Brynn Wetherbee, an eighth grader from Clinton, is a student at the Massachusetts Virtual Academy, the state’s first full-time online school. SCHOOL BOOKS, PAPERS, and two laptop computers are […]
Log-on learning
Posted inEnvironment
May describes himself as Cape Wind agnostic
Tom May said he was an agnostic about Cape Wind before NStar and Northeast Utilities announced their planned combination nearly 18 months ago and little has changed now that he […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health Care
Calling for backup
the framingham police officer called for a different sort of backup. He was at a department store in a local mall where a woman suspected of shoplifting was acting strangely. […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
College exams
Two decades after the start of the standards and testing era in education, which vowed to hold public schools accountable for firm measures of student achievement, efforts are underway to […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Back Story
Renewable anxiety
UPDATE: The bill referenced in this story passed the Senate yesterday. For the full text of the bill, click here. To read about yesterday’s Senate session, click here. Lawmakers on […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Health care diet
State lawmakers are putting the finishing touches on legislation to rein in the cost of health care, but the private sector isn’t waiting. Hospitals, insurers, and care providers are already […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion, Transportation
There are answers to T funding crisis
There are solutions. The MBTA funding crisis remains, even after action to raise fares and reduce service. The Patrick administration has been clear that there will be an even larger […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Senate president backs $20-$40m for training effort
Even though the numbers tell us that the Massachusetts economy is growing faster than the national average, we still have a long way to go, and the recently revised jobs […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
On the MBTA board, one is the loneliest number
During the MBTA board’s final meeting on fare hikes and service cuts Wednesday, board member Ferdinand Alvaro called out the one group of people with the power to put an […]
Posted inPolitics
Coakley says her intent is to seek reelection
Attorney General Martha Coakley said today she plans to seek a third term as the state’s top lawyer. “Right now, first of all my focus is on doing my job. […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
T approves average fare hike of 23 percent
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEThe MBTA board voted 4-1 today to raise fares by an average of 23 percent, cut some service routes, and double the price of rides for disabled […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Doctors groups: “First, do no waste.”
Have you heard there are issues with health care costs?From the debate about how to ensure everyone is insured to the tango over how to rein in the out-of-control overall […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, State House News Service
Report details impact of sentencing bills
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the estimate of a habitual offender’s extra time in prison under the House and Senate bills […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Patrick credits stimulus for 90,000 Mass. jobs
Gov. Deval Patrick defended President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy this morning, blaming a “sclerosis” in Congress for impeding the president’s ability to make the type of investments that […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Tim-ber
This is the way the Legislature wanted it. If Tim Cahill had launched a quixotic gubernatorial run in 2006, and in the middle of this quixotic run, had he unleashed […]
Posted inPolitics
Cahill lawsuit leads to indictment
Attorney General Martha Coakley learned about the alleged political connection to a 2010 Lottery ad blitz the same way everyone else in Massachusetts did – she read about it in […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download, Transportation
Polling for dollars
It’s hardly a groundswell of support, but based on the expectation of paltry support for an infusion of state money to bail out the beleaguered MBTA, a new Boston Globe […]
Posted inEnvironment
NStar pays big premium for Cape Wind power
NStar Corp. agreed to pay a roughly $500 million premium for less than a third of Cape Wind’s power output over the next 15 years, a deal that will boost […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
The underbelly of land use politics
You don’t have to be a Saint to oppose development, according to a federal court ruling earlier this week. In fact, the judge says, you can be “sneaky” and “underhanded” […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Globe raising price again
The Boston Globe is raising the newsstand price of its daily paper by 25 percent next week as it scrambles to prop up circulation revenue in the face of declining […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Up, down, up
Earlier this month, Massachusetts Democrats were in panic mode after a handful of polls indicated US Sen. Scott Brown had overtaken and pulled away from Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren. But […]
Posted inEconomy
Patrick aide calls for tax break reviews
Gov. Deval Patrick’s budget chief on Tuesday proposed that certain tax credits sunset after five years without legislative reauthorization, offering a blueprint for the state to systematically review its $26 […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
T backs subway fare hike of 17%
Bay State commuters who rely on the MBTA will be slapped with an average 23 percent fare hike under a budget proposal that state transportation officials unveiled today. “The proposal […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Brimfield casino site not worth the stakes
Can’t get there from here. MGM Resorts International finally threw in its hand and decided to walk away from a $600 million project to build a hilltop gambling mecca in […]