“I’d blow up the place and start all over.” That was the quip from Boston Mayor Tom Menino about Detroit that has caused such a stir. Menino’s comment, which appeared […]
Motor City breakdown
Posted inPolitics
Heavy hitters go to bat for Wolf
State Sen. Dan Wolf has lined up nearly a dozen big guns, including former judges, top prosecutors, and ethics experts, to persuade the Ethics Commission to change the rules to […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The future of newspapers – again
Seems every time a newspaper is sold, the prognosticators and print junkies predict – and hope for – a new way forward. Isn’t that the expectation for Jeff Bezos and […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Solar subsidies raising concerns
The state’s two leading utilities are raising concerns about the high cost of the Patrick administration’s new plan for subsidizing solar power. In comments filed with the state Department of […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Baker goes upbeat in campaign video
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Republican Charlie Baker, a former state budget chief and health care executive, officially jumped into the wide open 2014 governor’s race Wednesday with a more upbeat […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
Tech tax repeal push clears first hurdle
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A push to repeal the new sales tax on computer and software design services through a ballot initiative cleared it first hurdle on Wednesday as a […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download
Technology services tax snafu ensnares Democrats
What if Massachusetts levied a tax and no one wanted to pay it? The business community is in full chuck-the-tea-in-Boston-Harbor mode over the new computer and software services tax. […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Opinion
Educated workforce key to high wages
In our modern economy, what creates strong state economies that support high-wage jobs for their people? Low taxes, well-educated workers, or something else? When we look at data from across […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Bezos’s hard charge into the great unknown
Jeff Bezos knows two things that won’t save newspapers: Advertisers and paywalls. Bezos is aware that ads and paid content are the only two ways that newspapers make money these […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
What’s a Big Mac worth?
In the big picture, no one would argue that everyone deserves a decent wage and decent benefits for a decent job and decent work effort. It’s what’s euphemistically referred […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Markey out front on Syria
US Sen. Ed Markey, who is facing reelection next year, says he would support President Obama if he orders a limited, surgical military strike against Syria, a position that puts […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
The natural
Subway stations are full of voters. They’re also pretty terrible places to talk to voters. The folks spilling in and out of an MBTA station are normally in a hurry […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Other lawmakers face similar conflicts as Wolf
A correction has been added in the story below. A number of lawmakers have a personal and financial interest in the outcome of Sen. Dan Wolf’s dispute with the Ethics […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Wolf to stay in Senate, seeks ethics exemption
In an abrupt about-face, state Sen. Dan Wolf will be staying in his seat while he asks the Ethics Commission to rewrite the regulations that triggered him to suspend his […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service, The Download
Entergy nukes Vermont Yankee, outlook for Pilgrim murky
After years of heated battles with Vermont environmentalists and lawmakers, Entergy, the New Orleans-based power plant operator, announced the closing of its Vermont Yankee nuclear facility. Rep. Paul Mark, from […]
Posted inEducation
Teacher prep gets failing grade
If our public schools are struggling, maybe it’s no wonder. According to a recent study, the colleges and universities that train American teachers do an abysmal job, churning out graduates […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Vermont Yankee plant to close next year
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Citing financial factors including lower natural gas prices, Entergy announced plans Tuesday to close and begin a decades-long process to decommission the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Coakley sues Lantigua on campaign violations
WITH LESS THAN A MONTH TO GO before Lawrence’s crowded mayoral primary election, state officials on Tuesday sued Mayor William Lantigua, accusing him of accepting thousands of dollars in illegal […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Milford casino no longer dark horse
Today’s Globe provides an update on Milford’s proposed Foxwoods casino. This is an unfortunate development for partisans of Steve Wynn and Suffolk Downs, because it’s a reminder that when the […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Ethics Commission urged to clarify Wolf ruling
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEA LEADING BUSINESS ADVOCATE on Monday worried that the recent State Ethics Commission ruling that derailed Sen. Daniel Wolf’s political career could have a “chilling effect” on […]
Posted inPolitics
Split on Greenway, not on South Station
This is the fourth 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 inThe Download, Uncategorized
The new nativism
It should probably come as no surprise that the influence of “outside money” has become a flashpoint in the race for mayor of Boston. For along with our capital city’s […]
Posted inOpinion, Uncategorized
Sorting out the cost of green energy
In early August, CommonWealth magazine published a short article regarding the costs of renewable energy mandates in Massachusetts. In essence, the article stated that the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) […]
Posted inPolitics
The new nativism
It should probably come as no surprise that the influence of “outside money” has become a flashpoint in the race for mayor of Boston. For along with our capital city’s […]