WAITING ON COST ANALYSIS Dear Editor: In all the back and forth about the proposals for Austin Street/Rutherford Avenue/Sullivan Square, I am wondering why we have yet to see any cost comparisons of the alternatives. I have made requests to Boston Transportation Department for the financial analysis that must have been part of their...
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Editorials
Offshore Resources: Digging Up the Facts
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s proposal to expand offshore oil and natural gas drilling has set off a bipartisan uproar among politicians and pundits from coastal states. Critics paint pictures of black beaches, tar balls, and wildlife slicked with oil. They point to the damage done from the wreck of the Exxon Valdez and the...
Is This Our New Normal?
The intense havoc wreaked by this past weekend’s storm, coming on the heels of the storm of January that similarly brought devastation to many areas throughout the state, has left all of us wondering whether this is the new normal for our sliver of the planet. We read somewhere that both of these storms...
Townie Tidbits
THINKING BACK IN TIME WATCHING CHARLESTOWN CHANGE OR MAYBE NOT SO Recently thinking about memories of Charlestown back in the late ’60s through mid ’80s. I was there on the ground working as a writer for the old Patriot and taking on one fight after another. I didn›t come from the community but it...
Letters to the Editor
ON TIDBITS Dear Editor Townie Tidbits is usually good for a story, a memory, or a laugh, but the February 22 piece, “Why Won’t These People Just Go Away,” brings an unnecessary tone and inaccurate claims to the conversation about the Rutherford Ave redesign. After throwing out the previous plan for no clear reason and a...
Proposed HHS Rule Would Save Seniors Money
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just proposed a rule that could dramatically lower seniors’ out-of-pocket drug spending. Lobbyists for the nation’s largest “pharmacy benefits managers” are sure to fight the proposal tooth and nail. These PBMs, which effectively set drug prices for the entire country, want to continue overcharging the 42...
Commenting on Trump’s Call to Arm Teachers
Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Tommy Chang issued the following statement in response to comments made by President Trump, who spoke publicly about arming teachers with firearms as a way to avert school shootings. “The mere thought that teachers should be armed in order to ward off violence is utterly illogical and will only...
Dan Conley Will Be Missed
The surprise announcement by Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley that he will not be seeking re-election in the fall came as a shock to his constituents in Suffolk County. For the past 16 years, Dan Conley has held what is perhaps the highest-profile job in the criminal justice system in Massachusetts. Yet despite...
The FY19 BPS Budget: Investing in Our Students to Provide a Better Education for All
At the Boston Public Schools, we believe that our budget is a values statement, reflecting our commitment to creating the best schools for all our students. Through the BPS budget, we prioritize investing in every individual learner throughout their academic career. We must ensure that all students — regardless of their race, native language,...
Townie Tidbits
WHY WON’T THESE PEOPLE JUST GO AWAY? Once again a roadblock has been thrown down on moving ahead with grant funding for the Sullivan Square re-design. I have been attending meeting after meeting on the future Sullivan Square and traffic flow. I usually sit next to community activist John Dillon, who always has an opinion...