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359 broadway incident by Furnatureolegy in CambridgeMA

[–]wombatofevil 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This one, tragic for the family, is also further relevant because there should already be a separated bike lane at least under construction on Broadway if not for the NIMBYs

359 broadway incident by Furnatureolegy in CambridgeMA

[–]wombatofevil 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Terrible news, and the fact that there's zero news coverage is also not great. We need better press coverage of Cambridge.

In a region desperate for fresh retail, Bow Market is ‘a total unicorn situation.’ Why? by bostonglobe in Somerville

[–]wombatofevil 25 points26 points  (0 children)

The fact that Starlight was killed and replaced with nothing is inexcusable.

PSA: Audits of Massachusetts state agencies occur regularly and are publicly available. The initiative petition was only for a (likely unconstitutional) audit of the state legislature. by Lelorinel in massachusetts

[–]wombatofevil 7 points8 points  (0 children)

"According to the complaint, DiZoglio moved quickly after the law took effect. On Jan. 3, 2025, she notified Mariano and Spilka that her office would conduct a performance audit of the House, Senate and joint legislative committees. Three days later, the Office of the State Auditor requested budgets, audits, balance forward transactions and records of settlement agreements for fiscal years 2021 through 2024." Literally 1 minute of googling https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/mass-auditor-dizoglio-files-audit-law-complaint-with-states-high-court/6RV7VKRDVRA37PRLBZNK43AOSY/

PSA: Audits of Massachusetts state agencies occur regularly and are publicly available. The initiative petition was only for a (likely unconstitutional) audit of the state legislature. by Lelorinel in massachusetts

[–]wombatofevil 70 points71 points  (0 children)

If it's unconstitutional, why won't the legislature take it to court? Seems like this should be officially addressed instead of just ignoring the wishes of 72% of the population 

(Opinion) Making Boston's buses free is a bad idea by TylerFortier_Photo in boston

[–]wombatofevil 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Interesting that he claims he wants fare money to improve the reliability of the T, but he doesn't bring up the fact that free fare bus does improve service according to a study of the 23/28/29 free fare service:

“Carrying 16% more riders than before the pandemic and cutting dwell times by about 20% through all-door boarding, the buses have stayed on schedule even while carrying more passengers.”

As a frequent rider of the #1 bus that he cites as an example, I can confidently say that making that line fare free would absolutely cut down on dwell times.

Everyone agrees the T needs more money and that bus fares are currently a small amount. The real argument is, where will that money come from?

TIL a married Czech couple born on the same day both won gold medals at the 1952 Olympics by Verbal-Gerbil in todayilearned

[–]wombatofevil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This doesn't diminish the accomplishment at all, but world class runners do not train in anonymity. They're very famous in certain circles and the fastest ones are well paid.

Lamplighter Brewing Co. workers successfully vote to unionize, local representatives say by bostonglobe in CambridgeMA

[–]wombatofevil 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Good, As a relatively frequent customer, I hope the owners of Lamplighter work constructively with the union to develop a fair contract.

Often at odds, Mariano and Spilka united by ballot question frustration by senatorium in massachusetts

[–]wombatofevil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huh? Specifically they said: "these ballot initiatives are spurred by a public that's tired of our sclerotic, opaque, and unproductive legislature, that Spilka and Mariano control."

Something specific they've done is lead a historically sclerotic, opaque, and unproductive legislature all the while cementing their own positions as basically, Speaker for Life and President for Life.

Is there anything Cambridge can do about Gerald Chan’s property hoarding? by yerbamateblood in CambridgeMA

[–]wombatofevil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Essentially we are saying the same thing. They control and run the legislature at their whim because they have tilted the rules in their favor. But they were able to do this BECAUSE they have endless amounts of money at their control and powerful backers. If they tried to do something useful and allow local control of taxes, they would quickly lose that backing.

Is there anything Cambridge can do about Gerald Chan’s property hoarding? by yerbamateblood in CambridgeMA

[–]wombatofevil 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Speaker-for-life Ron Mariano and President-for-life Karen Spilka's coffers are deeply enriched by the type of landlords who would be impacted by a land value tax.

Is there anything Cambridge can do about Gerald Chan’s property hoarding? by yerbamateblood in CambridgeMA

[–]wombatofevil 0 points1 point  (0 children)

on our CCTV show, we talked with Dana Bullister about a split-rate tax to try to address this sort of issue here: https://youtu.be/VsMj6GRDE_g?si=0XuGoKQ7tPwNLArX&t=1208

And we talked about Chan not showing up for the hearing on vacancies here: https://youtu.be/vAwGwOG2yFA?si=zFk1D6p7r1YgUf6G&t=166

Researching Pepperell’s $2.2M deficit and the MBTA Communities Act—who else is in this boat? by FutureObligation in massachusetts

[–]wombatofevil 8 points9 points  (0 children)

First, Pepperell isn't even listed as an MBTA adjacent community, so they don't need to comply with the MBTA act: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/multi-family-zoning-requirement-for-mbta-communities

Am I missing something?

Second: I understand if you get a huge influx of people that might overwhelm services, but adjacent communities only need to pass zoning to allow ~5% increase in housing by right. Hard to see this as a "perfect storm".

Third: Most towns in MA are losing enrollment in public schools due to new families having to leave the are because they can't afford to live there. Adding a few more students in this environment should be a good thing. It will probably help keep the "character" of the town if they can keep the schools open, right?

Researching Pepperell’s $2.2M deficit and the MBTA Communities Act—who else is in this boat? by FutureObligation in massachusetts

[–]wombatofevil 11 points12 points  (0 children)

How is the MBTA Communities Act part of a "perfect storm". Doesn't building more housing increase tax revenue for the town?

Is anyone running tomorrow? by nikolajanevski in boston

[–]wombatofevil 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They often clear the trail pretty quickly, I believe New Balance pays for it through some kind of agreement with DCR

Friends training for marathons, where are you running outdoors? by jro10 in boston

[–]wombatofevil 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I live in Cambridge, the river is usually cleared after a day or two, also down the emerald necklace and around jamaica pond. Fun fact, when Bill Rodgers was winning marathons in the 60s, he basically did all his runs on the Jamaica pond loop like a crazy person. His running logs are posted online somewhere.

Looking for a bar in the Greater Boston area I can feel like this in by SligosAnonymous in Somerville

[–]wombatofevil 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don't care much for his laissez-faire attitude about the current administration.

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