Mass Transit Misery Loves Company Dept.: Montreal's version of the MBTA has been given the seemingly impossible command to cut its budget by $40 million without reducing service. The Montreal Gazette notes ridership […]
Le MBTA n’est pas seulement
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Burrito shop saves Downtown Crossing!
I guess you work with the downtown development that you have, not the downtown development that you wish you had. From today's Boston Globe: Mayor Thomas M. Menino strolled part of the […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, The Download
Chatham and Harwich rekindle 49-year-old mating dance
The towns of Chatham and Harwich have received a $25,000 grant from the state to explore the possibility of merging their two school systems, reports Alan Pollock of the Cape […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
“Pork” on Capitol Hill, perks on Beacon Hill
Both the federal government and the Massachusetts government are facing huge budget shortfalls, but they apparently offer radically different examples of supposedly wasteful spending. In Washington, the devil is in "earmarks"; […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Teachers on the other side of the desk
As an English teacher at Bedford High, Chris Zellner’s days, theoretically, are all about literature. But it’s rare that he has a chance to discuss a text with anyone who […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Haverhill City Council prefers to live at-large
Haverhill gets into the debate over at-large versus district city councilors, but change doesn't seem to be in the air. The Eagle-Tribune's Shawn Regan reports that most of the current nine at-large […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Historic mill on the chopping block in New Bedford
New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang wants to tear down the 187,000-square-foot Fairhaven Mills building, but local preservationists aren't convinced. According to SouthCoastToday.com's Joe Cohen, a developer interested in the site […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
State tax credits likened to confidential grants
A top Patrick administration official told lawmakers today that a budget provision requiring greater public disclosure by recipients of state tax credits is "the first step in the direction of accountability and transparency." David […]
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When in Paris, film as the Parisians do
In December, France joined the long list of states and countries to look at Hollywood and see dollar (and Euro) signs. But in adopting a tax credit for the film […]
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Michael Jonas: Web-exclusive columns
October 30, 2009School facts not friendly to Menino, but that’s not the biggest problem October 7, 2009Galluccio road show growing tired September 29, 2009Flaherty/Yoon team-up throws the Mayor-for-Life a curve […]
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Perspectives
November 6, 2009Grabauskas on the D’Alessandro Report: It goes beyond the news that “the T is still broke” November 5, 2009Will creativity gild the road to growth in Gateway City […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Argument for “21st-century skills” lacking in critical thinking
The first thing to know about the debate over "21st-century skills" that has gripped the state's education circles is that it has nothing to do with 21st-century skills. That's because no one disputes […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Orthopaedic surgeons warn of orthopaedic surgeon shortage
Here's something else to worry about in terms of health care: According to two new studies presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), […]
Posted inThe Download, Transportation
MBTA’s Silver Line: The exception that proves the rule
There's been much rejoicing (of the weary, cautious, hesitant variety) over the planned extension of the Green Line to West Medford. But Streetsblog has an interview with Walter Hook, director […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Bluestone and Pollack’s defense of gas tax hike doesn’t add up
In today's Boston Globe, Barry Bluestone and Stephanie Pollack write that a 19-cent increase in the state gasoline tax will save Massachusetts residents money, reaching a very different conclusion than I did in […]
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Say goodbye to Hollywood, maybe
Don’t get too ho-hum about seeing movie stars stroll our streets. After losing film business to Massachusetts and other states that offer generous tax credits to producers, California is fighting […]
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Tax Foundation gives middling grade to Massachusetts
The Tax Foundation today released its 2009 rankings of the states on 38 different tax-and-spend issues. Massachusetts has the 5th highest annual state-and-local tax burden per capita ($5,377 in FY2008), but that's […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Would a gas tax hike really save you money?
Gov. Deval Patrick implied last week that Massachusetts drivers could save money in the long run if the state gasoline tax was increased by 19 cents, but don't bet on […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
No contest in Los Angeles mayor’s race
We're still waiting to see whether Boston will have its first competitive mayoral election since 1993, but it appears that the political season is already a dud for Los Angeles […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Rooftop garden pioneer takes key USDA post
Another Bay Stater heads to Washington: Tufts professor Kathleen Merrigan has been tapped for the No. 2 slot at the US Department of Agriculture. Appropos of yesterday's posts on urban […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Bay State dentists reveal their agenda
Browsing through the state's year-end Political Action Reports, I was surprised to see both the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) PAC and the affiliated Massachusetts Dental Society Peoples Committee in the […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Won’t know much about history?
The state's Department of Elementary and Secondary Education voted this morning to delay adding history to MCAS exams, which Massachusetts students are required to pass in order to graduate from high school. […]
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Hungry for a public market in Boston
The Globe floats the idea of a genuine public market for Boston (but in its Saturday edition, so you may have missed it). City officials want to site it alongside […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Green opportunities for Gateway Cities
Will vacant land end up saving the economies of Lawrence and New Bedford? Catherine Tumber writes in the Boston Review that smaller cities that were once industrial centers (such as the Gateway […]