Gov. Patrick got into the swing of the recession yesterday, signing a law that costs nothing and will (maybe) make us feel better about not taking the Caribbean vacations we […]
1,000 great places to see before you die – on a budget
Posted inEducation, The Download
Skirting the grad rate challenge
A recent report highlighting the abysmally low college graduation rates of Boston public school graduates who go on to higher education ought to be a call to arms. Instead, some education […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
Surgeons should adopt “cockpit” checklists
Today's Boston Globe reports that "deaths and complications dropped by an astounding one-third" when doctors and nurses began using a "safety checklist" before surgery, according to a Harvard study. This shouldn't be surprising, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Democrats pull a “Finneran” in Tennessee House
Last week Sal DiMasi sailed to another term as Speaker of the Massachusetts House, but there was a far more interesting leadership vote in Nashville yesterday. Republicans outnumber Democrats 50-49 […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download, Transportation
Murray to Beacon Hill: No gas tax, at least not yet
The Massachusetts Senate drew a line in the sand today, vowing not to hike anyone's taxes or tolls until a massive consolidation of the state's transportation network is completed or at […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Pension perk for lawmakers may finally be curbed, but where’s the wholesale fix?
After disgraced former state senator Jim Marzilli recently sought a special state pension, the Boston Globe ran a follow-up story reporting that more than a dozen former lawmakers have taken advantage of a […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Jim Aloisi: Eyes wide shut
A friend of Jim Aloisi’s told him that he hoped the new secretary of transportation was going into his new position with his eyes wide open. “I’m better off if […]
Posted inHealth Care, The Download
NBC: Mass. health care reform aided by light touch of Legislature
NBC has declared the Bay State's health care reform law a success, mainly because the Legislature didn't micro-manage it. Chief science correspondent Robert Bazell explains in an online column that accompanies […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Politics, The Download
Greenway Conservancy scaling back
With public funding uncertain, the private group preparing to take over management of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is paring back its budget as well as its ambitious plans for the Big […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
State budget numbers are bad
The Patrick administration today lowered its revenue forecast for this fiscal year by a whopping $952 million and concluded there would be little or no budgetary improvement in the coming year. The […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Politicker dies, “iTunes” for news looms
Politicker MA, a website that covered state politics at a time when Beacon Hill coverage is steadily being reduced in both the broadcast and print media, apparently expired this weekend. (The […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Winter weather already causing financial sinkholes for cities and towns
Friday, January 9, 2009 Unfortunately, depleted snow removal budgets don't seem to be a harbinger of spring this year. Rather, they're starting to appear well before Martin Luther King Jr. […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Finneran’s pardon plea
Tom Finneran may have been the original captain of the Straight Talk Express, the guy who told it like it was and didn't hesitate to deliver unpopular news, especially to the special […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Public colleges still not making the grade
The Boston Globe's James Vanzis reports on the miserable graduation rates among former students of Boston public schools who attend public colleges. (Those who attend private colleges have much higher grad […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Putting automobile insurers in the driver’s seat
If you felt your automobile insurer ruled you at fault in an accident — a finding that usually leads to a sharp hike in your premium — would you rather file an […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Green mag touts Plymouth Rock Studios
Plymouth's recently approved movie studio is given the once-over by E magazine — not because of its economic benefits to Massachusetts but because of its "green" qualities: A few weeks […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Download
Asian longhorned beetles and their effects on Worcester brains
A few days ago I linked to a Boston Globe story suggesting that trees help relieve the mental stress of living in large cities. Unfortunately, the Daily Worcesteria reminds us that the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Patrick’s narrow ethics focus
Gov. Deval Patrick's task force on public integrity today unveiled legislation to toughen the state's ethics and lobbying laws, but it shied away from broader, more radical measures to address why corruption always […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Lather – Rinse – Repeat
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 […]
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 […]