from […]
Posted inEconomy
Fish raises concerns on income inequality
One of the state’s leading businessmen said on Tuesday that economic growth in Massachusetts will not be possible unless the population starts growing and income inequality is addressed. John Fish, […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Suffolk down but not out
Boston lost a protracted, petty-looking battle to bring a proposed Everett casino into its orbit earlier this year. Now, with Boston Mayor Tom Menino’s former casino dance partner Suffolk Downs […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Communities of color key to Walsh’s victory
Both Marty Walsh and John Connolly came out September’s preliminary mayoral contest with enormous work to do in Boston’s communities of color. Walsh edged past Connolly in Tuesday’s mayoral election […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Doing the math in Lawrence
Daniel Rivera on Tuesday edged out incumbent William Lantigua in the race for Lawrence mayor by a margin of just 60 votes. But 66 ballots are still in play — […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
A troubling transit trend line
State officials are seeking to expand commuter rail and extend the Green Line even as ridership figures indicate suburbanites are slowly abandoning the existing public transit options available to them. […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Darwin rolls the dice
Now that the dust is settling, you have to wonder when it comes to casino permits: What the heck do we need a Gaming Commission for? There’s a sort of […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Taking stock: Election ’13
Mr. Personality Politics is a world of debating points and policy papers and voter turnout machines, but it’s also a world where personal relationships matter greatly. Marty Walsh stormed into […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
MAYOR MATTERS: Walk with me
Sixth in a series In 1990, there were 152 homicides in Boston. Youth from what we now call violent crime “hot spots” stopped playing outside. They made “walk-with-me friends,” linking […]
Posted inPolitics
What’s the true meaning of Boston Strong?
Seventeenth in a series Writing this series about Boston’s mayoral history, I have been struck by how many of the issues that the city has grappled with in its past […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Flood of Super PAC dollars the new normal
Boston’s mayoral race closes today with a fire hose of outside super PAC money dousing the city. It’s an unprecedented shift for municipal politics in the city. But it’s not […]
Posted inPolitics
Boston should go all in on innovation
Sixteenth in a series Writing history is hard work, but it’s easier than predicting the future. Boston’s future is a story not yet written, but the pen (or keyboard) is […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion, Politics
Painting Boston shades of green
The next mayor of Boston will face many challenges, but few will be as long-term and as far-reaching as climate change. A peculiar result of the broken political system in […]
Posted inPolitics
A change in ethics
The State Ethics Commission on Monday proposed making it easier for business owners to run for or hold public office in Massachusetts, allowing executives to retain their stake in a […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
GOP seeks probe of Coakley spending
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE State Republican Party Chairwoman Kirsten Hughes called on Monday for a “thorough” and independent investigation into the campaign finances of Attorney General Martha Coakley following revelations […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Against all odds, casino vote in doubt
In the gambling world, the house always wins. In the case of a bid to build a billion dollar casino in East Boston, the house is Suffolk Downs and its […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Politics
MAYOR MATTERS: Steady start
Fifth in a series Boston’s next mayor will face a range of crucial issues when he assumes office in January. Three areas that should receive particular attention, however, are the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Mystery money floods Boston mayoral race
With just days to go before Boston’s mayoral election, mystery money is flooding the race, most of it going to benefit Marty Walsh. CommonWealth’s Paul McMorrow called it “dark money” […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, Transportation
MAYOR MATTERS: Keep Boston moving
Fourth in a series Of the many issues facing the next mayor of Boston, one of the more pressing is ensuring that the city fulfills its potential for continued economic […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Payne and Domke go independent
Dan Payne and Todd Domke are well-known political consultants who often moonlight together as pundits for media outlets, with Payne representing the Democrat point of view and Domke the Republican. […]
Posted inEducation
Boston schools embrace autonomy in hiring
Boston officials say they plan to give leaders at every public school the autonomy to fill teacher vacancies with anyone they want while steering unplaced tenured teachers into professional development […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download
Obama: Every little thing’s gonna be alright
With the Red Sox sucking all the oxygen out of the news cycle in these parts, it might have been a little hard to notice other things going on yesterday, […]