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 […]
Don’t forget benefits of green energy use
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 inThe Download, Uncategorized
Bezos: The perfect newspaper owner
Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos fished around in his pockets yesterday, plucked out some lint, and used it to buy the Washington Post. Bezos dropped $250 million in cash on the […]
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
Barrier-breaking candidate of status quo
There was excitement in the air last Wednesday night as Charlotte Golar Richie addressed several hundred supporters gathered at Hibernian Hall in Roxbury. But the charge in the room certainly […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
As the Globe turns
The timing did not suggest the best news sense in the world, but high-stakes deal-making evidently doesn’t take its cues from lowly ink-stained newsies. In the wee hours Saturday morning, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Many mayoral mini-mes
Rob Consalvo, in this profile by WBUR’s David Scharfenberg, doesn’t try to hide his message that a Consalvo administration would look a lot like the Menino administration. “In Consalvo world,” […]
Posted inPolitics
Many mayoral mini-mes
Rob Consalvo, in this profile by WBUR’s David Scharfenberg, doesn’t try to hide his message that a Consalvo administration would look a lot like the Menino administration. “In Consalvo world,” […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
What’s up at the Globe
The upcoming sale of the Boston Globe by the New York Times is getting really confusing. First, the Globe reported that there were six bidders. Then the field was narrowed […]
Posted inPolitics
Rosenberg corrals votes to become Senate president
Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, announced on Wednesday that he had the votes necessary to replace Therese Murray as president of the Senate when she leaves office, setting the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Education, The Download
MIT’s neutrality in the Swartz case
The long-awaited report on MIT’s role in the Aaron Swartz case seems to ring true: the university technically did nothing wrong but its lack of leadership may have been a […]
Posted inEnvironment
Patrick issues emergency solar regs
Seeking to avoid the boom and bust cycles that have plagued solar markets in other states, the Patrick administration is issuing emergency regulations that will temporarily allow solar developers continued […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Get ready for some Fiscal Armageddon
House Republicans have all the zeal in the world. What they’ve lacked, until now, is some sexy branding. Sequestration does not roll off the tongue all that well. The fiscal […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The (destructive) power of social media
The Boston Marathon bombings, along with all their horror, became the latest event to showcase the incredible power of social media. Sometimes that was clearly for the better. A tweet […]