The MBTA wanted criminal charges to be filed against a man who tried to drive his car off the roof of the MBTA’s Alewife Garage in February, but a judge on Monday dismissed the case prior to arraignment.
Case dismissed in MBTA Alewife Garage crash
Posted inTransportation
Healey: T will ‘take care of business’ in short term, TBD on revenues
Bringing the MBTA up to state of good repair comes with a hefty price tag – $24.5 billion, according to a stunning announcement in mid-November – but Gov. Maura Healey says she’s confident in the agency’s assessment that riders won’t need to wait for an allocation of that size to see improvements.Â
Posted inEnergy
Boston unveils new electricity supply rates
The city of Boston unveiled new, higher rates on Monday for the electricity being offered through its municipal aggregation plan, but the pricing was still below what most other suppliers are charging.
Posted inThe Codcast
Building a safety culture in Massachusetts healthcare
This week, Paul Hattis and John McDonough of Health or Consequences are joined by Barbara Fain, executive director of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety. They discuss the state of knowledge around medical care errors, as well as ongoing efforts to respond to and reduce it.
Posted inHealth Care
Lehman Center chief: System doesn’t prioritize patient safety
Tens of thousands of people are harmed every year in Massachusetts due to preventable medical errors, according to Barbara Fain, head of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety.
Posted inState Government
Digging into fine print of salary range legislation
Different versions of the salary range bill have passed the House and Senate. If the bill becomes law, Massachusetts would join a small cohort of states with pay transparency rules, including Maryland, Colorado, Connecticut, Nevada, California, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington.Â
Posted inOpinion
WeWork’s Boston diversity success story
WeWork made headlines for many things during our time working to center inclusion and belonging in its Boston and Cambridge spaces. We wish that just one of the stories you heard was about the remarkable change that was made possible by effective leaders working in powerful partnerships to open our city and connect people.
Posted inOpinion
Scrapping the state’s liquor license law makes economic sense
Massachusetts is considered a liberal progressive state. It needs to get rid of repressive and regressive liquor laws that impose tight state control over drinking with meals.Â
Posted inOpinion
Career path crumbling for mental health clinicians
In recent years, as reimbursement rates fell further behind, outpatient clinics lost staff to acute and psychiatric hospitals, primary care practices, schools, and state agencies. These settings can offer significantly better salaries, benefits, and work-life balance. They have become the proverbial greener pastures that not everyone can afford to resist.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Study finds Boston shoplifting rates up from pre-pandemic levels
With Black Friday signaling the arrival of the holiday shopping season, a new report says shoplifting rates in Boston are up compared to levels before the pandemic, though the city has avoided the spike in retail theft that several major US cities have experienced.Â
Posted inOpinion
At Eversource, we’re shifting our approach to EJ communities
Eversource is quite literally developing a roadmap for successfully achieving a clean energy future in Massachusetts, and as we look at this huge undertaking holistically, we recognize that every voice deserves to be heard and lived experience recognized so that we can maximize the benefits of clean energy for all customers and prioritize the EJCs that have been historically left behind.
Posted inTransportation
What commuter rail ridership gains mean for Boston
RIDERSHIP ON THE MBTA’s commuter rail system continues to rebound strongly, providing an interesting data point in the debate over whether Boston in the post-COVID era will face an office […]
Posted inState Government
Spilka, Senate exit Musk’s X
The Mass. Senate and President Karen Spilka joined a growing exodus Tuesday from X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that has reportedly been shedding advertisers and users amid owner Elon Musk’s endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Posted inState Government
DiZoglio claims to have signatures for ballot question to audit Legislature
State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s ballot initiative asking voters to weigh in on auditing the Legislature appeared to clear a significant hurdle on Tuesday, when she said the campaign gathered more than the number of signatures required.
Posted inOpinion
Chambers warn state on spending, accountability
THE DRASTIC INCREASE he drastic increase in government spending over the past five years is a growing concern for our future competitiveness and may detrimentally impact the long-term fiscal health of Massachusetts. Â
Posted inPolitics
John Walsh was the ultimate grass-roots disruptorÂ
The most enduring impact of John Walsh was felt outside the headlines, where he reshaped how campaigns were waged and brought countless young people into the political fold with an encouraging message about their own ability and their potential to make a difference.
Posted inOpinion
Emergency insulin should be the law
I am a varsity softball player, a goalie for my soccer team, and I regularly hike and stay active, but without insulin, I would die, likely within weeks, or even days.
Posted inGovernment
Wu intrigued by universal basic income program
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says she backs the concept of universal basic income. What she doesn’t want is another limited pilot like the ones that have spread across the country.
Posted inImmigration
Transportation building tapped as temporary emergency shelter
More than a week after the Healey administration began placing shelter-seeking families on a waitlist, officials announced Monday that they will use part of the MBTA’s headquarters to temporarily house eligible families for whom no space is available.
Posted inThe Codcast
On ranked choice, Mass Fiscal looks back and gears up
Ranked-choice voting and rent control will not be on the 2024 ballot in Massachusetts, but supporters are still pushing the policies in the legislature and locally. This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon’s Jennifer Smith is joined by Paul Craney and Jennifer Braceras of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance to discuss their opposition to both issues.
Posted inPolitics
Mass Fiscal takes stock of past, future ballot Qs
Leaders of the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance weigh in on ballot questions that were recently scuttled as well as those may be heading to the 2024 ballot.