The New England saying, “Wait five minutes and the weather will change,” goes doubly so for hurricanes. Hurricane Bill is a Category 4 storm, one that could pack a devastating […]
Oooh-no! A municipal wake-up call from Hurricane Bill
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
How Boston parks measure up
The Trust for Public Land has just released its 2009 City Park Facts, tallying acreage and spending devoted to public recreation in the 77 largest US cities. Boston comes off […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Iowa’s school year creeps into early August
The case against summer vacation seemed to get stronger last year, thanks to a study suggesting that the time off was a major factor in the continuing achievement gap between […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Gallup deems Massachusetts the most liberal and most Democratic state
Gallup's newest polls have self-identified Democrats outnumbering self-identified Republicans here by 34 points, the largest gap in the US. The percentage of respondents calling themselves "liberal" (29 percent) is also […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Energy costs plunge in Boston, restaurant costs show relatively small rise
According to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices fell by 3.4 percent in the Boston area in July, compared with July 2008. That's a sharper […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Fantastic MBTA voyages
There are fantasy baseball and football teams, so why not fantasy MBTA routes? The Future MBTA has posted ideas from readers for subway lines that will probably never be built […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Boston’s golf courses get liquor licenses on the cheap
Liquor licenses in Boston are scarce commodities that often sell for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, but the city’s two municipal golf courses have found a way […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
NPR maps economic indicators
National Public Radio's recently improved website includes three handy maps with county-by-county data on foreclosure rates, unemployment rates, and median household income. (One complaint: Even when you zoom in on […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service, The Download
Stimulating a Bristol County cleanup
Bristol County is receiving the largest infusion of total federal dollars ($162.4 million) outside Suffolk County ($323.2 million) according to a county-by-county breakdown of federal stimulus funds flowing to the […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Standardizing pre-school
Back-to-school shopping can mean many things: backpacks and notebooks for sure, but also the anxiety-producing process of choosing a school. When it comes to selecting a pre-school, some say a […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Sox strike out on open bars
Regulators say they plan to order the Boston Red Sox to stop offering an open bar as part of $1,000-and-up packages for some of Fenway Park’s most coveted seats. Daniel […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Slow housing growth in Mass., but better than Michigan
The Census Bureau has just released its newest estimates of housing units by state, and Massachusetts is pretty far down the list in terms of creating new homes. You can […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Humane Society chief lauds farm animal bill
By Wayne Pacelle This session, Commonwealth lawmakers are considering a bill that might seem a little unexpected at first blush: one introduced by Rep. Pam Richardson (D-Framingham) to prevent cruel […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
The Pottery Barn Rule of MBTA management
When Dan Grabauskas emerged from the initial two-hour plus MBTA Board of Directors executive session on Thursday, he looked like he’d been hit by a Silver Line bus. With the clock […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Gallup tags Bay State as most Democratic in US
According to a new Gallup poll on political party preferences, Massachusetts is the most lopsided state in the US, with respondents identifying with Democrats over Republicans by a 60-26 margin. […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The homeownership gap gets a new lease on life
The American Prospect's Kai Wright has a good rundown on how the foreclosure crisis has perpetuated the homeownership gap between whites and African-Americans:The housing boom proved to be just another […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
How the MBTA general manager wins friends and influences people
Newton Mayor David Cohen, chairman of the MBTA Advisory Board, is the latest public official to side with MBTA general manager Dan Grabauskas in the still-smoldering MBTA civil war.In a […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Where is Deval’s Valerie Jarrett?
Last Sunday's New York Times Magazine offers a fascinating glimpse into the Obama administration in the form of a profile of Valerie Jarrett, whose official title is senior adviser and […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Head games at the MBTA
Now that four MBTA board members have come out in support of embattled MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas, perhaps Gov. Deval Patrick should take a page out of President Barack […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Zoo story appalls Washingtonian who’s seen it all
The kerfuffle over state funding for the Franklin Park and Stone zoos — which reached a climax when zookeepers put a metaphorical knife to the throat of whichever animal you […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
To compete or not: That is the question
In our newly released summer issue of CommonWealth, I explore the issue of non-compete employment covenants, a multi-syllabic mouthful that can stop a Massachusetts worker from leaving Company A and […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Bay State tourism $ takes dive, but Brazil and Argentina send more visitors
The just-posted (even though it's dated as June) newsletter from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism has some grim numbers that help explain why Boston and other cities are […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
How to avoid tax increases: Pawn government buildings
Arizona legislators, desperate to avoid raising taxes, float the idea of selling government property — including legislative offices — and then renting the space from the new owners. The goal […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Tracking more trouble for Grabauskas
MBTA General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas has certainly had better weeks and the immediate future doesn't look like it's going to give him any relief. With heat over the looming […]