For WBUR and WGBH the problems are fundamental. Expenses are up, the number of listeners is down, as is advertising dollars – who knew they had advertising income? – culminating in operational deficits.
For WBUR, GBH, the answer is merge, purge, diverge
Posted inEnergy
Vineyard Wind 1 trying to pick up pace with good weather
The slow pace of construction isn’t a major problem in the long run, but it suggests building a wind farm off the coast, particularly during the winter months when winds are unusually strong, is not easy.
Posted inState Government
After years of scandals, have the State Police turned a corner?
Under the State House’s golden dome, there’s been little interest over the years among legislators to take stock of the theft of public funds and abuse of public trust, and whether the agency has been truly reformed.
Posted inOpinion
Lowering financial hurdles for Black, Latina women
From gender and racial pay gaps to a lack of assets, Black and Latina women often start at a financial disadvantage, lacking the generational wealth which often provides a safety net for their White counterparts.
Posted inHealth Care
‘Concordant care’ called crucial in improving Black childbirth outcomes
A recurring theme was that people of color, and Black women in particular, benefit from having their care provided by someone who looks like them and who understands their experience in the world.
Posted inTransportation
Beacon Park Yard back in operation
Harvard’s rail venture isn’t about transporting people; it’s about hauling dirt away that has been excavated during the construction of the university’s so-called Enterprise Research Campus.
Posted inState Government
Millionaire surtax revenues far exceed expectations
Massachusetts has collected about $1.8 billion from a voter-approved surtax on the state’s highest earners through the first nine months of the fiscal year, the Department of Revenue said Monday in a quarterly report.
Posted inOpinion
As mayors, we need more tools to boost housing production
We urge the Legislature to act quickly to pass the Affordable Homes Act, in its entirety, this session, and to give local leaders the tools we need to support our current and future residents.
Posted inMarijuana
Cannabis Control Commission drags its feet on two-driver rule
“The two-driver rule is a hurdle and a handcuff that companies like mine are facing,” said Gyasi Sellers, the owner of cannabis delivery company Treevit. “There are a lot of companies like mine that are running out of time. Some have gone under already and that rule is one of the primary causes of that.”
Posted inHealth Care
What will happen to Steward hospitals in bankruptcy?
Eric Gold laid out how the bankruptcy may unfold. First, Steward will propose its ideas for a restructuring and how debts should be paid. Such a plan will likely spur debate among creditors, hopefully leading to an acceptable compromise plan that will need to be approved by the bankruptcy judge, he said.
Posted inThe Codcast
Steward Health Care in court
This week on The Codcast, Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute and John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health are joined by Eric Gold, partner at Manatt Health and former Chief of the Health Care Division at the MA Attorney General’s Office. They discuss the implications of the Steward Health Care bankruptcy for regulatory oversight, as well as the healthcare reform bill currently in the legislature.
Posted inEducation
In wake of pandemic, Mass. achievement gap has widened
As schools try to recover the learning loss students experienced in recent years, a study by researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities shows that the achievement gap separating poor and non-poor students in Massachusetts has widened more since the pandemic than in any of 15 states they studied.
Posted inGovernment
Moody’s, with caveat, says Boston in ‘healthy’ fiscal position
The Moody’s analysis affirms the triple-A bond rating for the city, the top credit rating available. But Moody’s also warned the effects of remote work are starting to hit some office property types.
Posted inOpinion
Troubling signs at Healey’s transportation funding task force
Virtually every piece of news since the launch has been more disappointing than the last. The commission may not even issue any recommendations and important tools (some might call them essential) are reportedly being taken off the table.
Posted inOpinion
Medicare Advantage driving home health crisis
It’s no surprise that referrals to home health organizations are skyrocketing as hospital capacities worsen. Yet we are struggling to keep up with demand.
Posted inEnergy
DPU approves utility deals with Everett LNG terminal
The ruling, released on Friday, approved gas supply contracts between Constellation and National Grid, Eversource, and Unitil that will keep the Everett Marine Terminal running even as its largest customer, the Constellation-owned Mystic Generating Station next door, closes at the end of this month.
Posted inTransportation
Political Notebook: Current and former transit chiefs on comeback trail
We live and work in communities that are just crippled by the congestion on the roads,” said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “It is actually getting worse. People talk a lot about it. Is this a perception thing? No. It’s actually getting worse. And May has been one of the worst months for congestion in a very long time.”
Posted inHealth Care
House passes broad health care legislation
The House voted 152-1 to approve a bill that combines reforms intended to avert a repeat of the Steward Health Care crisis with changes designed to boost state oversight of facility expansions and closures, refine cost control tools to better account for fluctuations, and increase funding for hospitals that typically serve high shares of low-income patients and people of color.
Posted inCourts
On 20th anniversary of same-sex marriage, here’s the story of how it almost did not happen
The story of how we stopped the “Defense of Marriage” amendment before the Goodridge ruling has never been fully told. And it’s a real banger of a tale.
Posted inOpinion
What’s MassCore, and why aren’t we more focused on it?
In some districts, students are supported and encouraged to take the coursework that will set them up for success in college or the workplace, while other students take less rigorous courses or simply don’t enroll in enough of the courses needed to pursue their postsecondary dreams.