Public sector unions in Connecticut filed a complaint last month with the state’s attorney general alleging a conservative think tank located in Hartford unlawfully tapped into the state’s email system […]
Unions, think-tank spar in Connecticut
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service, The Download
Patrick’s health care dilemma
It’s been a week now, and as of this morning Gov. Deval Patrick still hadn’t decided whether he’s going to go along with a provision in the Legislature’s budget that […]
Posted inEconomy, The Back Story, Transportation
Garage gamesmanship
The MBTA is facing a $45 million budget deficit just days into the new fiscal year as a real estate deal the transportation agency is counting on to balance its […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Hitting the jackpot
Tomorrow night’s Megabucks jackpot is an estimated $4.3 million. If you’re under 40 and not feeling particularly lucky but still like the sound of that much money, you could run […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Environment, State House News Service
Nuclear disaster funding increases in Plymouth
the owner of Pilgrim Station is opening up its wallet to fund local emergency training, an indication that the nuclear accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is having […]
Posted inEnvironment
State pushing bulk solar sales
state officials are trying to drive down the cost of solar power for homeowners and small businesses by bringing potential buyers together with sellers in a more cost-efficient manner. Right […]
Posted inUncategorized
Conventions of color coming to Boston
two african-american organizations are coming to Boston for major conventions this summer, a breakthrough for a city with a national reputation for not being welcoming to people of color. […]
Posted inEconomy
Swan Boats, Sullivan’s get sweet deals from city, state
the swan boats in the Public Garden and Sullivan’s hot dog stand on Castle Island in South Boston are two of Boston’s most beloved businesses. But the landmark operations are […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA offers a premium deal in Braintree
Premium can mean a few things. As a noun, it could be an added amount one pays over and above a standard rate for an item or service. As an […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Contract dispute
when officials at the Clarence Edwards Middle School in Charlestown needed someone to work as a lunch and hall monitor, they did what often happens in the Boston Public Schools. […]
Posted inEconomy
Divining Devens
massachusetts hasn’t created a new municipality in nearly a century, since East Brookfield and Brookfield divorced in 1920. Five years ago, it looked like Devens would displace East Brookfield as […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, Transportation
Delays in service
late into a May evening in New Bedford, commuters told three stone-faced federal officials about their daily 90-minute plus treks up Route 24 to Interstate 93 toward Boston, a stressful […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Split Governor’s Council confirms picks
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE With Gov. Deval Patrick on hand to ensure a tiebreaking vote, Rep. Christopher Speranzo won a lifetime appointment today as clerk magistrate of the Pittsfield District […]
Posted inPolitics
Salary divide
It’s 7:30 a.m. The MBTA’s Richard Davey is standing just inside the Roxbury Crossing station, sipping his coffee while getting an earful from a woman worried about security on Orange […]
Posted inPolitics
Liquor battle brewing
massachusetts has long guarded its unique rules for regulating alcohol, so state officials weren’t happy last year when the federal appeals court in Boston struck down a 2006 state law […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cracks in cap and trade
the same carbon tax concerns that have stymied climate change legislation in Washington are now starting to gain some traction in the Northeast. Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Criminal capacity
gov. deval patrick wants to close two prisons this year to save money, but the Legislature isn’t enthusiastic about the idea, partly because of fears about violence stemming from cramming […]
Posted inPolitics
Public records makeover
CommonWealth long has focused on the need for greater transparency in government. We’ve highlighted the needless secrecy surrounding the recipients of state tax credits and the shortcomings of the financial […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Politics
Morphing Malcolm
Malcolm X: A Life of ReinventionBy Manning MarableNew York, Viking, 594 pagesReviewed by Kevin C. Peterson during the final weeks of his life, Malcolm X, the voluble and acerbic American […]
Posted inEconomy
Time to get to work
the big dig was touted as saving time and money for commuters, but the most recent Census data show travel time to work for most cities and towns around Boston […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Mooring mess
Robert Guimond is like a lot of retirees who stay in Massachusetts. The biggest attraction for him is the ocean, which is why the former salesman for General Motors and […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Mixed media
the trend at first seemed heartening. The problems in the US education system had become so compelling that filmmakers recently produced several documentaries on the topic, with some even enjoying […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Transparency missing from government
For more on the Public Records Law, see CommonWealth’s updated guide to public records.last november i received an email from an attorney working at the Department of Transitional Assistance informing […]
Posted inUncategorized
Correspondence
Senator: Lawrence making progress Your article, “Lawrence on the mat,” in CommonWealth’s spring issue painted a misleading view of the city of Lawrence, which I represent in the state Senate. […]