Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Tuesday that the capital's loss in a local aid rollback could be as much as $60 million, warning that economic realities could force the city to face the same service cutbacks that have prompted other mayors to stop plowing residential streets.

Accepting instead of bucking House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi's pronouncement Monday that state assistance to cities and towns could drop 10 percent next fiscal year, Menino said, "We as a city have been realizing that might happen."  Read more

Justice John Greaney didn't write the Supreme Judicial Court's landmark ruling making Massachusetts the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage, but five years later, a passage from his concurring opinion is sometimes used by gay couples in their wedding ceremonies.

"We share a common humanity and participate together in the social contract that is the foundation of our Commonwealth,'' Greaney wrote. "Simple principles of decency dictate that we extend ... full acceptance, tolerance and respect. We should do so because it is the right thing to do.''  Read more

Mayor Tom Menino is firing up his fundraising jets, accelerating into the holiday season with a near $113,000 haul for November, according to the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Following boldly in his wake, Flaherty took in a respectable $79,680. Councillor Sam Yoon, who some suspect of considering a run, collected a propeller-driven $35,000. All three figures might be added to when the final November numbers roll in later this month.  Read more

The issue of police details on Boston construction sites brings out strong feelings. Some say the system is a waste of money; others feel the police are being unfairly targeted.

I held a hearing so we could have a clear presentation of the facts, and approached it with an open mind. Too often people arrive at the comfort of preconceived opinion without going through the discomfort of examining the evidence. We cannot move forward as a city if we approach every policy problem as nothing more than a political fight.  Read more