Nine black students, protected by the 101st AirborneDivision of the US Army, began classes at the all-whiteLittle Rock Central High School in 1957.Photo by UPI/LANDOV. as new england prepared to cheer on the Boston Red Sox starting nine at Fenway Park in late October, another starting nine basked in their own standing “O” a few […]
State House News Service
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Voters get another shot at erasing the state income tax
INTRO TEXT she’s back. The coming throw-down over the personal income tax finds libertarian dynamo Carla Howell back in the ring. Howell’s first attempt to end the income tax by ballot question struck a chord with Bay State voters and shocked some observers by coming within 10 points of carrying the day in 2002. So […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
In unemployment insurance showdown, labor still has muscle
INTRO TEXT organized labor may represent just over 14 percent of the Massachusetts workforce, but unions showed last year that they still have plenty of juice on Beacon Hill. Despite talk of a business-backed move to rein in unemployment insurance costs to employers, the state AFL-CIO and its legislative allies beat back House Speaker Sal […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Legislators’ per diems may get a DC boost
INTRO TEXT Per diem payments for mileage, meals, and lodging for Bay State legislators have long been fodder for critics who see no justification for politicians dining out on the taxpayers’ dime. The payments range from $10 for lawmakers living in greater Boston to $90 for a member who lives in the far reaches of […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Transportation pros make tough calls, get cold shoulder
INTRO TEXT columbus day fell during a particularly volatile moment in the 2006 gubernatorial campaign. Three weeks past his runaway primary win, there were still doubts about Deval Patrick’s electability-specifically, whether he’d be seen as too soft on crime and too vague on how he would pay for his promised new programs. Meanwhile, Republican nominee […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, State House News Service
Medford embraces wind power
INTRO TEXT As controversy continues to swirl around the Cape Wind proposal in Nantucket Sound, the city of Medford is leaping to the head of the class by shoring up its renewable energy bona fides. The Massachusetts Technology Collabora-tive has awarded the city a $250,000 Renewable Energy Trust grant to design and build a 100-kilowatt […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
On district matters, a Patrick ally turns adversary
INTRO TEXT a year ago, Marty Walz was among the legion of liberal Democrats enthralled by Deval Patrick’s gubernatorial candidacy. The state representative from Boston’s Back Bay was an enthusiastic supporter of the candidate who promised a new way of doing business on Beacon Hill. Today, however, Walz finds herself battling the new administration on […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Municipal meltdown
Illustration by Tim Bower a majestic grove of evergreen trees overlooks the town swimming pools in West Boylston’s Goodale Park. For Dennis Mulryan, it’s a sentimental spot. The longtime resident of the Worcester suburb worked there as a lifeguard, met his wife poolside, and saw his son take up his old job of keeping an […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Falling membership doesn’t affect PTA’s political clout
INTRO TEXT gov. deval patrick’s selection of Ruth Kaplan, a Brookline School Committee member and longtime MCAS critic, as his first pick for a seat on the Massachusetts Board of Education was viewed by some as a wink and a nod to anti-MCAS activists determined to scrap the high-stakes test as a statewide high school […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service
Study says CPA steers money to wealthy towns
INTRO TEXT when the community Preservation Act emerged from a tortuous legislative process to become law in 2000, state officials heralded it as the most significant land-use bill passed in years. Simultaneously adding to the state’s affordable-housing stock, preserving open space, and restoring historic buildings, it was billed as a planning and funding tool to […]