Club to pay $36m toward $86m stadium

Most of money is in lease payments of $1m/year for 30 years

By Bruce Mohl Charlie Baker, Growth and Development, Municipal Government 0 Comments Aug 20, 2018

THE CITY OF WORCESTER is building a new $86 million stadium for the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate and charging the team roughly $36 million – two separate $3 million payments at the end of 2019 and 2020 and roughly $1 million a year in lease and tax payments spread out over 30 years. The(...)

Energy/ Environment/ Opinion

Cities can clean up the transportation sector

Policies for more EVs, less driving improve health and air quality

By Ruthanne Fuller and Joseph C. Sullivan Clean Energy, Environment, EVs, Municipal Government, public health, public transportation, Transportation 0 Comments Aug 17, 2018

TRANSPORTATION IS THE largest source of carbon pollution in the Commonwealth, producing 40 percent of climate-disrupting greenhouse gas emissions. Cities and towns can play an important role in leading the way to a clean transportation future. How? By helping residents drive less, and switch to electric vehicles when they must continue to drive. While the(...)

Marijuana/ Politics

Another twist for legal pot

Commission wants to review unlawful community host agreements, may reject licenses

By Jack Sullivan Cannabis Control Commission, Legal marijuana, Massachusetts Legislature, Municipal Government 0 Comments Aug 9, 2018

THE STATE’S MARIJUANA oversight board wants to put a halt to communities demanding payments from legal pot businesses in excess of what’s allowed by law but the panel’s decision could move the opening of retail stores even further back. The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday put off for two weeks a proposal by Commissioner Shaleen(...)

Economy/ Politics

Community benefit districts facing headwinds

Legislation likely to pass this week but fate uncertain

By Andy Metzger Growth and Development, Massachusetts Legislature, Municipal Government 0 Comments Jul 25, 2018

STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RECENT CONTROVERSY over legislation that would allow local organizations to levy fees on property owners to improve their neighborhoods has led the leader of the House Republican caucus to question his support for the bill he cosponsored. North Reading Rep. Brad Jones, the House minority leader, was a cosponsor of a(...)

Politics

Fifty shades of Rockland

Apparent sex scandal turns town upside down

By Bruce Mohl Municipal Government 0 Comments Jun 28, 2018

THE SOUTH SHORE TOWN of Rockland seems to be in a sex-fueled political meltdown. The lurid saga first surfaced on May 23 when Boston 25 News reported that two town officials were facing misconduct allegations for engaging in inappropriate behavior the previous week inside Town Hall after leaving a bar. Six days later, the Board(...)

Economy/ Opinion

Second-home owners lose out in Airbnb regs

Boston's short-term rental ban on investors hurts those who saved for future

By Doug Gribbel airbnb, Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh, Municipal Government, retirement, Sharing economy 0 Comments Jun 23, 2018

FOR MANY OF US, Boston is home. For others, our city is an exciting place to visit, full of rich history, beautiful neighborhoods, and fun things to do. Our welcoming community brings a wide variety of travelers looking to experience all that Boston has to offer. These visitors bring in vital tourism dollars to small(...)

Economy/ Environment/ Opinion

The end of recycling?

Cutting curbside collections will overload landfills, create environmental crisis

By Jefferson R. Smith Environment, Municipal Government, recycling, Taxes and Budget Issues, trash 0 Comments Jun 22, 2018

CURBSIDE RECYCLING PROGRAMS are disappearing in Massachusetts. Our Commonwealth has made the absurd decision to dump thousands of tons of recyclable materials into landfills. Recycling infrastructure is approaching its breaking point, and the slow response from our public leaders is due to a conspicuous lack of resources to prevent this crisis. Indications of this systemic(...)

Media/ Opinion

Local access channels getting tuned out

Cable companies keep programming in standard def, off channel guides

By Melinda Garfield cable, Local access television, Local Media, Municipal Government, Nonprofit 0 Comments Jun 16, 2018

WE ARE IN a new age of news and media. It started with the 24 hour news cycle, it changed again with the advent of social media, and most recently our media landscape changed with the introduction of the term “fake news” into our vernacular. For the first time, perhaps ever, we have foreign countries(...)

Economy/ Housing

City council puts restraints on Airbnb

Industry slams measure for cutting commercial units, rental caps

By Jack Sullivan airbnb, Boston City Council, Mayor Marty Walsh, Municipal Government, Sharing economy, short-term rentals, Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments Jun 13, 2018

THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL overwhelmingly approved tough new restrictions on short-term rentals offered by companies such as Airbnb and HomeAway, eliminating investor-owned units from the marketplace while allowing owner-occupied, two- and three-family homeowners to rent out some of their units year-round. The council on Wednesday made some minor adjustments to a proposal by Mayor Marty(...)

Opinion

What’s in a name?

The deeper you look, the more problems turn up

By Colman M. Herman Current Affairs, Municipal Government 0 Comments Apr 11, 2018

BOSTON RED SOX OWNER John Henry says he is “haunted” by the fact that a street that abuts Fenway Park, Yawkey Way, is named after a man many consider to have been racist to the core — one Thomas Yawkey. So Henry is doing his level best to dehaunt himself. Under Yawkey’s ownership, the Red(...)


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