CommonWealth Beacon reported last week that Boston missed a 2021 self-imposed deadline to join FEMA’s Community Rating System program, which has cost residents and businesses at least $785,000 in total unnecessary flood insurance costs over the four years.
Boston City Council
Posted inState Government
Political Notebook: When a governor blowtorched a fascist and other tales
Those tales and others are detailed in a new book from Josh Cutler, a former Democratic lawmaker from Duxbury who joined Gov. Maura Healey’s administration earlier this year.
Posted inPolitics
Short takes: Wu, Kraft appearance creates some buzz
Rumors have swirled for months about who might challenge Michelle Wu in 2025, as she’s widely expected to run for reelection. Josh Kraft acknowledged in November he had been approached about running for mayor.
Posted inPolitics
Boston councilors approve budget after charged debate
AFTER MORE THAN two hours of debate, Boston city councilors approved a $3.61 billion budget for 2021, averting a showdown with Mayor Marty Walsh that some councilors deemed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Boston City Council bans use of facial recognition tech
THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL voted unanimously on Wednesday to prohibit the police department and other city agencies from using facial recognition technology or information derived from face surveillance systems. The […]
Posted inPolitics
Riding high on 1-vote win for City Council
JULIA MEJIA WASN’T “virtue signaling” or making any other big statement as she stepped on a Red Line car Wednesday morning at Ashmont Station. As is the case for thousands […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The life (and death) stories that drive Andrea Campbell
ANDREA CAMPBELL’S TWIN BROTHER Andre died seven years ago while awaiting trial in the custody of the state Department of Correction, and she says that has everything to do with […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: The life (and death) stories that drive Andrea Campbell
Andrea Campbell’s twin brother Andre died seven years ago while awaiting trial in the custody of the state Department of Correction, and she says that has everything to do with […]
Posted inEconomy
City council puts restraints on Airbnb
THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL overwhelmingly approved tough new restrictions on short-term rentals offered by companies such as Airbnb and HomeAway, eliminating investor-owned units from the marketplace while allowing owner-occupied, two- […]
Posted inPolitics
Political baby talk
IT BECAME A high-profile debate over open carry. But unlike the matter of openly flashing lethal weaponry while strolling through town, which people in some states regard as much ado […]
Posted inEconomy
Walsh pulls Airbnb proposal
JUST HOURS BEFORE the Boston City Council was set to vote – and likely reject – Mayor Marty Walsh’s proposed ordinance to regulate short-term rentals such as those listed on […]
Posted inPolitics
Boston city council races reflect change – and tradition
THEODORE H. WHITE WROTE many years ago that the life of a city is like a ballet. Anybody who has studied the American city, specifically the City of Boston, understands […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Millennium marches on
Millennium Partners on Wednesday moved one step closer to building its fourth ultra-luxury project in Boston’s downtown core when the City Council voted 10-3 to seek an exemption from a […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Criminal Justice, State House News Service
Pot supporters say ballot question about fairness
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS PROPONENTS GATHERED outside the State House Wednesday to urge support for marijuana legalization and condemn arguments against it as rooted in fear, opponents of a […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Math and spine test for Boston City Council
Boston’s city charter provides for a strong-mayor system of government. It may, in fact, be one of the strongest city executive structures in the country. That’s why the City Council […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Boston voters dropkick Murphy, oust Yancey
BOSTON VOTERS HEWED to the old adage that the only constant is change, voting out of office the two longest-serving members of the City Council. Longtime at-large councilor Steve Murphy is […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
Councilors go to jail to hear ideas on reducing recidivism
Some 100 people went to jail yesterday to learn how to keep inmates from returning there once they get out. In a Boston City Council first, a committee convened a […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Raising a stink at Boston City Council
Resolved: There is no good time and it never looks good for elected officials to propose and vote on their own raises. But, really, doesn’t City Councilor Bill Linehan, in rejecting […]
