THIS PAST TUESDAY, after a careful review of the Holyoke Public Schools, Commissioner Mitchell Chester recommended that the state Board of Education take a vote on whether to place our district under state receivership. His recommendation came after months of vigorous, passionate debate on the local level about the costs and benefits of this action, […]
Gateway Cities
Posted inEducation, The Back Story
Is state takeover of Holyoke schools coming?
IN 2012, THE chronically low-performing Lawrence school system became the first district put into state receivership under a 2010 education law that gives the state sweeping new powers over struggling schools. Will Holyoke be next? That question now looms over the Western Massachusetts district of 5,500 students, where achievement has long been low and dropout […]
Posted inOlympics, Opinion
How about a Gateway Cities Olympics?
EVEN NAYSAYERS BELIEVE the 2024 Olympic bid is a rare opportunity to generate fresh ideas about the future of the Commonwealth. For a productive conversation, a shared understanding of priorities is required. It will always be hard to generate consensus in a state with so much diversity, but if there is one issue on which […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
New Bedford facing Cape Wind fallout
THE BLOW DELIVERED by National Grid and NStar to Cape Wind extends to New Bedford’s Marine Commerce Terminal that would have served as the major staging area for construction of the wind farm. “It’s a major setback for offshore wind and what was expected to be a key source of work for the terminal,” said […]
Posted inEconomy
Patrick gets pushback on proposed $23m cut
Gov. Deval Patrick, who is already facing resistance on Beacon Hill to his proposed cuts in local aid, is also getting some pushback from a state authority that is being asked to help balance this year’s budget by foregoing $23 million in spending. Patrick administration officials announced plans last week to close an estimated $329 […]
Posted inEconomy, The Download, Transportation
South Coast Rail — always just around the bend
Gov. Deval Patrick threw $60 million at South Coast Rail on Monday, and he told New Bedford and Fall River residents that they’re thisclose to finally getting their commuter train into Boston. “You’re right on the threshold,” Patrick told the New Bedford Standard-Times. “And I want to ride that first train.” The South Coast has […]
Posted inEconomy
Patrick, facing shortfall, proposes $329m in cuts
The Patrick administration on Wednesday proposed a series of cuts in state spending to close an estimated $329 million budget gap. The executive branch will absorb nearly $200 million of the cuts, but officials are also paring back spending envisioned by the recently passed economic development law, including $16 million targeted for so-called “transformative investments” […]
Posted inPolitics
Fall River follies
Since 2010, Massachusetts voters statewide have marched to the polling booth eight times for primary, general, and special elections and there have been at least 13 other special elections with accompanying primaries to fill state House and Senate seats as well as a Congressional seat, not to mention the myriad of biennial local elections. It’s […]
Posted inPolitics
Gateway City papers give edge to Baker
In the key electoral battleground of Gateway Cities, Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker holds an edge over Democrat Martha Coakley in major newspaper endorsements. Baker was endorsed by the Standard-Times of New Bedford, the Enterprise in Brockton, the Republican in Springfield, the Eagle-Tribune (Andover-Lawrence), and jointly by the Sun (Lowell) and Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg). […]
Posted inEconomy, Opinion
Gateway Cities bill a great start
In August, when Gov. Patrick signed H. 4377 (An Act promoting economic growth across the Commonwealth), it was overshadowed by other bills signed simultaneously, notably gun safety legislation. However, this Gateway Cities legislation marks a significant progression for real estate and community development in Massachusetts. The bill designates $15 million for the state to allocate […]