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, […]
The big bet
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 […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
No holy alliance
The Democratic Party and Catholics enjoyed a long and fruitful marriage in Massachusetts. These days the commitment is more frayed than any political union this side of John and Elizabeth […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Worcester Regional Airport: back from the brink … again?
By Gabrielle Gurley Worcester has its share of municipal headaches, but by this summer city officials will have one less: Worcester Regional Airport. Under the transportation reforms signed into law […]
Posted inHealth Care
John McDonough on health care’s milestone
John McDonough helped bring guaranteed insurance coverage to all Massachusetts children in the 1990s as House chairman of the Legislature’s health care committee. As director of the advocacy group Health […]
Posted inPolitics
Cahill makes his pitch
State Treasurer Tim Cahill, looking to ignite his independent run for governor, is trying to grab onto some successful recent models of populism by invoking Bill Clinton’s mantra on the […]
Posted inPolitics
Free speech dust-up in Southborough
UPDATE: In the story below, I incorrectly wrote the Southborough Board of Selectmen sent a third letter to Susan Fitzgerald demanding she reveal the identity of one of the posters […]
Posted inEconomy
Reversal of fortune
House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s plan to bring casinos and racinos to the state looks on its face to be facing long odds — if the only casino vote on record […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Board games at MassDOT
By Gabrielle Gurley How long will the charade of trying to schedule the Massachusetts Transportation Department’s board of directors to appear before the Joint Transportation Committee continue? Indefinitely, it seems. […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Crazy like a fox? Christy Mihos’s big RMV idea
By Gabrielle Gurley With all eyes on the big dogs in the governor’s race, the underdog can afford to go out on a limb. Christy Mihos, who is challenging Charles […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
Carr and Braude sing the same tune
By Bruce Mohl Howie Carr and Jim Braude are about as far apart on the political spectrum as you can get, but both of them are singing the same song […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
DeLeo’s gambling proposal
I’ve now been Speaker for more than a year. It has certainly been a year of challenge, not only for those of us in government but for our citizens, as […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion, Politics
Menino’s fifth-term agenda
Fifty-nine days into a new term, we enter the most challenging of seasons. It’s budget time in Boston. Typically, the decisions we make in the next few months set us […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
DeLeo goes all in — with a story to tell
HE DIDN’T REPRISE Senate President Therese Murray’s one-word policy pronouncement when she spoke before the same group last year and declared, in response to a question about bringing casinos to […]
Posted inUncategorized
CW on Broadside
CommonWealth magazine editor Bruce Mohl joined Jim Braude on Broadside on Thursday on New England Cable News to talk about the three-way tug of war over the state’s probation service. […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
HEFA backs Murray bill
There has been much written and said about HEFA in the last year, and unfortunately far too little of it has been accurate. In fact, none of the publicity captured […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Economy
Decision time for film tax credit
Beacon Hill lawmakers, who probably spent more than $300 million over the last four years trying to lure Hollywood filmmakers to Massachusetts, took a brief intermission today to consider whether […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Probation officials oppose takeover, say ‘patronage works’
Top Massachusetts probation officials today urged lawmakers to reject a Patrick administration proposal that would move their agency out of the judicial branch of government and into the executive branch, […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Merge MassDevelopment with HEFA
Each and every MassDevelopment employee puts the highest priority on increasing employment in Massachusetts. Improving the coordination and the efficiency of economic development efforts are goals worthy of the highest […]
Posted inPolitics
Carr takes on probation
CommonWealth senior investigative reporter Jack Sullivan will be on the Howie Carr Show on WRKO (AM 680) on Monday at 6:08 p.m. to talk about patronage at the state probation […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
“Underemployment rate” in Mass. in double digits
The 2009 “underemployment rate” for Massachusetts, which includes those who have given up looking for work, and those working only part-time, was at 14.5 percent, according to new data from […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Fly the bipartisan skies
By Bruce Mohl Washington may be paralyzed by political partisanship, but our state’s Democratic and Republican senators seem to be getting along reasonably well. In Boston today to accept a […]