STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RENOVATING BUILDINGS on Long Island and reintroducing treatment there for people dealing with substance use disorder and homelessness could be part of a medium- to long-term plan for the city of Boston to help alleviate issues at the Mass and Cass intersection, Mayor Michelle Wu said after touring the island. Issues […]
Municipal Government
Posted inCriminal Justice
Boxborough police chief placed on paid leave
THE BOXBOROUGH SELECT BOARD placed Police Chief Warren Ryder on paid administrative leave Tuesday. No explanation was given, but the board had previously asked the FBI to investigate  allegations that members of the Police Department had received stipends for advanced degrees they had not earned as well as comp and holiday time to which they […]
Posted inEconomy
Rural towns seek money to repay broadband debt
THE RURAL HAMPSHIRE County town of Goshen is in the middle of installing broadband internet service. Even with state subsidies for the project, town officials estimate that Goshen will have to borrow $1.4 million to pay for the construction. Since municipal borrowing must be repaid through property taxes, that’s a big deal for a town […]
Posted inPolitics
Super PAC looks ahead to 2022
THE CHAIRMAN of the Massachusetts Majority super PAC said on Wednesday that his organization fared well in this week’s elections and, with $600,000 in available cash, is well-positioned to do the same in 2022. Gov. Charlie Baker raises a lot of money for the super PAC because he supports its goal of helping moderate and […]
Posted inPolitics
Super PAC backed by Baker spends $258,936
A SUPER PAC for which Gov. Charlie Baker raises money made its third series of investments on behalf of a total of 19 municipal candidates over the weekend, bringing its total expenditures over the last 10 days to $258,936. The candidates who received the most support from the Massachusetts Majority PAC included Donna Colorio ($34,646 […]
Posted inOpinion
With this election, Boston faces another defining moment
ALL ELECTIONS MATTER, but some elections matter more than others. On certain occasions, the outcome of the Boston mayoral election has had an outsized influence on the trajectory of the city. In 1910, John (“Honey Fitz”) Fitzgerald defeated James Jackson Storrow in a close contest, and it really mattered because Fitzgerald’s victory meant the era […]
Posted inPolitics
Spicer alleges GOP takeover effort in Framingham
FRAMINGHAM MAYOR Yvonne Spicer accused a super PAC affiliated with Gov. Charlie Baker of trying to lead a Republican takeover of the city’s government, but her rival Charlie Sisitsky said the mayor is once again ignoring “facts that don’t support her woefully false and fraudulent narrative.” The two campaigns issued dueling press releases after the […]
Posted inOpinion
Cowardly, reckless action by Boxborough Select Board
AFTER ATTENDING the October 18 meeting of the Boxborough Select Board, I am concerned about where our town is headed and who is leading. Police Chief Warren Ryder, a 25-year employee of the town, was brought in to the meeting to “answer” unspecified allegations of “payroll irregularities.” It was somewhat difficult for him to do, […]
Posted inThe Download
Boxborough board seeks FBI investigation
The Boxborough Select Board did something earlier this week you don’t see happen very often. It voted 3-2 to have the acting town manager ask the FBI’s public corruption unit to investigate payroll improprieties in the town’s police department. The unusual request followed months of turmoil in the tiny town west of Concord prompted by […]
Posted inUncategorized
Boxborough board seeks FBI investigation
 THE BOXBOROUGH Select Board did something earlier this week you don’t see happen very often. It voted 3-2 to have the acting town manager ask the FBI’s public corruption unit to investigate payroll improprieties in the town’s police department. The unusual request followed months of turmoil in the tiny town west of Concord prompted by […]