Chief Brian Kyes on increasing public safety in Gateway Cities

Gateways Episode 36

Policy Center
Oct 15, 2019 Policy Center

This week on Gateways, Ben sits down with Chelsea Police Chief Kyes. They talk about how policing has changed over time and unpack the department’s adoption of what's known as the Hub model. Developed in Canada, the approach emphasizes early intervention through collaborative effort with

Tackling traffic, fixing the T, and saving the planet

Innovation economy attempting to take on the challenge

Civic Journal
Oct 10, 2019 Civic Journal

THE TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGES facing the Boston region have come to feel like an existential threat on more than one level. Business leaders, including Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce chief Jim Rooney, have sounded the alarm that roadway gridlock and a transit system that limps along from one problem to the next are threatening the regional

Fall River entrepreneur brings healthy food and a heap of inspiration to Gateway City neighborhoods

Gateways Episode 35

Policy Center
Oct 8, 2019 Policy Center

This week on Gateways, we give you Tracy Corley’s live conversation with entrepreneur Luis Gonsalves during the October 2nd Entrepreneurship For All Leadership Summit in Lowell. Luis is an alum of New Bedford High, the US military, and EforAll, which gave him the tools to thrive in the competitive restaurant industry.

T notes: Red Line ridership slow to recover

Mayors launch push for commuter rail pilots

Civic Journal
Oct 7, 2019 Civic Journal

RED LINE SERVICE is back to normal in the wake of the June 11 derailment at the JFK/UMass Station, but ridership still hasn’t fully recovered. Data released on Monday indicate Red Line ridership overall was off 5 percent during the summer compared to last year and was down 2.5 percent in September. Charts released by

Gateway City leaders speak on opportunity zones

Gateways Episode 34.5

Policy Center
Oct 7, 2019 Policy Center

On this bonus episode of Gateways, we continue the conversation on federal Opportunity Zones legislation. Last episode, our guests broke down what Opportunity Funds can do and pointed out areas where they are failing the highest-need communities in our Commonwealth.

State agency offers $500,000 in place-making funds

MassDevelopment matching crowd-sourced money

Civic Journal
Oct 3, 2019 Civic Journal

MASSDEVELOPMENT IS OFFERING a total of $500,000 in matching grant money over the next 3 ½ months to municipalities and nonprofits seeking to launch creative place-making projects across the state. The money is part of a nearly four-year effort by the authority to revitalize downtowns and commercial districts by combining state and crowd-sourced funds. MassDevelopment

Cultivating allies in the business community with Early College expansion

The Gateway Cities Journal

Policy Center
Oct 3, 2019 Policy Center

Massachusetts’ state Senators gather under the golden dome for a historic floor debate on education funding today. The $1.5 billion Student Opportunity Act is a game-changer for Gateway City school districts, and a Massachusetts economy thirsting for skilled workers to replace aging Boomers. Today’s Globe records this moment as a debate about who gets what.

Are Opportunity Zones sites of misfortune for distressed neighborhoods?

Gateways Episode 34

Policy Center
Oct 1, 2019 Policy Center

When the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was unveiled in 2017, much of the national attention was trained on the debate between Republicans and Democrats over whether the cuts disproportionately helped the rich. Woven in the tax code, however, a federal initiative known as Opportunity Zones promised to incentivize

Poll: Massachusetts residents support major changes to rail service, restructuring fares

Residents see opportunities to expand rail overall, improve the Commuter Rail system, and show interest in Gateway Cities development possibilities this could unlock

Policy Center Press Release
Sep 26, 2019 Policy Center Press Release

Massachusetts residents support major changes to the Commuter Rail system and several ways to pay for them, according to a new poll from The MassINC Polling Group. The survey, which was conducted with input from MPG’s parent think-tank MassINC, was funded by the Barr Foundation. Three-quarters of residents statewide support moving the commuter rail towards

New education funding bill spells opportunity for Gateway Cities

Gateways Episode 33

Policy Center
Sep 24, 2019 Policy Center

This week on Gateways, Ben Forman talks with Rep. Antonio Cabral, chair of the Gateway Cities Legislative Caucus, about the state legislature's rollout of a long awaited education funding bill. The bill, known as the Student Opportunity Act, would provide school districts with high percentages of low-income students