Did the prospect of dealing with Al Sharpton prove to be the catalyst that propelled the Cambridge Police Department, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, and Harvard University professor Henry Louis […]
Did Al Sharpton save the Cambridge Police Department?
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The facts on tax credits and movie star salaries
In commenting on a recent post about Gov. Deval Patrick's efforts to cap how much of a movie star's salary would qualify for the state's film tax credit, reader Donald McGlaughlin said […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Can Gateway City innovations close the achievement gap?
Last month MassINC released a major research report examining changes in public education in the 15 years following passage of the landmark 1993 Education Reform Act. The report’s findings and […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Boston Globe goes hunting for bad comments about Goodwill
Today's Boston Globe story on a Goodwill second-hand store opening in one of Boston's trendier neighborhoods promises more than it can deliver. Here are the headlines: With thrift store coming, […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, The Download
For community colleges, Obama offers a lifeline — and a challenge
It was great to see Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson give attention in his Saturday column to President Obama's announcement last week of a $12 billion initiative to support US […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Spending priorities: Zoos vs. movies
Gov. Deval Patrick wants to cut funding for the state's zoos by $4 million this year, but he's willing to spend far more than that on a single movie that […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Laboy is persona non grata on Lawrence school lunch trucks
For elected officials, there doesn't seem to be much of a downside to slapping their names on anything that will stay still. But the head of public schools in Lawrence […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
“Eds and meds” sector bucks national job loss trend
Friday, July 17, 2009 New state-level employment data for June 2009 are out today. Compared with June 2008, total jobs are down in 49 states — all except North Dakota.But […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Franklin Park Zoo gets starring role
The Franklin Park Zoo, locked in a funding struggle with the Patrick administration, is going Hollywood to raise money. A movie starring Kevin James as a zookeeper who talks to […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Uncategorized
Tip, Ronnie, and Tricky Dick walk into a bar…
What would Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill think about competing against the likes of Richard Nixon and Franklin Roosevelt? We'll never know, but only one of the unlikely trio […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Murray: Repeal of film tax credit would be a mistake
Senate President Therese Murray says “liberal tax policy people” in Massachusetts are waging a campaign to repeal the state’s film tax credit, but she says that would be a big […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Charter school lesson: money talks
Dangle $5 billion in the air and people pay attention. Gov. Deval Patrick shook up the state's education landscape today with the announcement that he's filing legislation to double the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
Three strikes in two states
Juxtaposition of the day: The Massachusetts Legislature considers "Melissa's Bill," a three-strikes-you're-out law targeting violent criminals, as reported in the Patriot Ledger. And National Public Radio reports that three-strikes laws […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Patriots, StubHub end legal battle
By Colman Herman and Bruce Mohl The New England Patriots and the online ticket marketplace StubHub Inc. have ended their bitter and costly legal battle over ticket resales. The two […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Mass. population rebounds, but Berkshires and Cape Cod continue to slide
Earlier this month, the Census Bureau released estimates for city and town populations as of July 2008, and there are some clear regional patterns in the Bay State, as the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Surprising talk from Charlie Baker about taxes (in 2001)
In 2001, in recognition of CommonWealth's fifth anniversary, we rolled out an issue of the magazine that featured lists of 5's. Heading up our "5 People Who Made A Difference" […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The insanity of state government
When the Washington Post's Neil Peirce wonders if state government is "obsolete," he's not echoing Carla Howell. Instead, he worries that gubernatorial "theatrics" (think Palin, Sanford, Blagojevich, etc.) and legislative […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Jobs picture in Fall River going from bad to worse
The news that Silver Line Building Products is closing its Fall River plant is a body blow to a region already suffering from the worst employment picture in the state. […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Don’t bet on a three-way race, Deval
I side with Wayne Woodlief over Howie Carr on the question of whether a independent gubernatorial campaign by Tim Cahill helps or hurts incumbent Deval Patrick in next year's general […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Florida may bring direct democracy to planning/zoning process
Sun Belt states have long been considered friendly to developers — especially compared with states like Massachusetts, where environmentalists and neighborhood groups often have the power to kill projects outright. […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The recession’s latest victim: campaign finance innovation
Al Franken isn't the only news in Minnesota politics. One of the Gopher State's more innovative approaches to good government — giving citizens refunds of up to $50 for political donations, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Will Cahill emulate Schwarzenegger or Finneran?
Independence Day weekend saw Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin skip out on her job, state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg come out of the closet, and state Treasurer Tim Cahill drop out of […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Reviews vary on film tax credit report
The Department of Revenue's report on the state's film tax credit is generating wildly different reviews. The Boston Herald headlined its story "Follywood", and the Boston Globe said the report indicated […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
Take the Red Line to….Chinatown?
Harvard economist Ed Glaeser offers a thought-provoking argument in today's Globe that rational planning should dictate that we focus transit spending in densely populated urban areas and not get taken […]