UPDATED 9:04PM: The Massachusetts Senate adopted Sen. Lesser’s amendment. The rail study will go to the House-Senate conference committee. State Senator Eric Lesser’s East-West rail study appeared ready to leave the station last year. It survived House-Senate negotiations and passed both chambers. But then, in
On Monday afternoon the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority proposed ending weekend commuter rail service and certain services for disabled riders. Ostensibly, the “saved” money would be put toward maintenance, which the system desperately needs. However, such a dramatic step would cripple attempts to build out mass
CAMBRIDGE—With federal action on climate change frozen, at best, for the next four years, activists in the commonwealth are turning inward for the resources necessary to finance infrastructure improvements, reduce greenhouse gases and support the growth of the Boston area. But with this drive comes a recognition
UPDATED: 10:30AM: To include details about Baker’s Western Mass office. SPRINGFIELD—The doors to the former courtroom on the state office building’s third floor flung open. Charlie Baker stepped out into the corridor, an expression of mild bemusement on his face, and excitedly, if awkwardly, gesticulated
This post is the first in a two-part series on Stanley Rosenberg, the first leader of a Massachusetts legislative chamber from the 413 in four decades. BOSTON—With its Fall session underway the Massachusetts legislature is shifting into a higher gear after a spring focused on the budget.
On balance the budget passed by the legislature and under review by Governor Charlie Baker is not bad. Like many a budget, it includes goodies for members, some substantive, others less so. One non-politician political winner is the poor, who saw the Earned Income Tax
After a winter of discontent that paralyzed the commonwealth, mostly its Eastern regions, there emerged from the cocoon a most bizarre creature. Governor Charlie Baker, who scraped into office with 48.4% of the vote by a gimp 1.9% margin, now finds himself with a stratospheric
SPRINGFIELD—One of the most overdone political tropes in this state political cycle is talk of how the outcome on November 4 affects the legacy of Gov. Deval Patrick. But Patrick’s legacy will transcend whatever the next governor does and part of that legacy will include
WESTFIELD—With time running short, the candidates to replace Don Humason in the Westfield-only 4th Hampden House special election have done battle before seniors and the venerable Jim Madigan. Republican Dan Allie and Democrat John Velis traded political jabs, but found a great deal of agreement