When the needle moves on Beacon Hill, it tends to move quickly. Last Tuesday, one member of the Governor’s Council was warning his colleagues that if they didn’t stop attracting […]
The Download: Governor’s Council on thin ice
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
The middle-class squeeze
The much-heralded demographic change seen in the latest Massachusetts census numbers is at least partly the reflection of a decade of economic change that was particularly challenging for the state’s […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, The Download
The Download: Flaherty’s return engagement
He’s now made it official: former Boston city councilor Michael Flaherty wants his old job back. Actually, he doesn’t really want his old job at all. He wants the job […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Patrick proposes youth violence prevention plan
Gov. Deval Patrick, who said prevention of youth violence would be one of the priorities of his second term, laid out his plan for tackling the problem at a Mattapan […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The Download: Another patronage haven bites the dust
One by one, state government’s biggest patronage havens are being shut down. The state’s Probation Department, long an employment agency for politically connected friends of state lawmakers, got a makeover […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
League puts Brown in spotlight
The League of Women Voters, perhaps best known for its dry, down-the-middle voter guides, is running a hard-hitting TV ad that slams US Sen. Scott Brown for voting to shortchange […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Post mortem
What should we make of the celebrations after Osama bin Laden’s death? I teach and write about the ethics of war for a living, and this has been a strange […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
The Download: Grave dancing
“We don’t need to spike the football,” President Obama said in his decision to not release photographs of Osama bin Laden’s dead body. “That’s not who we are.” But who […]
Posted inPolitics
Bump releases report critical of DeNucci
Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne Bump unveiled a highly critical report on the condition of the office she inherited today, driving a wedge between herself and her predecessor, longtime auditor Joe DeNucci. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Health Care, Politics, The Download
The Download: Eternal vigilance in Boston and beyond
The death of Osama bin Laden changed little for Boston’s Logan International Airport, the launch point for the September 11 attacks almost ten years ago. Gov. Deval Patrick advised “an […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download
The Download: Now to the political calculus
It’s now the second day of Osama bin Laden stories, which means the narrative has turned to stories detailing how the daring weekend raid came together, and to stories speculating […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
CommonWealth magazine’s new video conversations feature
CommonWealth has launched the beta version of a new video feature we’re hoping will become a mainstay of our website – and a must-see for those who follow policy and […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, The Download
The Download: KIPP success a matter of degrees
In the world of high-achieving urban charter schools, seeing graduates ultimately go on and finish college has always been the Holy Grail, the goal that school leaders say truly represents […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Bin Laden’s long time on the lam
By Michael Jonas Just how long was the period between Osama Bin Laden’s emergence as the most wanted man on the planet following the 9/11 attacks and his killing last […]
Posted inPolitics
Records law doesn’t apply to governor
Another in a series of occasional articles concerning Massachusetts public records and open meetings laws. Responding to an appeal filed by CommonWealth, Secretary of State William F. Galvin officially ruled […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
44 reps disclose health care conflicts
More than a quarter of the 160 members of the Massachusetts House disclosed last week that their votes on municipal health care legislation, hotly debated by unions, mayors and selectmen, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Download: How does New Hampshire do it?
For years, New Hampshire has been like an oasis in the desert to antitax forces. The “Live Free or Die” state has no income or sales taxes, and yet it […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Transportation
At the T, reform gives way to revenue
Gov. Deval Patrick’s transportation chief opened the door to new transportation revenues this week. And while MassDOT CEO Jeff Mullan pointedly refused to discuss where new revenues might come from, […]
Posted inEducation
A new day for public education in Boston
The war is over. Sure, there had never been an all-out declaration. But for years public education in Boston was characterized by deep tensions, which not infrequently spilled over into […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
The Download: Days of yore
As much of America is fixated on a wedding in the royal family — except, believe it or not, viewers of Fox 25 — that harkens back to the time […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download
The Download: Lantigua lets down Lawrence
The coda has yet to be written on the political career of Lawrence Mayor William Lantigua. But attracting the attention of federal law enforcement officials never bodes well, as Sal […]
Posted inEconomy, Health Care, State House News Service
House health vote enrages union officials
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Labor unions were in open revolt Tuesday against the Democratic leaders of the House, promising political consequences for House Speaker Robert DeLeo and other state representatives […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Download: Glum Sal
Jury selection begins today in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Sal DiMasi, and the former king of Beacon Hill is already looking and talking like a beaten man. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
The Download: The birtherism of a nation
According to a New York Times/CBS poll released last week, 25 percent of adults surveyed believe that President Obama was not born in the US. Among Republicans, the figure soars […]