Dan O’Connell, MassDevelopment board member and former secretary of housing and economic development under Gov. Deval Patrick, will step in as interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a new leader.
Rivera steps down at MassDevelopment
Posted inTransportation
Political notebook: Tibbits-Nutt silence | cannabis chief resurfaces | Southie rep race
The former head of the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation told the MBTA board of directors on Thursday that a political coalition is needed to tackle the T’s problems, but the natural leader of such an effort, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, who stirred controversy with recent comments about ways to raise revenue, was conspicuously silent during the meeting.
Posted inOpinion
Look what other states are doing on transportation funding
Decades of underinvestment in public transportation has not only left us with crumbling infrastructure and excessive greenhouse gas emissions, it’s also contributing to poor health outcomes. In fact, Springfield, Worcester, and Boston are among the 100 worst cities in the country for asthma rates.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Suffolk DA Hayden fined $5,000 for ethics violation from 2022 campaign
Suffolk DA Kevin improperly used his office to undercut his election opponent, Ricardo Arroyo, in the 2022 Democratic primary, the state Ethics Commission ruled.
Posted inTransportation
MBTA extends Keolis commuter rail contract again
Keolis Commuter Services was originally hired in 2014 and is currently operating under a four-year extension that ends on June 30, 2026. The latest extension, which would run through the end of June 2027, would give Keolis an extra $5 million a year over the next three years on top of the roughly $365 million annual fee the company already collects.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Mass. residents don’t support hemp THC loopholes
Those who say they have used or purchased marijuana are slightly more likely to support the sale of the hemp-based products outside of the dispensary system, but more say they still want it to be limited to dispensaries. A substantial majority – 65 percent of respondents – said that legalizing marijuana broadly was the right thing to do in the state.
Posted inImmigration
Senate, House cut deal on emergency shelter funding
Top lawmakers crafting the compromise supplemental budget bill landed on pulling an additional $251 million for fiscal 2024 from the so-called Transitional Escrow Account, a one-time revenue source that boasts a balance of $863 million.
Posted inOpinion
Should Mass. allow supervised injection sites?
Legislation has been filed to authorize “safe injection sites” in Massachusetts. They can lower overdose rates, but there’s little evidence that they help stem the larger opioid crisis.
Posted inHousing
Milton asking state to restore its grant funding
The Milton Select Board voted 3-2 Tuesday night to send letters to Gov. Maura Healey and other officials asking them to reverse course and restore state grants that were cut off because of the municipality’s noncompliance.
Posted inEnvironment
When young people think about the climate, despair follows
A new Earth Month poll of middle school and high schoolers across the country found that 72 percent of poll respondents say climate change is already impacting their lives – with 30 percent saying it already has a major impact and 42 percent saying a minor impact – and 53 percent believe it will be a major problem over the course of their lives.
Posted inPolitics
Calling Warren too partisan, Cain launches US Senate campaign
“There’s essentially a market opportunity here to provide new thinking, new perspective, and new energy in the United States Senate,” Cain said.
Posted inHealth Care
Steward has its doctors over a barrel in Optum deal
If the Optum purchase moves forward, Steward will directly transfer the previous provider agreements to Optum without an opportunity for physicians to negotiate a new deal, despite an entirely new corporate change-over.
Posted inOpinion
UMass comings and goings reflect impact of immigrants
UMass leaders are living proof of the incredible impact immigrants make on some of our most important institutions.
Posted inTransportation
Tibbits-Nutt’s remarks rile transportation task force
Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, the chair of the task force, told the group that the task force is looking at tolls along the state’s borders, a hike in the payroll tax, and new fees on Uber and Lyft rides and package deliveries. But Rooney said none of those issues had been discussed previously within the task force.
Posted inTransportation
Aloisi comes to defense of Tibbits-Nutt
“I understand why there’s a kerfuffle because I’ve been in that position,” said Aloisi, a former transportation secretary himself under Gov. Deval Patrick. “It did remind me a little bit of me.”
Posted inOpinion
Do local officials view us as ATM machines with feet?
Voters need to begin to make the connection between the people they elect and the policies that those officials implement.
Posted inTransportation
Senate president intrigued by border toll idea
“I do believe that we need to be creative about our funding. And I do believe that it needs to be fair, because I believe the toll system right now is not fair at all,” said Senate President Karen Spilka.
Posted inTransportation
Healey nixes Tibbits-Nutt border toll idea
“The Secretary’s comments do not represent the views of this administration, and to be clear, I am not proposing tolls at any border,” Healey said in the statement. “I have spoken to the Secretary and made that clear, and that I have confidence in her leadership moving forward in this important time as we work to ensure a strong and robust state transportation system.”
Posted inThe Codcast
The legacy of health care planning in Massachusetts
This week on The Codcast, Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute and John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health are joined by Charlie Donahue, executive director of the Health Planning Council of Greater Boston from 1981-88. They discuss the successes and failures of that organization, and whether a similar model could work today.