The governor is pushing hard for a takeover of the judiciary’s public counsel service, but he’s spicing up what is basically a good government message by raising ethical concerns about […]
Public defender ethics
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: Mass. rail projects to cash in again?
Florida Gov. Rick Scott decided on Wednesday that he couldn’t be bothered to use the $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail stimulus funds to build a link from Orlando to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Mulligan, Heffernan bid for Probation
Video highlights from “A New Path for Probation” As the top administrative judge and Gov. Deval Patrick’s public safety secretary each made their pitch to oversee the state’s troubled probation […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: IOU health care
There is no end to the constant drumbeat of health care as a public policy issue and a private dilemma. Yesterday, the well-respected Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation released a first-of-its-kind report […]
Posted inPolitics
Chuck Turner’s one unwelcomed arrest
Former Boston city councilor Chuck Turner died on Christmas Day at age 79 after a long illness. He is being lauded by many for his decades of activism on behalf […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
The Download: Presidential campaign idol
The just-concluded Conservative Political Action Conference marks the unofficial start of the presidential campaign season, and the months ahead will be full of fundraising, speechifying and quiet outreach. That’s the […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Back Story
Lynch pushes for public option
Don’t get Back Story? Sign up here. Congressional Republicans saw their sweeping midterm gains as a mandate to roll back the nation’s sweeping new health care reform package. After staging […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Download: Deval’s road map
increased crime in the region, says a Cape Cod Times editorial.
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: Tier drops
Today’s Boston Globe and WBUR’s Martha Bebinger report on cost-conscious employers queuing up to purchase health plans that have tiered or limited networks that require subscribers to seek care from […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Probation report calls for reforms
The SJC Task Force on Hiring in the Judicial Branch released a report with recommendations for reforming the Probation Department.  Click here to read the full report.
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
The Download: Redistricting – there’s an app for that
Why is meeting with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation the first order of business for Beacon Hill’s point men on redistricting, Rep. Michael Moran and Sen. Stanley Rosenberg? Massachusetts Republican Party […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download, Transportation
The Download: Green Line delays
Right-wing budget hawks in Congress could hold the planned Green Line extension hostage. That’s the terrifying vision state transportation secretary Jeff Mullan raised yesterday. Amid a day filled with talk […]
Posted inPolitics
Rebate records withheld by state
Second in a series of occasional articles on rulings issued by the Secretary of State’s office concerning appeals of public records requests filed with public agencies. The Great Appliance Exchange […]
Posted inThe Back Story, Uncategorized
Money machine keeps humming
A controversial real estate transfer fee collected by the Boston Redevelopment Authority has won a reprieve from the federal government. The Federal Housing Finance Agency issued a proposed rule this […]
Posted inEducation
High-stakes test for Gateway Cities
What can be done to close the achievement gap in the state’s Gateway Cities, the mid-sized urban centers that are home to so many of the students who sit at […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download
The Download: Cash for credits
The US Tax Court is making it easier to turn tax credits into cash. Travis Blais, a Mintz Levin tax attorney, issued an alert about a recent decision that he […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
The Download: The politics of snow removal
With four major storms under the region’s collective belt and area snowfall totals poised to break the Shaq-o-meter, state lawmakers and municipal officials are bringing increased attention to snow removal […]
Posted inEducation
Tiger mother lessons
Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother has set off a frenzied national debate that shows little sign of letting up.  The Yale law professor’s memoir of her no-nonsense approach to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Transportation
Cracks in T tie suit
Newly filed court documents indicate the MBTA agreed to pare back a warranty on concrete railroad ties it purchased in 1994 and now could be left holding the bag for […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Grossman moving money
Don’t get Back Story? Sign up here. On the campaign trail, Steve Grossman’s stated desire to run the Treasury as an activist invited frequent barbs from his Republican opponent. Grossman […]