Beyond the core MBTA service area, regional transit agencies and smaller transit providers play a critical role in the health of the communities they serve.
As we invest in the T, don’t ignore vital role of regional transportation authorities
Posted inTransportation
Power issue knocks out morning service on Blue, Green, Orange lines
T stations opened fare gates on all four major subway lines for the evening rush hour Thursday as a sort of apology to riders who earlier that day faced delays and darkened platforms when power problems rolled across the Blue, Green and Orange Lines.
Posted inEducation
Riley stepping down as state education commissioner
State education commissioner Jeff Riley, who often sought to find common ground in the polarized world of education debates and steered schools through the unprecedented COVID crisis that shuttered classrooms across the state, will leave his post next month after six years as the state’s top official overseeing K-12 schools.
Posted inThe Codcast
Is #mapoli breaking up? (Live)
This Valentine’s week, on a special joint recording of The Horse Race and The Codcast, co-hosts Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith ask the burning question: is #mapoli breaking up? They’re joined by a crew of #mapoli veterans – Chris Oates, CEO of Legislata; State Auditor Diana DiZoglio; Kristen Halbert of Black Lion Strategies; Alex Goldstein, CEO of 90 West communications; and GBH News state house reporter Katie Lannan – to discuss how social media has impacted political communications over the past decade and a half, and what the declining political Twittersphere means for the future.
Posted inPolitics
What does #mapoli mean?
For years, Massachusetts had one of the most active state political universes on Twitter. Times – and the social media landscape – have changed. Legislative usage is down, usage of […]
Posted inGovernment
Drop in office values, caused by remote work, is ‘eroding’ Boston’s tax base, report says
Boston could be facing a huge revenue hole over the next five years if it doesn’t respond to the cratering value of office buildings from the rise of remote work, according to a new report.
Posted inHousing
Milton thumbs its nose at MBTA zoning law
According to unofficial results posted by the town clerk shortly after 10 p.m., the vote was 5,115 to 4,356 – or 54-46 percent — to reject the zoning plan.
Posted inImmigration
Report sees shifts in immigrant demographics
According to a new report, their countries of origin have shifted, many more end up residing outside the city, and well over half are landing in good-paying jobs.
Posted inHealth Care
Uncertainty swirling around Steward, state ramps up monitoring
State officials will ramp up monitoring of the safety-net hospitals owned by troubled Steward Health Care, which was revealed last month to be in grave financial distress with the fate of its many facilities in limbo.
Posted inGovernment
How did we become such snowflakes about snowstorms? Blame NYC mayor.
Baby boomers still revel in sharing tales of the Blizzard of ‘78. This generation of snowflakes will be left to recount how they endured the Dusting of ‘24.
Posted inOpinion
Primary care in Mass. needs major overhaul
Primary care is a cornerstone of medicine, but the current system in our state is failing both patients and primary care clinicians.
Posted inEnergy
Eversource exits wind business, reports massive loss
The company reported a fourth quarter 2023 loss of $1.288 billion and a full-year 2023 loss of $442 million. In 2022 for those same time periods, Eversource reported earnings of $320 million and $1.4 billion, respectively.
Posted inCourts
Courts preparing to give restorative justice a try
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM has a well-founded reputation for focusing on punishing offenders, but the Massachusetts court system is preparing to launch a three-year experiment this spring utilizing an approach […]
Posted inHousing
Is a motel room affordable housing? This city is arguing yes.
In a case that shows the lengths communities will go to stop a housing project from getting built, Methuen officials are trying to leverage the state’s use of a Days Inn motel as an emergency shelter for homeless families to block a development proposal to build 300 units of rental housing on parcel straddling its border with Dracut.
Posted inEnergy
The case for saving Everett LNG terminal
Now that the Mystic power plant is shutting down, the fear of electricity shortages dissipating, the Everett terminal is being pitched as a hedge against a possible shortage of natural gas for home heating and cooking.
Posted inOpinion
Healey initiatives at cross-purposes on farmland
The Farmland Action Plan is important and long overdue, but the subsequent budget language that puts even more pressure on farms is working at cross purposes against that initiative. Massachusetts ranks 47th in the country for agricultural production, so there isn’t very far to go to hit rock bottom.
Posted inTransportation
Healey laying groundwork for new MBTA revenues
“I’m not going to comment on hypotheticals until I see things,” Healey said, referring to the task force report. “But what I’ll say is that I think as governor I have not been afraid to take this head-on and this administration is not going to be about kicking the can down the road, which frankly is what happened for far too long – years, decades.”
Posted inThe Codcast
New tools for development in Boston
In the past few years, Boston has been reshaping the institutions it uses to guide the city’s growth. This week on the Codcast, Arthur Jemison, Boston’s Chief of Planning and Director of the Boston Planning and Development Agency, talks to CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith about these changes, how they fit into a broader vision for Boston’s development, and how they incorporate community involvement in that vision.
Posted inHousing
Boston development retool looms with planning shuffle ordinance
Gears are in motion for one of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s showpiece campaign promises – with a new ordinance filed that would move BPDA operations largely into a city planning department.
Posted inOpinion
Taking on the free community college critics
“Universally free” is a clear message. Clear messages are effective. Remember that the Legislature and the Healey administration made school meals universally free for a similar reason — it’s a barrier buster.