CNNMoney this week issued its annual list of America’s best places to live, and Sharon came in first. Two other Massachusetts towns were also on the list: Westford at No. […]
What makes a community livable?
Posted inPolitics
Ethics Commission backtracks
The state Ethics Commission admitted on Thursday that it erred in ruling that state Sen. Dan Wolf must abandon his run for governor unless he divests himself of his ownership […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Boston mayor hopefuls on charters, nicknames
This is the second article in a series showcasing the answers of 10 of the 12 Boston mayoral candidates to questions posed at forums in June and July hosted by […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The GOP comes to town
Boston is a red town this week but the presence of the Republican National Committee’s annual summer meeting at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel in the Seaport District is another […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Vote hunting
Boston is full of places where Mike Ross can expect to run into Charles Yancey. Like the City Council chambers where they both work, or a political fundraiser, or one […]
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 inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Toll wars are back
Western Massachusetts is in an uproar over the planned reintroduction of tolls on Exits 1 through 6 of the Massachusetts Turnpike on October 15. The recently passed transportation finance law […]
Posted inPolitics
A gay-friendly field
If the goal was to draw out differences among candidates for mayor on issues of concern to the gay community, last week’s forum sponsored by the Dorchester gay political group […]
Posted inPolitics
Wolf resigned to quitting
State Sen. Dan Wolf said on Tuesday that he intends to ask the state Ethics Commission to reconsider its decision requiring him to either divest his holdings in Cape Air […]
Posted inPolitics
Why are you running?
This is the first of several articles showcasing the answers of 10 of the 12 Boston mayoral candidates to questions posed at forums in June and July hosted by CommonWealth, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
The verdict
Whitey Bulger’s date with a jury had been decades in the making. It came to a close yesterday, as the former crime boss stood in a South Boston courtroom and […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Don’t forget benefits of green energy use
The August 8 CommonWealth Back Story, “Green energy costs raising concerns,” highlights costs of Massachusetts’ energy policy, but a thorough evaluation also requires consideration of the benefits to determine the […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Good school hunting
Elysium, the dystopian thriller starring Matt Damon that topped the weekend box office ratings, is just the sort of tale the Cambridge homeboy is drawn to. A futuristic sci-fi commentary […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
The T’s youthful retirees
After all the hype and hyperbole, the pension data released by the MBTA Retirement Board on Thursday was pretty much what you’d expect: Lots of employees retired early with healthy […]
Posted inPolitics
Ethics Commission responds to Wolf
The state Ethics Commission issued this response to contentions by state Sen. Dan Wolf that the commission erred in its determination that a conflict of interest existed in his ownership […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Airing out a conflict
For years, the state Ethics Commission has been derided as a toothless watchdog, set up by the Legislature but with enough ambivalence in the statutes to thwart any meaningful enforcement. […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Green energy costs raising concerns
A clarifying statement issued by National Grid in response to this story is attached at the end. The rising cost of green energy mandates in Massachusetts is starting to raise […]
Posted inPolitics
Boston’s online radio frontier
Boston’s two daily newspapers look at news very differently, so it’s no surprise that they are experimenting with online radio very differently. Boston Herald Radio, which launched this week, is […]
Posted inPolitics
Wolf: Ethics ruling bars run for governor
Sen. Dan Wolf, who represents the Cape and islands, issued the following statement on Wednesday indicating he plans to continue pursuing a gubernatorial candidacy despite an Ethics Commission ruling suggesting […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Lottery fever
Most people probably don’t remember Candido Oliveira of Dorchester hit the Mega Millions jackpot two years ago. Or that Rosa DeLeon of Arlington and Reginald LeBlanc of Lexington, coworkers at […]
Posted inEducation
UMass satellite center explored for Springfield
The University of Massachusetts is taking tentative steps toward opening a satellite campus in Springfield that would be overseen by UMass Amherst and provide on-site and online courses offered by […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
In mayor’s race, out of town cash is king
An unusually crowded race for mayor of Boston is forcing candidates to look outside the city for campaign cash. Candidates in the wide-open, 12-person mayoral field are tapping into suburban […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Elections highlight shifts in Boston voting
In the spring issue of CommonWealth, we wrote about the shifts occurring in the distribution of votes in Boston, highlighting the big increase in votes coming from downtown and other […]