IN A LOCAL TV news station poll this month, more than 90 percent of viewers opposed renaming Faneuil Hall, an iconic civic edifice in Boston which has been a magnet for tourist and elementary school day-trippers. Yet, all across the nation, large cities and small municipalities are taking sure-footed measures toward removing or renaming monuments, […]
Politics
Posted inPolitics
Are you there, Massachusetts? It’s me, the primaries
Ahhh, the Fourth of July. When we come together to commemorate the beginning of the grand experiment that is America, celebrating government for and by the people. And in Massachusetts – the birthplace of the revolution – the gravity of the moment is not lost on voters as they march toward the purest expression of […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker signs ‘grand bargain’ bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed a new law Thursday that could affect virtually every resident of Massachusetts, a week after lawmakers settled months of negotiations over proposed ballot questions that could have had dramatic consequences for the state’s finances and economy. Legislators scrambled to assemble the so-called grand bargain bill after interest […]
Posted inPolitics
Fifty shades of Rockland
THE SOUTH SHORE TOWN of Rockland seems to be in a sex-fueled political meltdown. The lurid saga first surfaced on May 23 when Boston 25 News reported that two town officials were facing misconduct allegations for engaging in inappropriate behavior the previous week inside Town Hall after leaving a bar. Six days later, the Board […]
Posted inOpinion
Ruling could have big impact in Massachusetts
THE UNITED STATES has a single constitution, but interpretations of that document handed down by federal courts often have divergent impacts across the country. Such is the case with the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Janus v. AFSCME. The Court overturned a 41-year-old ruling and found that an Illinois public employee who chose not to […]
Posted inEconomy
DeLeo: House to respond to court’s union ruling
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS LAWMAKERS MULL THE IMPACTS of a US Supreme Court ruling seen as a devastating blow to public sector labor unions, the Massachusetts House is hoping labor leaders will suggest ways the Legislature can respond and soften the blow. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday in Janus v. American Federation of […]
Posted inPolitics
The message of 2018 elections
Hello, Mike Capuano and Richard Neal? We have a message for you. That message was delivered loud and clear and if they weren’t paying attention, they’ll learn it in a New York minute. The message was no seat is safe, regardless of money, seniority, or casting the right votes. Boston University graduate and political neophyte […]
Posted inThe Download
The message of 2018 elections
Hello, Mike Capuano and Richard Neal? We have a message for you. That message was delivered loud and clear and if they weren’t paying attention, they’ll learn it in a New York minute. The message was no seat is safe, regardless of money, seniority, or casting the right votes. Boston University graduate and political neophyte Alexandria […]
Posted inOpinion
Senate gives special treatment to Airbnb
REAL ESTATE INVESTORS are increasingly reshaping local residential neighborhoods by acquiring homes and apartments and converting them into full-time tourist lodging as “short-term rentals.” What began about a decade ago with a few homeowners offering an occasional room for rent is now a hot investment trend—producing record earnings for absentee owners, but also threatening housing […]
Posted inTransportation
Baker, Walsh at odds on T funding
Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh may be good friends, but they don’t see eye to eye on the MBTA. Walsh said on CommonWealth’s Codcast this week that the T needs additional revenues, and he suggested a good place to start is with a bigger assessment on the ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft. […]