Economic development

Mayor of firsts

Economy/ Education/ Housing/ Politics/ Transportation/ Winter 2018

Mayor of firsts

Yvonne Spicer says she’s undaunted by new challenges—a good trait for the first person to serve as mayor of Framingham.

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Photographs by Frank Curran YVONNE SPICER, like a  lot of her fellow Framingham residents, freely admits that she voted against the charter question to make the state’s biggest town a mid-sized city. But once the measure passed by the thinnest of margins, the former teacher and vice president of the Museum of Science did what(...)

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The promise of MASS MoCA

Arts and Culture/ Economy/ Summer 2017

The promise of MASS MoCA

The museum’s latest expansion is a hit, but its impact on the struggling town of North Adams remains a work in progress

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Photographs by Michael Manning TWO YOUNG MEN from Brooklyn tentatively inch down the hallway, holding onto a handrail because it’s so dark. They turn a corner and the room in front of them opens up, filled with intense light of different colors.  They make their way to a bench and sit down, mesmerized by a large(...)

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Walsh plays hardball at Quincy Market

Economy/ Politics/ Summer 2017

Walsh plays hardball at Quincy Market

Mayor seeks to redo lease for higher return

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BOSTON MAYOR MARTY WALSH is trying to play hardball with the company that owns the lease on Faneuil Hall Marketplace. City officials and heavily redacted emails obtained under the Public Records Law confirm that the city, which owns the marketplace, is attempting to renegotiate the terms of the lease, which dates back to 1975 and(...)

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How we turn Western Mass. into a high-tech hub

Economy/ Opinion

How we turn Western Mass. into a high-tech hub

Transportation, access to capital, and skilled workforce are key

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THOSE OF US in Western Massachusetts watched for two generations as the Route 128 corridor boomed and greater Boston turned into one of the world’s great tech centers. Meanwhile, our largely manufacturing-based economy, once a thriving ecosystem, was unable to compete as the technology revolution took hold and policymakers focused elsewhere — leading to a(...)

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Panel gives Baker’s economic development bill a haircut

Politics

Panel gives Baker’s economic development bill a haircut

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STATE HOUSE NEWS   A scaled-down version of Gov. Charlie Baker’s economic development bill cleared a key House-Senate committee on Wednesday and included a new provision that would allow families to claim a tax deduction on college savings. The bill authorizes $593.9 million in capital investments over the next three years, a significant revision from(...)

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The Download

GE coming because of our brains, not brilliant pols

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With all the excitement and high-fiving among state and city and leaders starting to wind down, now comes the annoying reality check on the General Electric news that ruins all the fun. It turns out Charlie Baker and Marty Walsh don’t walk on water. Their bipartisan rowing in the same direction was surely helpful (there(...)

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Ash lends insight into Baker administration’s investment strategy

Economy

Ash lends insight into Baker administration’s investment strategy

Secretary says if choice is people or infrastructure, he'd pay for workforce first

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A TOP BAKER administration official on Thursday shared with lawmakers his philosophical approach to government investing, including a strategy that he said differs from the approach taken over the past eight years by Gov. Deval Patrick. Jay Ash, Gov. Charlie Baker’s housing and economic development chief, detailed for the House Bonding(...)

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