Instant runoff voting could improve Boston elections

New system would democratize municipal contests

By James Sutherland Massachusetts politics, Municipal Government 1 Comment Jul 7, 2015

ACROSS THE COUNTRY, voter turnout in local elections has steadily dropped. Electorates for local elections are a shell of what they once were — and of what they could be, given the more robust turnout for state and national elections. This fall, voters in Boston will go to the polls to elect members of the(...)

Economy

Field of Dreams

Brockton Rox owner Chris English, a former hedge fund manager, wants to turn the team into a winner on the field and a money-maker off the diamond. Sound familiar?

By Jack Sullivan Sports 1 Comment Jul 7, 2015

You’ve owned several minor league professional teams in the Northeast. What about owning a team of college players in the Futures League in Brockton interested you when the previous owners, who included high-profile people like Bill Murray, couldn’t make the Rox work with professional players? We have a very disciplined business model. We know how(...)

Politics

A rookie on Pelosi’s team

Clark is raising money for Democrats and most (but not all) of the time blasting the GOP

By Shawn Zeller Congress 3 Comments Jul 7, 2015

WHEN SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES gathered in the House chamber in January to hear President Obama’s State of the Union address, Katherine Clark, the Melrose representative who is now serving her first full term, strode up to Mitch McConnell, grabbed his hand, and wouldn’t let go. Her aim was to convince the Kentucky Republican, who is the(...)

Environment

Region’s cap and trade program draws interest

EPA's power plant emission plan boosts Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative

By Bruce Mohl Energy 2 Comments Jul 7, 2015

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Clean Power Plan is drawing a lot of attention to the carbon cap-and-trade program run by nine Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, including Massachusetts. The Clean Power Plan, if it survives legal challenges, will require each state to reduce its power plant carbon-dioxide emissions to a target level set by the(...)

Gambling/ Uncategorized

Luck’s run out

Lottery game fills states’ coffers but reaps few winners

By Jack Sullivan Lottery 0 Comments Jul 7, 2015

WHEN THE SIX New England state lotteries started the Lucky for Life game, with the grand prize of $1,000 a day for the rest of your life, good fortune didn’t exactly fill government coffers. In the first four months, five people picked the right combination to win the jackpot, which is a minimum of $7.2 million(...)

Economy/ Politics

Kennedy fights federal data breach law

Says proposal not as strong as many states' regulations

By Shawn Zeller National Politics 0 Comments Jul 7, 2015

AFTER HACKERS STOLE data from Target, Home Depot, and other companies in recent years, President Obama called on Congress to enact legislation setting a national standard governing what companies must do if their networks are breached. Both Republicans and Democrats in the capital want to do something to improve cybersecurity, but getting to a final product(...)

Economy

Mass. 1 of 11 states without ticket tax

Levy brings in millions elsewhere

By Jack Sullivan Sports, Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Jul 7, 2015

LAST YEAR, nearly 3 million people walked through the gates of Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox, as bad as they were. More than 720,000 fans spun the turnstiles at TD Garden to watch in frustration as the Bruins failed to make the playoffs, while about the same number cheered the Celtics on to(...)

Opinion

Full disclosure

Editor's note, summer 2015

By Bruce Mohl Media and Journalism 0 Comments Jul 7, 2015

OUR SUMMER ISSUE includes stories and analysis on a wide variety of topics, everything from criminal justice reform and climate change to Uber and the incomprehensible medical bills we receive in the mail. Some of these stories deal with subjects and individuals with connections to our parent organization, MassINC—a relationship worth exploring in a bit(...)

Economy/ Gambling

Moving beyond Boston

Other states have many successful regions within their borders. Why doesn’t Massachusetts?

By Ben Forman Gateway Cities 1 Comment Jun 30, 2015

SPRINGFIELD WAS ONCE synonymous with innovation. Today the city that produced the first tire, the first car, the first motorcycle, and the first commercial radio station is counting on a casino to drive growth. Springfield’s lost industrial prowess comes at a cost to the entire Pioneer Valley economy. Gateway Cities in other parts of the state(...)