After two years of decline, Boston’s property tax rolls are growing modestly, a boost driven largely by new construction and commercial properties previously exempt from taxes, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a municipal watchdog. The report by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau attributed much of the increase to a new office tower along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the expiration of a tax break for the Westin Hotel at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, and the sale of two Catholic hospitals to a for-profit company. For more from BostonGlobe.com, sign up or log in below To continue, please sign up or log in to BostonGlobe.com Access the full articles and quality reporting of The Boston Globe at BostonGlobe.com Sign up Unlimited Access ... Continue reading →
The City of Boston filed a formal complaint against a prominent labor lawyer Thursday, saying that what they termed his vulgar and vitriolic behavior at the negotiating table on behalf of the firefighters’ union has gone too far, even in the contentious realm of labor negotiations.At a meeting Tuesday at the union’s Florian Hall, lawyer E. David Wanger allegedly berated city officials with obscenities and repeatedly interrupted by saying “Blah! Blah! Blah!,’’ according to a letter to the state Division of Labor Relations. Wanger mocked city officials by affecting a fake lisp, the letter said, and mimicked their responses by repeating what they said in a high-pitched voice while shaking his head.“Because of the unconscionable behavior of the union’s attorney,’’ the letter stated, city officials ... Continue reading →
Weekly political chat with Christopher Rowland Christopher Rowland, the Globe's Washington D.C. bureau chief, and other Globe staff members will take your questions and comments on the Campaign 2012 races every Wednesday from now through the Nov. 6 general election. Continue reading →
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Mayor Thomas M. Menino is expected to outline a preemptive push to stanch summertime violence Wednesday, seeking to stop crime now with the hope of preventing retaliation in July and August.The effort, which has been the subject of City Hall meetings for the past two months, will incorporate police, public health officials, the School Department, and youth workers. It will include police detectives walking beats in high-crime areas, an initiative to provide summer jobs for young adults over 19, and coordination with prison officials to visit inmates slated for release.The city will use $227,000 in federal money to hire five “violence interrupters,’’ workers in Mattapan who will try to develop relationships with gang members and defuse conflicts. Two outreach workers will be dispatched to the ... Continue reading →
Mayor Thomas M. Menino on Wednesday is expected to outline a preemptive push to staunch summertime violence, seeking to stop crime now with the hope of preventing retaliation in July and August. The effort, the subject of City Hall meetings for two months, will incorporate police, health officials, the school department, and youth workers. It will include police detectives walking beats in high-crime areas, a new initiative to provide summer jobs for young adults over 19, and coordination with prison officials to visit inmates slated for release. For more from BostonGlobe.com, sign up or log in below To continue, please sign up or log in to BostonGlobe.com Access the full articles and quality reporting of The Boston Globe at BostonGlobe.com Sign up Unlimited Access to ... Continue reading →
