INTRO TEXT In 2002, Michael Young was still a Midwesterner, earning his master’s degree in public administration at the University of Kansas. But in order to graduate, he needed to […]
Municipal governments use college internships to snag future employees
Posted inPolitics
Democrats and Republicans try to set the bar for this fall’s legislative elections
INTRO TEXT It has been billed as the biggest challenge to Democratic dominance on Beacon Hill in more than a decade. But after rolling out a field of 131 Republican […]
Posted inPolitics
Whither Worcester
If and when Worcester converts its municipal government from city manager to “strong mayor” rule—a change some hope will take place as early as next year—it will be easy to […]
Posted inPolitics
The connectors
WHEN 250 CHILDREN joined together to sing at the dedication of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge two years ago, it marked the first performance of what would go […]
Posted inPolitics
Half the battle
Some 50 percent of all Massachusetts voters will get to choose between Democratic and Republican candidates for state representative this fall, thanks to the “Team Reform” slate of GOP contenders […]
Posted inPolitics
Fox25 stakes a lonely claim on Beacon Hill
An ink-stained wretch no more, Joe Battenfeld wears a white T-shirt and dress pants as he walks through the Boston Common and up Beacon Street, carrying a camera-friendly suit jacket […]
Posted inPolitics
Field of battle
For the first time in more than a decade, voters in most Massachusetts communities will see a Republican candidate for state representative on their ballots this fall. (Also see State […]
Posted inEconomy
Split-level personality
In 1980, Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan, running against Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter, asked voters, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Note that he said “you,” […]
Posted inArts and Culture, Uncategorized
A new book of essays celebrates Boston without glossing over the citys weaknesses
The Good City: Writers Explore 21st-Century Boston Edited by Emily Hiestand and Ande Zellman Boston, Beacon Press, 175 pages. July’s Democratic National Convention did not, as it turned out, produce […]
Posted inPolitics
Republican congressional candidates try to get noticed by Bay State voters-and by their own party
Ken Chase is running for Congress, he says, to give voters a choice.”Fundamentally, there is a corruption of the process at the congressional level,” says the Medford native, who graduated […]
Posted inPolitics
Leverett still measures its campaign seasons in minutes not months
LEVERETT—It’s the only municipality in the US named Leverett, and residents of this small Massachusetts town like to think it’s unique. Leverett was one of the first places in the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Statistically Significant
Illustrations by Travis Foster Getting our Irish upHere’s another way in which Massachusetts is different from the rest of the nation. The US Census Bureau reported this summer that German […]
Posted inPolitics
All about the “other” other JFK
Multiple JFKs and other name games in Massachusetts politics When the Democrats convene in Boston’s FleetCenter to nominate US Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts for the presidency, the name […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
A court decision on school financing is a chance to revisitand improveeducation reform
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 […]
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 […]