A business improvement district in Boston-finally

By Bruce Mohl Employment, Growth and Development, Taxes and Budget Issues, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

With city services cut and unlikely to rebound to pre-recession levels any time soon, Bostonians are stepping into the breach. Businesses in the Downtown Crossing area are banding together and voluntarily agreeing to pay more property taxes next year to fund their own cleanup and security operations. Other parts of the city, including the Rose(...)

Economy/ Politics

Turnaround artist

Mayor Lisa Wong is determined to revive Fitchburg. Will she stick around long enough to make it happen?

By Gabrielle Gurley City and Town Profiles, Gateway Cities, Municipal Government, Taxes and Budget Issues, Urban Affairs 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

Lisa Wong became a rising superstar in Massachusetts politics the moment she trounced a veteran Fitchburg city councilor and catapulted into the mayor’s office at age 28. The wonky daughter of Chinese immigrants, a woman with a short résumé and no previous political experience, was suddenly on everyone’s must-meet list. She was invited to join(...)

Health Care

Breathing easier

Asthma project at Children’s Hospital in Boston is redefining care and sharply reducing costly emergency room visits and hospital admissions

By Alison Lobron 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

Izaeyah French of Dorchester is an energetic 7-year-old who loves kickball—and loves knowing asthma won’t keep him on the sidelines while other kids play. In the past, “my head would hurt and I’d have to stay home,” he says. But, thanks to a pilot program at Children’s Hospital Boston that addresses environmental factors in kids’(...)

Economy/ Politics

Raising the bar

The race for auditor is grabbing little attention in this crowded election season, but the office has the potential to wield enormous power

By Paul McMorrow Ethics and Open Government, State Government, Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

Suzanne Bump’s campaign staff is antsy. It’s already an hour into the campaign event, a barbeque with Malden Democrats, and their candidate for state auditor is seriously lagging behind schedule. The most frequent inquiry she gets is: “What does the state auditor do, anyway?” This question takes some time to answer. Campaigning for auditor is(...)

Education

Online teaching

The Internet is a useful teaching tool, but only that

By Alison Lobron Higher Education and Adult Learning 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

“Although scads of red are always stomach-dropping, I’m really going to learn a lot from this interaction.” I’ve taught writing, off and on, for more than 10 years, and received plenty of feedback from students. The note I just quoted, though, was a little unusual. Its author is the first person I’ve “taught” without ever(...)

Education

False start

Women athletes at state schools are gaining under Title IX, but they still run far behind men in nearly every measure of equal treatment

By Jack Sullivan Higher Education and Adult Learning 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

Judy Dixon understands equal opportunity—and the lack of it. Dixon was the first person to file a sex discrimination case against a major university under Title IX, the landmark federal legislation that requires gender equity at any educational institution receiving federal funds. In 1975, Dixon sued Yale University, where she was serving as the women’s(...)

Economy/ Education/ Opinion

Overcoming tough times

We need to get serious about supporting working families in Massachusetts

By Robert J. S. Ross and Deborah Connolly Youngblood Cost of Living and Consumer Affairs, Employment, Growth and Development, Higher Education and Adult Learning 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

Economic crises are social accelerators—things that were abstractly understood as trends are suddenly new and crushing realities. Twenty-five years ago, while the “Massachusetts Miracle” of growth charmed a generation of optimists, some observers of “deindustrialization” warned us about a looming vision of an hourglass economy of unequal incomes and unremitting pressures on single-parent families and(...)

Economy/ Opinion

Jobs held hostage by housing

Trends suggest the state’s high housing costs could drag down job growth once again

By Ben Forman and Sam Greeley Cost of Living and Consumer Affairs, Employment, Growth and Development, Housing 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

Like new england Patriots victories, high housing costs became matter of fact in Massachusetts over the last decade. As we rebuild from the Great Recession and the housing bubble that precipitated it, now is a good time to revisit whether the high cost of living is something the state can continue to take for granted.(...)

Economy/ Politics

Tribes lobby for reservation land

Seeking leverage in state gambling debate, Wampanoags push for law that would let them take Massachusetts land into trust

By Shawn Zeller Civil and Constitutional Rights, Demographics, Growth and Development, Municipal Government, State Government 1 Comment Oct 19, 2010

The demise of state gambling legislation this summer was a blow to Gov. Deval Patrick and many legislators, but no one was more disappointed when the deal fell apart than members of two Massachusetts Indian tribes, the 2,200-member Mashpee Wampanoag and the 1,200-member Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). For years, both tribes have eyed(...)

Education/ Environment/ Health Care

Correspondence Fall 2010

By CommonWealth Staff Elementary and Secondary Education, Energy 0 Comments Oct 19, 2010

MY MRI COST $7,200 Your article, “Overexposed,” in CommonWealth’s summer edition was superb. It revealed so many of the failures and successes of our medical system. I have only one thing to add: You wrote that the “price of an MRI ranges from $350 to $1,400.” When I had an MRI in 2005, the bill, of(...)