The Phoenix's David Bernstein notes that Boston Mayor Tom Menino is doing very well among late contributors: I was fascinated to see that Tom Menino just had a banner fortnight […]
Last-minute bets in the Boston mayoral race
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Massachusetts not so great this year, say public planners
Massachusetts was shut out of the American Planning Association's annual "Great Places" list, released earlier this month. But city and town planners don't have to go far to find inspiration, […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Can South Coast Rail qualify for stimulus funding?
Securing funds to offset the some of the costs associated with the $1.9 billion South Coast Rail project would be a significant coup not only for southeastern Massachusetts, but also […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers cagy on how they use expense stipends
massachusetts lawmakers receive a $600 monthly stipend for expenses, even though nearly all of their needs, including office supplies, stationery, postage, and telephone service, are paid out of other legislative […]
Posted inPolitics
Greenway gets Bloomberg boost
One of the biggest financial supporters of Boston’s newest park, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, is a New Yorker. In its recently released annual report, the Greenway Conservancy, the park’s […]
Posted inEconomy
Foreclosure limbo continues for retiree in Dorchester
the good news for Helen Williams is that two years after receiving an initial foreclosure notice, she hasn’t lost her house. The bad news is that she still doesn’t know […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Carpentry apprentices help nonprofits get real-world training
for david leonhardi, a union’s effort to increase its community service offerings has helped enhance his teaching. Leonhardi is an instructor at the New England Regional Council of Carpenters’ training […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Towns offer space to keep popular RMV branches open
cities and towns across the Commonwealth are making the state an offer it can’t refuse: Free or low-cost public space for Registry of Motor Vehicles branches. To save $1.7 million […]
Posted inUncategorized
Census trends
next year’s us Census promises more drama than usual, thanks to some recent demographic twists resulting from the economic crash of 2008. For example, the latest estimates have the state […]
Posted inEducation
Graduate gap
by one measure, Massachusetts is easily the most educated state in the United States. Among our residents over 25 years old, 37.9 percent had at least a bachelor’s degree in […]
Posted inPolitics
Municipal workforces
just about every community in the Bay State is trying to make do with less, but there are huge differences in the sizes of their municipal payrolls in relation to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Expanding our horizons
like everyone else in the news business, we here at CommonWealth are trying to figure out a way to cover the news and cover our costs. Thanks to generous grants […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Study: Older drivers good, but not good enough for 25% discount
New Massachusetts insurance data indicate that drivers over 65 are relatively low risks behind the wheel but probably not deserving of the full 25 percent auto insurance discount they receive […]
Posted inUncategorized
Second chances
INTRO TEXT three years ago, Dan Ladd of Lincoln closed up a real estate law practice and went back to school. Faced with a slow business climate and a desire […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
The last man standing
Jeffrey Mullan is out walking his dog in the fading summer twilight. I see him as I drive down a street in Milton and pull over to say hi. It’s […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Why some Boston voters may be holding their noses at the polls
The timing of today's indictment of two former Boston firefighters, including the infamous "disabled" bodybuilder, Albert Arroyo, and one civilian department employee on various charges related to bogus disability claims […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Fact-check: The Menino-Flaherty debate
What follows is an attempt to fact-check some of the claims and charges of Mayor Thomas Menino and City Councilor Michael Flaherty Jr. during their hour-long debate at the Kennedy […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Menino still in pole position
Today's Boston Globe offers mostly very good news for Mayor Tom Menino, who holds a commanding lead over challenger Michael Flaherty in a new Globe poll with just over three […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, The Download
Willie Horton Doctrine guides Bay State governors
Micheal Blanding writes in this week's Boston Globe Magazine that "The Long Shadow of Willie Horton" has put an end to the commutation of prison sentences in Massachusetts, regardless of […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
State of the unions
”Governor Patrick, Anti-Labor.” ”Governor Patrick, Anti-Public Safety.” That was the 411 from Arlington and Medford police officers lined up more than 200 strong in front of Arlington’s Town Hall in […]
Posted inPolitics
Missed opportunity
INTRO TEXT In the wake of the indictments of former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, a State House under siege by a fed-up public recently […]
Posted inPolitics
SFI filings
There are nearly 4,900 elected and appointed state and county officials required to file annual Statements of Financial Interest (SFI), and all public employees at all levels are subject to […]