During the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, candidate Deval Patrick wanted to see firsthand how the underground economy worked. Volunteering to be his guide, Mark Erlich, executive secretary-treasurer of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, got Patrick boots and a hard hat and took him to job sites in North Reading and Norton, where the future […]
State House News Service
Posted inEconomy, Education, State House News Service
Utahs financial literacy requirement
INTRO TEXT States want to be trendsetters, but not all trends are worth bragging about. That was Utah’s predicament from 2002 through 2004, when the Beehive State ranked No. 1 in the country in personal bankruptcy filings (adjusted for population). However, the story behind the numbers was even more disturbing. “We saw a younger demographic […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Jim Aloisi: Eyes wide shut
A friend of Jim Aloisi’s told him that he hoped the new secretary of transportation was going into his new position with his eyes wide open. “I’m better off if I keep my eyes shut,” Aloisi joked. Aloisi told the story yesterday while bantering with the MBTA board of directors in his first meeting as chairman. […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Lather – Rinse – Repeat
Tuesday's fourth and final oversight hearing on transportation finance dysfunction in the Bay State didn’t really offer up anything new. Yet five of the members of the Transportation Finance Commission testifying before the Joint Committee on Transportation didn’t have to. You see, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (2007 to be […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service, The Download
Doing the right thing by right whales
“Mariners are urged to maintain a sharp lookout and use caution around right whales.” All you weather geeks out there will recognize that warning from the “voice” (OK, usually computer-generated) of the National Weather Service updating the latest right whale sightings (available via special weather radios and here). Getting mariners to slow down is one […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Plan, plan, who’s got a plan?
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino joined the chorus of transportation stakeholders calling on the Patrick administration to get moving on a statewide comprehensive transportation reform plan. “A comprehensive plan must be vetted and acted on quickly,” Menino told the Legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation today. The departure of Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen led Rep. John Fernandes […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
“Moving with delays” and the MBTA’s culture of contempt
I wish I'd heard the announcement at Alewife Station about signal problems during the morning rush. Instead, all I heard was “inaudible something [delays] mumble, mumble, mumble.” Delays are a way of life with Hub of the Universe transit. I spent 30 minutes sitting between Harvard and Central Squares. Right before I was ready to blast […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
The Yellow Roads of Texas
Public-private partnerships are one way for states to secure funding for new transportation projects or to maintain existing roadways. But at this week’s transportation reform hearing, Secretary of Transportation Bernard Cohen cautioned that PPPs, as they as known in the industry, “are not a free lunch.” The Patrick administration is taking a “go slow, careful […]
Posted inState House News Service, The Download, Transportation
Team Trans fumbles at transportation reform hearing
Don’t make Sen. Steven Baddour angry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. “It’s going to get a lot uglier. The Legislature is going to get a lot more aggressive,” said Baddour. Now the Methuen Democrat isn’t exactly the Incredible Hulk. But the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Transportation made it crystal clear […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Creedon leaves Senate, laments shrinkage of House
At times, Friday's session of the Massachusetts Senate seemed like a revival of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, as members offered tributes to four departing members: Edward Augustus of Worcester, Pam Resor of Acton, Robert Creedon of Brockton, and Robert Antonioni of Leominster. As reported by the State House News Service (subscription required), Creedon got most of […]