Lots of sizzle, but not much steak. That's the best way to describe the narrow focus by legislative leaders and Gov. Deval Patrick on a pension perk that has been […]
Punting on pension reform
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Head Count
Population change by town, 2007-08 and 2000-08 July 14, 2009 April unemployment rate by Mass. city and townMay 26, 2009March unemployment rate by Mass. city and townApril 21, 2009 Primary […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Patrick “boxed in” on his 2010 re-election strategy?
State House News Service's Jim O'Sullivan has a succinct forecast of gubernatorial politics over the next 18 months (subscription required for full story): Gov. Deval Patrick's sharp words last week […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
Looking for government savings from the homeless and carless
On Friday the Boston Herald reported on "an expanding state program handing out donated cars to welfare recipients with state-funded insurance and AAA memberships" — and on efforts by Republican […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Proposed taxes unlikely to solve transportation crisis
The transportation reform debate has gone quiet since the hand-wringing over the wider fiscal crisis pushed state government’s most troubled sector out of the headlines. But expect "reform before revenue" […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Rennie forum seeks help for special ed students before, during, and after high school
There is no dearth of studies or reports on special education in Massachusetts. It is an issue and a service that everyone agrees is a mandate that must be met […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Ryan is top baby name in Mass. and nowhere else
Bay Staters insist that Ryan is the best name for a newborn boy, but the rest of the country is "meh" about the moniker. The Social Security Administration has posted […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
‘Reform before revenue’ claims another TeamTrans victim
In a predictable coda to the Mother of All Traffic Jams, Massachusetts Turnpike Executive Director Alan LeBovidge politely told Gov. Deval Patrick to take this job and shove it."Given today’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
Southern NE, Hawaii have fewest gun victims
The Violence Policy Center yesterday released a ranking of the states by frequency of deaths by firearms. The gun control group concludes states with tougher laws against firearms, such as […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Galvin sitting on development tax credits
Secretary of State William Galvin is sitting on millions of dollars in tax credits designed to spur the economic development of historic buildings across the state. Despite the severe economic […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
The Commonwealth of Tweet
Marshall McLuhan famously said that the medium is the message, but with social-networking sites the opposite seems to be true. Last night, at a MassINC forum examining the recession’s effect […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Grist for a higher meals tax?
It's axiomatic that people eat out less often during a recession, but restaurant meals may not be such a bad value in Boston. According to the latest Consumer Price Index, […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
New Bedford heading south again?
Steve Urbon of the Standard-Times has a succinct but awfully bleak assessment of how New Bedford is doing in the current recession. Opening sentence:Unemployment has hung like a dark cloud […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Fitchburg
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 In Fitchburg, an arts pilot school takes off but may hit turbulence By Gabrielle GurleySpring 2006
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Brockton
Requiem for a heavyweight: In Massachusetts city famous for shoes, a loss of soul By Sam Allis Boston Globe, April 26, 2009 Broken homes: The housing bubble was built on […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Menino happy to debate, have root canal
Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who did all he could to avoid head-to-head sessions with opponents in past races, said today he'll agree to three debates with his challengers, and he acted like […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Globe pension ‘scoop’ is old news in the pages of CommonWealth
The Boston Globe, which teed up a story on its front-page yesterday on the generous, early pensions being granted to ex-lawmakers who choose to leave office, suggested it has uncovered the latest outrage in series of […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Nobody wants too many restaurants
It's a familiar pattern in Boston: A neighborhood becomes gentrified (i.e., safe and attractive), raising hopes that stores selling things like books and household necessities will move in. But instead […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
How “sweating the small stuff” adds up big in urban schools
Good manners, perseverance, and a firm handshake aren't enough to put poor children on track to success in high school, college, and beyond. But they seem consistently to be essential ingredients in the small number […]
Posted inArts and Culture, The Download, Uncategorized
Innovation at 10
If necessity is indeed the mother of invention, an economic meltdown should spark lots of new ideas – some good, some so-so, some the sort you’re embarrassed to admit you […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
More health coverage doesn’t necessarily mean more doctors
One challenge in extending health care coverage is that there may not be enough primary-care doctors to see new patients, according to Robert Pear in the New York Times. Massachusetts […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
“ArchitectureBoston” covers Gateway Cities
ArchitectureBoston, the quarterly published by the Boston Society of Architects, devotes its Summer 2009 issue to one of MassINC's favorite topics, the 11 Gateway Cities of Massachusetts. As editor Elizabeth […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
What do Bostonians think about their neighbors?
The Boston Public Health Commission has just released Health of Boston 2009, a hefty report on all manner of things affecting the well-being of residents, including environmental conditions, access to […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
MassINC is proud to be your “pure voice of gloom”
"Urban Writer" Jim Miara thinks I may be trying too hard to put a bad spin on the news that fewer people are moving out of Massachusetts: Sometimes the glass […]