The coverage in the press gave a misleading picture of the school finance decision handed down by Judge Margot Botsford in April. The judge did not say that the state […]
A court decision on school financing is a chance to revisitand improveeducation reform
Posted inUncategorized
Letters
I want to congratulate David Ropeik for his insightful story about the state of health care media coverage in America (“Fear factor,” CW, Health Care Extra 2004). As a freelance […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
The Big Dig gave birth to a business association that redefined civic leadership
By the beginning of summer, the last remnants of the elevated Central Artery were being taken down, the green steel superstructure that walled off the financial district from the waterfront […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Counterpoint
Eric Kriss’s description of public employee unions as monopolies that are sucking resources from cities and towns is more than an unfair attack on the hard-working men and women of […]
Posted inHealth Care
The state gets a drug benefit
INTRO TEXT While many senior citizens are still trying to figure out whether they’ll come out ahead under the complicated Medicare prescription drug benefit passed by Congress, the new law […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Springfield discovers that bailout comes at a high price
INTRO TEXT In the drama that was the city of Springfield’s attempt to avoid going broke this spring, the theme on Beacon Hill turned out to be less helping hand […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
Lawmakers trade Sagamore flyover for Fall River-New Bedford commuter rail
INTRO TEXT When Gov. Mitt Romney laid out a policy for better coordination of transportation projects across the state, this was not what he had in mind. This spring, a […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
CommonWealth Forum totes up assets and opportunities
INTRO TEXT “Asset inequality” is a major reason why African-Americans continue to lag behind white Americans in terms of homeownership and education, agreed several speakers at the latest CommonWealth forum, […]
Posted inEconomy
Business is booming at security expo
INTRO TEXT Whether the Democratic National Convention will be an economic boon or bust for the city of Boston is still a matter of dispute. But for one rapidly growing […]
Posted inEconomy
Technology upgrade
On a sunny April morning, three dozen people drift into a sterile white conference room at the University of Phoenix job-training center in Westborough and collect in small groups, making […]
Posted inEconomy
Offshore leave
The 4th Congressional District, represented by 12-term Democrat Barney Frank, snakes its way from the pricey Boston suburbs of Newton and Wellesley more than 50 miles south to the blue-collar […]
Posted inEducation
Flunking out
What do we do about them?Julie Holly, a Winchendon mom, has put out Snickerdoodles and croissants, muffins and chocolate chip bread. Four other moms are seated around the table, but […]
Posted inPolitics
Bay State Nation
Read responses to this article. When the first President Bush ran for re-election in 1992, he cautioned the electorate against voting for a governor from Arkansas. “We do not want […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Environment
The fatal Mill River flood was distressingly predictable
In the Shadow of the Dam: The Aftermath of the Mill River Flood of 1874By Elizabeth M. SharpeFree Press, New York, 304 pages. Although floods still rank as major killers […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Environment
The cleanup of Boston Harbor was surprisingly triumphant
Political Waters: The Long, Dirty, Contentious, Incredibly Expensive but Eventually Triumphant History of Boston Harbor—A Unique Environmental Success StoryBy Eric Jay DolinUniversity of Massachusetts Press, Amherst, 356 pages. At a […]
Posted inEconomy
Who profits from federal spending
The Big Dig notwithstanding, Massachusetts is one of the biggest losers in the tax-and-spend game run by the federal government. According to the Washington, DC-based Tax Foundation, in fiscal year […]
Posted inPolitics
A Woburn native battles the Bowling Alone phenomenon
Many people at one time or another have read a book or article so engaging and compelling they vowed that once they finished it, they would get up and do […]
Posted inPolitics
No-party animals
Source: Elections Division, Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office (www.sec.state.ma.us)As of February, 49.8 percent of Massachusetts voters were unenrolled in any party—a slight drop from the February 2000 high point of […]
Posted inPolitics
Outbreak of democracy
For the first time in its history, Boston is about to play host for one of the great spectacles of partisan politics, a national party convention. How fitting that this […]
Posted inEconomy
Public officials and business leaders put on a fullcourt press to save Bay State military bases
The nation is engaged in a tenuous campaign to rebuild and democratize Iraq. In Afghanistan, US soldiers continue to hunt for Al Qaeda terrorists. But back in Washington, the military […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Septic-tank rules cloud the real estate market in Orleans
ORLEANS—Twenty years ago, Augusta McKusick could step outside of her home on Ares Pond in Orleans and dig up as many clams as she liked. But no more. “They’re not […]
Posted inHealth Care
A patient weighs the costs of the health care wars
A survivor emerges from his health care warswithout answers I am named after my maternal grandfather, the medical examiner and sole doctor in a small Minnesota town. He died before […]
Posted inHealth Care
A doctor discovers the values of old-fashioned treatment
In caring for the elderly, low-tech can be cutting edge There are several ways to mark your way through Dorchester, Boston’s largest neighborhood. Savin Hill to Fields Corner to Codman […]