Senators prod Patrick on student loans

Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a sharp critic of the turnpike bailout, said the governor should bring his power to bear to help resolve the student loan crisis. "With something of this magnitude, it's incumbent on the administration to take the lead and try to find a solution," Widmer said. He said that the universities and colleges, which all lobbied for the creation of the state lending authority nearly 30 years ago, have enough financial reserves to offer more help.