Seriously, is this the best we can do?

In 2013, we paid $163m burying or burning materials that could have sold for $217m

By Bruce Mohl 3 Comments Jan 13, 2015

FOR YEARS, HOMEOWNERS in Lynn faced no restrictions on their trash output. Technically, their weekly allotment was six barrels of trash, yet if additional barrels were put out at the curb they were always picked up. Mattresses, couches, and other large items were collected at no cost. But in December new regulations took effect limiting(...)

Criminal Justice

Big Brother is watching

Surveillance cameras are everywhere. Can we tap technology to tackle crime without giving up all our privacy?

By Michael Jonas Marathon bombing 0 Comments Jan 13, 2015

ON THE DAY of the Boston Marathon two years ago, before the bombs and the blood, Ed Davis was taking in the race from the viewing stand at the Copley Square finish line. Being a cop as well as a spectator, however, he couldn’t help but ponder things cops think about these days, especially if(...)

Health Care

Aging in place

As assisted living residents grow older, the facilities where they reside struggle to keep up.

By Colman M. Herman Elder Affairs 1 Comment Jan 13, 2015

LAURA SHUFELT VIVIDLY remembers the February 2013 call from the assisted living facility in Centerville where her mother was living. A nurse at the facility told Shufelt her mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, was being transported to Cape Cod Hospital because of unexplained bruises on her buttocks and wrist, pain in her shoulder,(...)

Politics

Bromancing the vote

Male voters put Baker in the corner office. Now what?

By Steve Koczela Elections 0 Comments Jan 13, 2015

CHARLIE BAKER SQUEAKED into the governor’s office by such a narrow margin that pretty much any demographic group can claim to be responsible for the last few votes that pushed him over the line. A shift of a few points in the vote among women, unenrolled voters, young people, urban dwellers, first-time homeowners, upper-income Democratic(...)

Economy

Brotherly luck

Sibling issues at the Massachusetts State Lottery

By Jack Sullivan Lottery 0 Comments Jan 13, 2015

A correction has been added to this story. ONE OF THE KEYS to the success of the Massachusetts Lottery is its agents. There are more than 7,600 of them scattered across the state, doling out instant games tickets, Keno, pull tabs, and big money drawing tickets from behind counters in gas stations, convenience stores, supermarkets,(...)

Politics

Advantage Democrats

Despite recent GOP gains, Democrats have advantage in retaining the White House in 2016.

By Shawn Zeller National Politics 1 Comment Jan 13, 2015

THIRTY YEARS AGO this month marked the last time a Republican assumed the presidency with the approval of Massachusetts voters. Ronald Reagan won 49 states in the previous November’s election, including every state in New England. Four years before, he won all of them but Rhode Island. This month, a new Republican governor, Charlie Baker,(...)

Environment

The solar disconnect

If sun power is expensive, why is it saving municipalities money?

By Bruce Mohl Energy 5 Comments Jan 13, 2015

THE US ENERGY Information Administration says solar power is expensive relative to other types of electricity generation, yet cities, towns, and schools across Massachusetts are finding that solar can save them lots of money. The federal agency, which tries to compare the cost of electricity produced from various sources, says solar is one of the(...)

Politics

MassLive’s statewide strategy

Digital-first Springfield news outlet is trying to expand its brand across the state to Worcester and Boston.

By Gabrielle Gurley Media and Journalism 1 Comment Jan 13, 2015

A SPRINGFIELD-BASED NEWS outlet is taking a run at being the go-to source for state news in Massachusetts. MassLive, a website affiliated with the Springfield Republican, is trying to expand its brand beyond western Massachusetts by offering coverage across the state, with a special emphasis on Worcester and Boston. Newspaper websites traditionally piggyback on their(...)

Health Care/ Opinion

Baker’s health care moment

The state’s new leader has deeper background in health policy than any governor in Massachusetts history — and he’ll need to tap every bit of it.

By John E. McDonough Charlie Baker 0 Comments Jan 13, 2015

THOUGH THE 2014 gubernatorial campaign lacked any real discussion of health care policy, this will soon be forgotten because Massachusetts has never had a new chief executive as steeped in health policy and politics as is Charlie Baker. Baker’s legacies affecting the Massachusetts health policy landscape span 25 years and provide clues to the directions(...)

Politics/ Opinion

A juggling act and news media hypocrisy

By Bruce Mohl 0 Comments Jan 13, 2015

THIS ISSUE WAS one of the toughest we’ve ever had to pull together. Two feature stories failed to jell, one of them shortly before we went to press, which required us to do some last-minute juggling. But as I look back at the issue we’ve assembled, I’m very pleased. It’s a provocative combination of stories(...)