Gov. Charlie Baker’s list of essential businesses that can remain open for the next two weeks is a statement about what’s important in our society. Medical facilities and the people who […]
Economy
Posted inEconomy
Those on margins will bear brunt of virus toll
WHILE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC seems certain to extend its reach to all corners of the globe, its impact will not be felt evenly. Those on society’s margins and lower economic rungs […]
Posted inThe Download
Those on margins will bear brunt of virus toll
While the coronavirus pandemic seems certain to extend its reach to all corners of the globe, its impact will not be felt evenly. Those on society’s margins and lower economic […]
Posted inEconomy
An economy put in a ‘medically-induced coma’
THE ECONOMIC CONVULSIONS from the coronavirus pandemic are unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. We’re not being blindsided by an unwelcome economic downturn; we have decided to set one in motion. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Boston construction grinds to halt
IN THE LATEST chapter in the near-total shutdown of the region, Mayor Marty Walsh announced that all construction projects in Boston would be halted as part of the all-out effort to […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker announces statewide school closing, other sweeping restrictions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN THE MOST dramatic escalation yet of the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Charlie Baker on Sunday announced that all Massachusetts public schools must […]
Posted inEconomy
Advocates push for boost in welfare payments
FOR EIGHT YEARS, April Jennison was on and off welfare benefits, receiving a $491 grant each month to sustain herself and her daughter while living in Wareham, a small town […]
Posted inEconomy
Let’s make workers’ comp work
FOR MORE THAN 100 years, injured workers in Massachusetts have been parties to the “grand bargain” known as workers’ compensation. On the one hand, employers bear responsibility for providing insurance to […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Opinion
The net zero imperative for Suffolk Downs
THE CITY OF BOSTON is considering whether to approve 10.5 million square feet of new housing and commercial building at the former Suffolk Downs racetrack in East Boston. The project […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Markey has been there for TSA workers
DURING THE GOVERNMENT shutdown of December 2018, as politicians in Washington sparred over border security funding, TSA workers in Massachusetts went weeks without a paycheck. Our officers were unjustly treated […]
Posted inEconomy
Goodbye, Columbia Gas
LEONEL RONDON, THE 18-YEAR-OLD KILLED in the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, can never be brought back, but other customers of Columbia Gas say they will rest more safely with the news […]
Posted inThe Download
Goodbye, Columbia Gas
Leonel Rondon, the 18-year-old killed in the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, can never be brought back, but other customers of Columbia Gas say they will rest more safely with the […]
Posted inEconomy
Taco showdown will show Boston’s true colors
There’s enough out there today about the Democrats’ ongoing circular firing squad, the Globe’s flip-flop on Elizabeth Warren, and the coronavirus that might be coming for us all. Let’s turn […]
Posted inThe Download
Taco showdown will show Boston’s true colors
There’s enough out there today about the Democrats’ ongoing circular firing squad, the Globe’s flip-flop on Elizabeth Warren, and the coronavirus that might be coming for us all. Let’s turn […]
Posted inEconomy
Backers coalesce behind real estate tax bill
LAWMAKERS AND HOUSING ADVOCATES are starting to coalesce behind a new proposal that would allow municipalities the local option to assess a tax of up to 2 percent on real estate transactions […]
Posted inEconomy
Upcoming tax debate awkward for GOP
As the House prepares to debate new funding sources for transportation, Massachusetts Republicans find themselves in an awkward situation. They generally oppose raising taxes, particularly the gas tax, but the […]
Posted inEconomy
Trump move threatens Mass. maritime economy
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is trying to circumvent an almost century-old law that protects our national security, creates well-paying, blue-collar jobs, and ensures safe working conditions for merchant mariners. This is […]
Posted inEducation
Harvard picks Tishman Speyer for Allston phase 1
HARVARD UNIVERSITY selected Tishman Speyer and celebrated architect Jeanne Gang to develop and design the initial 14 acres of an enterprise research campus along Western Avenue across from the business […]
Posted inEconomy
Income tax rate returning to 1985 level
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER says the state’s individual income tax rate will drop to 5 percent at the beginning of next year, ending a two-decades-long march back to the level it was at in 1985. The income tax […]
Posted inEconomy
Vaping ban ends with mixed results
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE PUBLIC HEALTH officials acknowledged that they still do not know what is causing lung injuries and illnesses among some people who vape, and reiterated that […]
Posted inOpinion
Building connectedness with star power
FOR A COUPLE OF DECADES, planners, environmentalists, and housing advocates have been singing the praises of transit oriented development (TOD) because mixed-use development by public transportation is good for the […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
Baker wants to sell Hynes, expand BCEC
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is reviving the idea of expanding the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston’s Seaport and wants permission to sell the Hynes Convention […]
Posted inEconomy
Following Lynch scandal, zoning review may not be enough
BOSTON MAYOR Marty Walsh is launching a review of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeal after a Boston Planning and Development Agency official agreed to plead guilty to accepting a […]
Posted inEconomy
Mass. businesses paid $180 million by border patrol agency
LAST WEEK’S WALKOUT by workers at Boston-based Wayfair put a spotlight on the issue of businesses contracting to provide goods to detention facilities on the US-Mexican border. But the online retailer’s sale of $200,000 of bedroom furniture to […]