Kids are kids — emerging research confirms that capacity for self-control doesn’t fully develop until well after the age of 18. That insight, taken to heart, has far-reaching implications for the way we respond to youthful misbehavior. The MacArthur Foundation has funded much of the recent research. The Foundation was troubled by the trend in …
Author Archives: Will Brownsberger
Service Issues on the Waverley Bus
We’ve been hearing complaints about a degradation of service on the 73 bus line — unexplained significant delays in the arrival of buses. We’ve brought them to the attention of the MBTA and their position is that nothing has changed — the schedule with the diesel buses is the same as it was with the …
Special Committee on Section 35 & Drug Addiction
Senate President Murray announced the creation of a Special Committee on drug addiction issues with a particular focus on “Section 35” which pertains to involuntary commitments of persons with substance abuse issues to treatment. I look forward to serving on the committee — Massachusetts faces an epidemic of substance abuse and I’ve long had a …
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Report on the Bowker Meeting
The question considered at this evening’s meeting at the Boston Public Library was: Can we eliminate the Bowker overpass, rather than repairing it? While there is no consensus as to the long term future of the Bowker, most attending had a clear takeaway from the meeting: For now, the repairs must go forward. There were …
Governor's Climate Change Announcement
The Governor announced this week a package of measures to respond to climate change. If the climate changes as much as most scientists believe it will — given the trajectory we are on — our agriculture and living patterns will necessarily change. Among the most dangerous impacts of climate change will be sea level rise. …
Insurance Discounts for Driver Training
We received an inquiry from a parent whose child took a rigorous driver safety training course above and beyond the basic Driver’s Ed program. The question was: Why don’t insurers offer a discount for graduates of these programs? The answer is that many insurers do offer such discounts. In fact one of the programs says …