“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.”
Aloisi comes to defense of Tibbits-Nutt
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.
Posted inHealth Care
Could consumer representation on hospital boards have prevented Steward problem?
On The Codcast, Donahue reflected on the history of health planning councils in conversation with hosts Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute and John McDonough of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Posted inPolitics
The shadowy think tank fighting Boston City Hall
The nonprofit’s refusal to make public its sources of funding – coupled with the not altogether happy history one of its founders shares with Mayor Wu – has prompted whispers of grudge-settling and rumors of who could be behind the effort.
Posted inOpinion
Redefining who gets a seat at the table
Instead of tinkering around the edges of admissions policies, elite colleges need to completely rethink what it means to be prepared for success.
Posted inEnergy
3 New York wind farms scrapped
The three wind farms proposed for the coast off New York were all tied to a plan by GE Vernova to start producing giant 18-megawatt turbines at a facility on the Hudson River to be subsidized by the state.
Posted inOpinion
Time to prioritize out-of-school learning
Every young person deserves to have access to after-school and summer programs because school alone is no longer sufficient for closing opportunity and achievement gaps.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: Something Fish-y, civics swipe, charter fall
Rep. John Rogers apparently never talked to officials at Mass General Brigham, but he said in a Facebook post on April 11 that he did talk to Gov. Maura Healey, Medical Properties Trust, and “members of the MGB board of directors who love the Norwood project and want the deal done.”
Posted inOpinion
Unitarians turn empty office space into shelter
With all the public and private resources invested in office space and commercial development in the past generation, yet high vacancy rates forecasted for the foreseeable future, surely there can be more creative uses for spaces like ours to meet this moment.
Posted inTransportation
Transportation secretary gives ‘unfiltered’ take on challenges
The secretary said speeding is a problem on Massachusetts roadways because law enforcement officials aren’t writing enough citations.
Posted inState Government
As state leans in on artificial intelligence, AG Campbell waves a yellow flag
Attorney General Andrea Campbell says AI has tremendous potential, but warns it has “shown to pose serious risks to consumers, including bias, lack of transparency or explainability, implications for data privacy, and more.”
Posted inOpinion
Taking a break from health care
Despite its many challenges, Massachusetts health care remains the best in the world. It has the best institutions, the best thinkers, and the best government leaders.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Half of state residents support legalizing teachers’ strikes
State leaders do not seem inclined to change state law to legalize teachers’ strike, but half of Massachusetts residents favor such a move compared with 34 percent who are opposed to a change.
Posted inRace/Racism
Antisemetic incidents surge in New England
Rabbi Ron Fish, ADL New England’s interim region director, called the data “simply stunning.”
Posted inOpinion
City Year is now on the Common App
What do City Year AmeriCorps members learn? Among the most important and lasting lessons is leadership. It’s the confidence that they possess what it takes to lead others and the perseverance to solve problems. It’s often an invaluable self-realization of their potential.
Posted inMarijuana
After long delay, cannabis social equity fund starts up
The Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund was signed into law in 2022 to steer a portion of marijuana tax revenues to “entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement.” The fund sat empty for many months, largely because of the way the law was drafted.
Posted inHousing
In Milton dispute, AG Campbell will work with the town, but ‘the state trumps’
Only two towns – Milton and Holden – are considered “non-compliant” by the state, with Milton the only town to deliberately blow past its deadline to submit a zoning plan earlier this year.