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 […]
Decision time for film tax credit
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 […]
Posted inEducation
Boston superintendent on hot seat
Boston Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson said today she is “distressed” by the way teachers are evaluated in the city, but couldn’t explain why evaluations aren’t being conducted regularly as required […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Economy
Would you fund movies or environmental programs?
Back-to-back State House press conferences today showcased the type of choices Gov. Deval Patrick and state lawmakers have to make as they strive to balance the Massachusetts budget. At the […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
James Aloisi talks up VMT, parking fees
By Gabrielle Gurley Most of the revenue-generating remedies for the state’s ailing transportation networks are “feasible,” “viable” and “doable.” Problem is they aren’t getting done. Which brings us to former […]
Posted inUncategorized
Tough review for Boston teacher evaluation
A new study reported on the front page of yesterday’s Boston Globe echoes the findings of CommonWealth’s Fall 2009 cover story , which reported that teacher evaluations in Boston, as […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker, green groups discuss climate change
Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker, who’s taken a lot of shots lately for his stance on climate change, sat down with a group of environmentalists today for a wide-ranging discussion. […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Jobs must be our focus
This is an important piece of legislation, and I’m proud to have filed it with my colleague, Senator Karen Spilka. It’s important because it addresses our most pressing concern right […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
The Monitor’s web-first approach
Nearly one year after the newspaper presses stopped rolling at The Christian Science Monitor, editor John Yemma continues to fine-tune the 102-year-old international news outlet’s transformation from a daily into […]
Posted inPolitics
All in the family
Stephen P. Anzalone Jr. is living proof that the state’s probation service is family friendly. When Anzalone was appointed a probation officer in 2007, he was set to join his […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Stop Bay State subsidies for Hollywood moguls
It’s time to pull our heads out of the popcorn buckets. With 310,000 jobless residents, Massachusetts can’t afford to waste any more public resources on subsidies for Hollywood moguls. The […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
No funds for Open Meeting Law enforcement
By Bruce Mohl No one, it appears, is policing public officials to make sure they comply with the state’s Open Meeting Law. Attorney General Martha Coakley, in a presentation to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
The tug-of-war over probation
The Massachusetts probation service, a treasure trove of nearly 2,200 state jobs, is at the center of a three-way tug of war between the governor, the judiciary, and the Legislature. […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Smart growth setback in Kingston
A housing developer has thrown in the towel on a 100-acre project in a “smart growth” district in Kingston, saying that the cost of litigation (particularly lawsuits filed by property […]
Posted inHealth Care
Can we afford universal health care?
The honeymoon for Massachusetts’ pioneering health care law is over as two gubernatorial candidates say they would pull the plug on the four-year-old mandate. The leading contenders for the corner […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
New York Times tweaks Scott Brown on federal stimulus
Newly elected Republican Sen. Scott Brown has a unflattering cameo in yesterday’s New York Times article by David Leonhardt on the effects of last year’s federal stimulus package: The logical […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
News cuts tilt coverage toward upscale
It is now widely recognized that daily newspapers, amid the upheaval that is occurring in the journalism business, have been cutting back on the origination of serious news coverage. What […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Brian McGrory goes soft
By Michael Jonas Did Brian McGrory send any signals that he’d give Lawrence Mayor — and state Rep. — Willie Lantigua kid-gloves treatment in order to secure what McGrory boasts […]
Posted inHealth Care
Patrick vows ‘soft cap’ on health premium hikes
Echoing President Obama’s call to shore up small businesses, Gov. Deval Patrick says he is instituting a “soft cap” on health care premium hikes at companies with fewer than 50 […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Not enough money in politics?
The American Prospect’s Mark Schmitt has a counterintuitive take on the Citizens United ruling that has supposedly “opened the floodgates” for corporate money in American politics. He worries about not […]