on the path to keeping kids in college, Northeastern University has so far met with considerable success — and encountered a few big surprises. Foundation Year, an NU pilot program […]
Northeastern program aims to keep students past their first year
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
New England’s major airports moving to taxi out of the recession
as the economy slowly starts to recover, three of New England’s busiest airports are well-positioned for strong, complementary growth. Boston’s Logan International Airport is already posting passenger gains. T.F. Green […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Galvin gets less secretive about tax credit recipients
secretary of state William Galvin is starting to lift the veil of secrecy surrounding his management of the state’s historic rehabilitation tax credit program, which provides financial incentives for developers […]
Posted inHealth Care
Misdiagnosis
it’s one thing to use five-star ratings to rank restaurants and movies, but is it possible to rate nursing homes the same way? The federal government thinks it is. Just […]
Posted inPolitics
Hidden treasure
A sense of awe envelops Nancy Powell as she waxes eloquently about The Birds of America, a multi-volume set of John James Audubon’s hand-painted prints of life-size images of 435 […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Education
Boarding school behind bars
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Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
Patrick probation proposal not included in House budget plan
By Bruce Mohl The House budget plan is not expected to include Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to move the state’s probation service out of the judiciary and into the executive […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
Judge denies injunction
Gov. Deval Patrick scored a major election-year victory today when a judge denied a plea by Massachusetts health insurers for a temporary injunction against a cap Patrick ordered on premium […]
Posted inEducation
Contract a sign of things to come?
If teacher effectiveness has become the watchword of efforts to turn around failing schools, Washington, D.C., has been ground zero for this battle. The city’s reform-minded superintendent, Michelle Rhee, hasn’t minced […]
Posted inTransportation
T to spend millions replacing ties
The debt-ridden MBTA will spend tens of millions of dollars and disrupt South Shore commuter rail service over the next two years to replace nearly 150,000 defective concrete ties that […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download
Transparency provision defeated
By Bruce Mohl The Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed an overhaul of the state’s economic development agencies, but rejected by a 21-13 vote a measure that would have required greater public […]
Posted inEducation
The new paradigm on bullying
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Posted inPolitics
The squeaky wheel
Christy Mihos needs to attract the support of 15 percent of the delegates to next week’s Republican State Convention, but he doesn’t seem to be interested in currying favor with […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Duquette’s ticket absurdity
By Bruce Mohl The ethics charges against former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette, detailed in today’s Boston Globe, highlight once again the absurdity of the state’s ticket resale law. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Regulatory change?
Gov. Deval Patrick is trying to rein in the cost of health insurance by stepping up state regulation of insurers and health providers, but he took the opposite approach two […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Yin and yang
By Bruce Mohl The Boston Globe and the Herald cover the same city, but sometimes you’d never know if from reading the respective newspapers. Today, for example, the two papers […]
Posted inEconomy
Hedging the bet
Like most games of chance, the numbers looked too good to be true. And now it looks like they were. At the unveiling Thursday of House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s gaming […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
DeLeo’s “jobs” bill
Let me be very clear: The legislation I’m proposing to you today is a jobs bill. It creates a new sector of our economy that will create jobs and help […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion, Politics
Federal health reform good for Massachusetts
The most obvious question in the wake of federal health reform is a simple one: how will it affect Massachusetts? Whether you are talking about yourself, your business or the […]
Posted inUncategorized
The big bet
If the “conservative” estimates by House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s casino bill hold up, Massachusetts would quickly be giving Las Vegas a run for its money. According to the speaker’s calculations, […]
Posted inEconomy
Bidding war continues
Six companies looking for state aid in return for staying or expanding in Massachusetts were awarded nearly $27 million in tax credits today. Liberty Mutual Group, the state’s lone Fortune […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion, Politics
Economic development reform bill missing key transparency provisions
Senate President Therese Murray’s economic development bill scheduled for debate this Thursday includes a number of smart ideas. Topping the list are proposals to make state economic development spending more effective […]
Posted inUncategorized
What’s the “next stop” for public transit in the United States?
The growth and development of the nation’s public transportation systems may soon reach a screeching halt. If crumbling infrastructure, mounting debt, and painful service cuts aren’t evidence enough, the administrators […]