There are 41 municipal electric companies scattered across Massachusetts that charge, on average, 21 percent less for their power than the four investor-owned utilities that serve the rest of the […]
41 munis, but no new ones since the 1920s
Posted inUncategorized
Saying sorry
Rick Boothman still thinks about a malpractice case he won 30 years ago. Fresh out of law school, Boothman represented a surgeon who had been sued by a former patient. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics
Attitude adjustment
After his family moved from Massachusetts to San Francisco in 2008, Will Anastas noticed a big change in his trash. The family of four went from producing five bags of […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The Shirley Sherrod he knew
By Michael Jonas It is a mild understatement to say there is plenty that initial media reports and the Obama administration had wrong about Shirley Sherrod. But the lessons involve more than just the unconscionable […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Mohl on Broadside with Jim Braude
Friday, July 23, 2010 Here is a link to CommonWealth editor Bruce Mohl’s appearance on Broadside to talk about the gambling impasse on Beacon Hill. The host of Broadside, a […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
In gambling showdown, greed is king
By Michael Jonas News that things are getting testy among legislators trying to reach agreement on an expanding gambling bill is hardly surprising. When it comes to jockeying for position in […]
Posted inEducation
A high-stakes education test
The controversy over federal education standards that the Massachusetts Board of Education approved this morning would be great material for an MCAS question that requires multilayered, critical thinking. That’s because […]
Posted inPolitics
Marshall retiring
Margaret Marshall, the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, stunned the worlds of law and politics by announcing that she plans to retire no later than the end […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics, Transportation
Shouting into the void
There’s a line from an episode of SuperNews, the satire cartoon on the cable network Current, which comes to mind whenever I talk about Twitter. The main character, frustrated with […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Grow the Greenway the right way
Public discussion about real estate development on parcels adjoining the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is being polarized by “debate” over the height and shadow impact of one proposal for one […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Fresh thoughts for the Greenway
Monday, July 19, 2010 By Michael Jonas What to do with Boston’s Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway? The question gets a fresh airing Tuesday night when the Boston Redevelopment Authority board […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Uncategorized
The unpredictable Scott Brown
By Gabrielle Gurley US Sen. Scott Brown continues to gain national prominence as Washington’s new go-to guy. All it takes these days is a letter from Brown to signal the […]
Posted inEconomy
Alcohol tax raises $97m, sales dip 1%
New sales taxes on alcoholic beverages raised $97 million over the last 10 months while beer, wine, and spirit consumption fell by 1 percent. The state raised its sales tax […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Neighborhood politics
By Michael Jonas What’s in a name? Plenty when it comes to Boston neighborhoods and local politics. Matt O’Malley, an earnest 30-year-old activist, was the first one out of the […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
Still Taxachusetts after all these years?
By Gabrielle Gurley Not exactly. Anti-tax activists won’t get any ammunition from the US Census Bureau for their tax rollback efforts. The bureau’s annual study of State and Local Government […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Economy
Crunch time for Massachusetts gambling debate
Massachusetts is on the brink of opening the door to expanded gambling. A conference committee of six legislators, three House members and three Senators, is working to reach agreement on […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Media to FTC: Drop dead
It comes as no surprise that the national media is painted as having a liberal slant: a Google search for the terms “liberal media” nets 990,000 results, and critics have […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
5-day furloughs, layoffs at courts
CORRECTION: This story has been changed to clarify who is covered by the court’s furlough program. The original story indicated judges, clerks, registers, chief probation officers, and managers would be […]
Posted inTransportation
Embattled railroad tie manufacturer fires back
In its first public comment, the Denver-based manufacturer being sued by the MBTA for selling defective concrete ties for South Shore commuter rail lines says it fully complied with the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
No quick action on probation, parole
By Bruce Mohl Oversight of the state’s probation department won’t be resolved any time soon under a budget agreement worked out by House and Senate negotiators. The budget proposal calls […]
Posted inPolitics
Mulligan: Probation undergoing change
The top administrator of the state’s court system is urging the Legislature to give him more oversight of the probation department’s employees and finances even as he is defending some […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
If I ruled the Globe
I don’t need to rule the whole planet—just the Globe. The Boston Globe, that is. As a former journalist, it’s a favorite parlor game among my media-savvy friends: What would […]
Posted inUncategorized
Courts planning layoffs, consolidations
In anticipation of a budget cut, the Massachusetts court system is preparing to lay off and furlough workers while merging district courts and shedding leased space. The House and Senate […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Ads and comments blend at the Globe
By Colman M. Herman Letting its ads creep into its content, the Boston Globe is trying to build a revenue stream from the comments its readers submit about online stories. […]