Tuesday's fourth and final oversight hearing on transportation finance dysfunction in the Bay State didn’t really offer up anything new. Yet five of the members of the Transportation Finance Commission […]
Lather – Rinse – Repeat
Posted inEducation, The Download
Charter schools shine in new study. Now what?
Exactly what will it take for state leaders to raise the cap on Massachusetts charter schools, which have thousands of students on waiting lists clamoring for a chance to escape […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Trees, and possibly trains, are good for your urban brain
This week’s Ideas section in the Boston Globe includes a must-read essay by Jonah Lehrer called “How the City Hurts Your Brain… And What You Can Do About It.” The […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service, The Download
Doing the right thing by right whales
“Mariners are urged to maintain a sharp lookout and use caution around right whales.” All you weather geeks out there will recognize that warning from the “voice” (OK, usually computer-generated) […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Partners HealthCare vs. the Globe
Talk about getting out in front of a story. On Sunday, the Boston Globe offered up the second installment of its Spotlight team series on the big-foot dominance of Partners […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Massachusetts ranks low on weather “death map”
Finally, some cheery holiday news for Massachusetts. New Scientist magazine reports today that Bay Staters are among the least likely in the US to die from extreme weather. A county-by-county […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Plan, plan, who’s got a plan?
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino joined the chorus of transportation stakeholders calling on the Patrick administration to get moving on a statewide comprehensive transportation reform plan. “A comprehensive plan must be […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Filene’s, World Trade Center projects get clotheslined by recession
Efforts to make Boston's Downtown Crossing into a 24-hour neighborhood got a setback this weekend when the developer of the former Filene's property announced the elimination of 166 condos (and […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
“Moving with delays” and the MBTA’s culture of contempt
I wish I'd heard the announcement at Alewife Station about signal problems during the morning rush. Instead, all I heard was “inaudible something [delays] mumble, mumble, mumble.” Delays are a […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
Capital gains freefall
More spending cuts and new taxes will probably be necessary as state officials awaken to the potential for a sharp downturn in capital gains tax revenues this fiscal year and next year. At […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
TIF makes no dif to Chelmsford’s budget woes
Thanks to the recession, cities and towns can no longer count on attracting employers with tax breaks. The Chelmsford Independent reports on the nasty surprise that confronted budget writers in […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Politics, The Download
Greenway gets $2 million bailout to prevent “blight”
Seeking to prevent blight in downtown Boston, an economic development agency is plugging a $2 million hole in the budget of a private group about to take over management of the Rose Fitzgerald […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
The Yellow Roads of Texas
Public-private partnerships are one way for states to secure funding for new transportation projects or to maintain existing roadways. But at this week’s transportation reform hearing, Secretary of Transportation Bernard […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Team Trans fumbles at transportation reform hearing
Don’t make Sen. Steven Baddour angry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. “It’s going to get a lot uglier. The Legislature is going to get a lot more aggressive,” […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Bob Woodward warns North Adams audience about “secret government”
Bob Woodward was in North Adams last night, and MassINC executive vice president John Schneider has an analysis: It’s a long way from Boston to the campus of the Mass. […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Where local aid cuts may fall the heaviest
As the Boston Globe reported yesterday, House Speaker Sal DiMasi is predicting a cut of 5 percent to 10 percent in local aid, or funds from Beacon Hill to city […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
Massachusetts welcomes California to its demographic nightmare
Things are so tough in Massachusetts that the closest thing I could find to good news today is a report that the biggest state in the US has many of […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
State funding for Greenway Conservancy shrinking
The private group preparing to take over management of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is going to have a lot less state money to do its job. Legislation passed earlier this […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Creedon leaves Senate, laments shrinkage of House
At times, Friday's session of the Massachusetts Senate seemed like a revival of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, as members offered tributes to four departing members: Edward Augustus of Worcester, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Markey, McGovern being pushed for Obama cabinet?
Gov. Deval Patrick insists he's staying put and is not interested in a Washington post, and John Kerry is turning to his new role as incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
The Bay State’s dangerous dependence on the capital gains tax
Plenty of Massachusetts residents have been hurting because of the stock market meltdown (ask everyone in your office to check their 401(k)s at the same time, and the cries of anguish […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
State lottery reports sales slump
This year's revenue from the state lottery is projected to fall 4 percent below last year's record take, State House News Service (subscription required) is reporting today. The $200 million decline is […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download
A bad year for Anthony’s Pier 4
Anthony's Pier 4 is having its woes this year, writes CommonWealth contibutor Colman Herman: The Boston Globe reported this week that the storied seafood restaurant has run-up $822,000 in delinquent taxes […]
Posted inArts and Culture, The Download, Uncategorized
Jacob’s Pillow, BSO, and MFA top NEA recipients in Massachusetts
The National Endowment for the Arts announced its first round of grants for fiscal year 2009 yesterday. Below, in descending order of grant amounts, are the Massachusetts recipients and the […]