Thanks to the furor over proposed increases to highway tolls, transportation issues are again front and center in Massachusetts. For context, visit our archived transportation stories from CommonWealth magazine. Of […]
Transportation topics from the gas tax to the state of the MBTA
Posted inEducation, The Download
Going to college doesn’t mean finishing college
Most graduates of Boston public schools go on to college. Unfortunately, most of them never get degrees, according a story by James Vaznis in today’s Boston Globe: The Class of […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
The latest scoop on road salt
Monday, November 17, 2008 The Brockton Enterprise has the South Shore angle on the rising cost of road salt. One town has apparently seen the wisdom of buying in bulk: […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
State planning more belt-tightening
The Patrick administration is telling executive branch agencies they should prepare for an 8 percent spending cut in fiscal 2010, which starts next July. One source told me that Leslie […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Same old transportation story
Though there were some fresh faces on hand at Wednesday evening’s Our Transportation Future/MOVE Massachusetts forum, like Mayor Kim Driscoll of Salem, the most striking feature of any statewide transportation […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Piecemeal toll hike
Gov. Deval Patrick says he wants to consolidate the state’s transportation agencies under one unified command, but he is preparing to pay for the services those agencies provide on a […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Malden takes top honors from people who don’t seem to have ever been there
My hometown of Malden has been named the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by BusinessWeek magazine, which calls the city "racially diverse, relatively affordable, and well-connected." The […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Holyoke
Thursday, November 13, 2008 A tale of two valleys: Can Holyoke tap the college-town prosperity of its neighbors?By Melissa DaPonte KatzFall 2006
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Lawrence
Broken homes: The housing bubble was built on reckless lending, and cities such as Brockton and Lawrence are paying the heaviest price.By Michael Jonas Lawrence’s mill makeover gets a second […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Lowell
Thursday, November 13, 2008 Urban re-renewal: Downtowns in Lowell and Worcester are emerging as places to live and play inBy Shaun SutnerGrowth and Development Extra 2006
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
New Bedford
City back in same old patternBy Steve UrbonStandard-Times, May 3, 2009Not everyone on the South Coast is getting into trainingBy Gabrielle GurleyCommonWealth, Spring 2008 Still working on the railroad: funding […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Pittsfield
Thursday, November 13, 2008 Second act: Can the arts bring Pittsfield back to life?By B.J. RocheGrowth and Development Extra 2006
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Springfield
Thursday, November 13, 2008 In Springfield, middle rank on development ‘deal breakers’ is taken as good newsBy Melissa DaPonte KatzCommonWealth, Summer 2006 Under control? Nearly bankrupt, Springfield struggles under outside […]
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Worcester
Urban re-renewal: Downtowns in Lowell and Worcester are emerging as places to live and play inBy Shaun SutnerCommonWealth, Growth and Development Extra 2006 Whither Worcester? Some look to a change […]
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Fall River
Not everyone on the South Coast is getting into trainingBy Gabrielle GurleyCommonWealth, Spring 2008 Still working on the railroad: funding fuzzy for South Coast railBy Gabrielle GurleyCommonWealth, Summer 2007 Bright […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Gateway Cities
Visit the Gateway Cities Project home page at MassINC. Broken homes: The housing bubble was built on reckless lending, and cities such as Brockton and Lawrence are paying the heaviest […]
Posted inPolitics
Cos and effect: Did Bill Cosby pave the way for Obama’s election?
While there was all sorts of talk before last week’s election about a potential “Bradley effect,” a much lower vote for Barack Obama than might be expected based on pre-election […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Torkildsen on his way out as state GOP chair
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 Today comes the official word. The writing on the wall came with last week’s drubbing.
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Gateway Cities rally for state income tax
This time it wasn't at all close: Last week Massachusetts voters rejected a proposal to eliminate the income tax by more than a 2-to-1 margin. Only 30 percent voted "yes", […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Download
Paul Krugman half agrees with the Massachusetts Republican Party
Well, the liberal New York Times columnist agrees with national and state Republicans that, in an ideal world, states would not raise taxes in an economic downturn. But I don’t […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
When it rains bad news for cities and towns, it pours bad news…
Stateline.org reports that the salt used to cover snow-covered roads is much more expensive this year, adding to the woes of state and local governments already trying to do more […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Cardinal O’Malley’s fuzzy math
In an interview in today’s Boston Globe, Cardinal Sean O’Malley suggests that Catholic voters in Massachusetts turned against Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004 because of his pro-choice stand […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Municipal mind meld?
We’ve already heard about the undoubtedly doomed idea to merge the state’s Attleboros. Now the Globe’s Brian MacQuarrie reports that the North Shore towns of Hamilton and Wenham are considering […]
Posted inThe Download, Uncategorized
Red ink at publisher of community newspapers
From the Boston Business Journal:GateHouse Media Inc., publisher of a number of Bay State newspapers, said Friday it lost $18.5 million in the third quarter, bringing its year to date […]