Criticizing Democrats for inertia on job growth, Republican lawmakers today unveiled a package of proposals geared towards stimulating the economy and creating jobs in Massachusetts. “When we looked at the […]
State Government
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Lawyering up on Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill lawmakers are lawyering up as state and federal investigators probe hiring practices at the Massachusetts Probation Department. Campaign finance records indicate a number of lawmakers identified as frequent […]
Posted inPolitics
Dueling viewpoints on the Greenway
Secretary Davey’s letter to the Rose Fitzgerald Greenway Conservancy: Nancy Brennan, Executive DirectorRose Fitzgerald Greenway Conservancy 185 Kneeland Street, 7th Fl. Boston, MA 02111 Dear Nancy:Thank you for sending the […]
Posted inPolitics
Patrick backs social innovation financing
The Patrick administration said today it is pushing ahead with plans to use so-called social innovation financing to tackle chronic homelessness and reduce recidivism among juveniles transitioning out of the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Mass. Bar, judges push court funds
The state’s judges are lobbying Beacon Hill for more funding for the court system through an unusual collaboration with the Massachusetts Bar Association. The MBA, which represents attorneys who practice […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Caswell collects $425,000 severance
MassDevelopment agreed to make a $425,000 severance payment to Ben Caswell, a former employee who the Patrick administration once dubbed the “poster boy” for excessive salaries and perks at state […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
The puzzle at DCR
State Auditor Suzanne Bump says she is puzzled why it took so long for anyone in state government to notice the haphazard way the Department of Conservation and Recreation was […]
Posted inPolitics
Campaign not much of a contest
two years ago, we had stories showing the Bay State was dead last in the country for the number of contested races for the Legislature, with less than 17 percent […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
The Bonin story
it is no small irony that history, which is the study of the past, may also be the best pathway to understanding current events and anticipating the future. It is […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Freeloading
Wollaston Yacht Club in Quincy. Photo by Michael Manning.The 114-year-old Wollaston Yacht Club is a bit rundown these days, but its location has considerable appeal. Right on Wollaston Beach […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Back to the trenches
even in massachusetts, the bluest of blue states, labor unions are on the defensive. Union membership keeps slipping. High unemployment plagues unions in the private sector, while public-sector unions are […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
State checkbook
In December, state Treasurer Steven Grossman followed through on his campaign promise to put the state’s checkbook online at www.mass.gov/opencheckbook. After some fits and starts, the site is up and […]
Posted inPolitics
Murray: No calls, texts during 42-minute ride
Dear Friends, I want to thank all of you who have expressed your concern and support for me, my wife Tammy and our family, since my serious car accident in […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Checking the elephant for a pulse
Here in Massachusetts we have a sort-of democracy in which the Democratic Party wins most of the elections and the Republican Party contends only for the governorship or the rare […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Lt. Gov. to release black box data
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray today directed the State Police to release the data contained on the “black box” of the car he was driving the morning […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Legislature should pass ban on veal crates
This is a tale of two bills. The first one (H458/ S786) would ban the use of veal crates and gestation crates in Massachusetts. This is a modest step and […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Sales running slow for Lottery raffle
With 10 days to go, the Massachusetts Lottery has sold just a fifth of the tickets for a $10 million New Year’s Day raffle, which could mean millions of dollars […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Crosby named gambling chief
Press conference video via State House News Service: Gov. Deval Patrick today named Stephen Crosby, a veteran of Beacon Hill and the dean of a University of Massachusetts policy center, […]
Posted inPolitics
State hits Progressive with $125,000 fine
The Massachusetts Division of Insurance today slapped a $125,000 fine on Progressive Insurance for inadvertently posting a link on its website about the use of credit scores in setting auto […]
Posted inPolitics
New Bedford developer sues over gambling law
Hours after Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation legalizing casino gambling in Massachusetts, the would-be developer of a New Bedford casino is asking a federal judge to block the law’s implementation. […]
Posted inPolitics
A novel idea
tripp jones traces most of his career path, including the founding of MassINC 15 years ago, to a chance meeting in Washington, DC, in 1986. At the time, Jones was […]
Posted inPolitics
Court rejects Parente pension claim
A state appeals court has rejected a bid by a former lawmaker who sought to increase the value of her pension by counting her monthly walking-around stipend and per diem […]
Posted inPolitics
Agency spends big to fight severance
With the case only in the deposition stage, a quasi-public Massachusetts authority says it has already spent $240,000 on legal fees fighting a $562,000 severance payment claimed by former employee […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
How much more can Ireland take?
Politics doesn’t seem to be Roderick Ireland’s strong suit. The chief justice of the state’s Supreme Judicial Court is on the outs with Gov. Deval Patrick, stuck in neutral with […]