As part of its racketeering and bribery case against former Probation commissioner John O’Brien, the US Attorney’s office is seeking to enter into evidence files detailing how Senate President Therese […]
Jack Sullivan
Jack Sullivan is now retired. A veteran of the Boston newspaper scene for nearly three decades. Prior to joining CommonWealth, he was editorial page editor of The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, a part of the GateHouse Media chain. Prior to that he was news editor at another GateHouse paper, The Enterprise of Brockton, and also was city edition editor at the Ledger. Jack was an investigative and enterprise reporter and executive city editor at the Boston Herald and a reporter at The Boston Globe.
He has reported stories such as the federal investigation into the Teamsters, the workings of the Yawkey Trust and sale of the Red Sox, organized crime, the church sex abuse scandal and the September 11 terrorist attacks. He has covered the State House, state and local politics, K-16 education, courts, crime, and general assignment.
Jack received the New England Press Association award for investigative reporting for a series on unused properties owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, and shared the association's award for business for his reporting on the sale of the Boston Red Sox. As the Ledger editorial page editor, he won second place in 2007 for editorial writing from the Inland Press Association, the nation's oldest national journalism association of nearly 900 newspapers as members.
At CommonWealth, Jack and editor Bruce Mohl won first place for In-Depth Reporting from the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors for a look at special education funding in Massachusetts. The same organization also awarded first place to a unique collaboration between WFXT-TV (FOX25) and CommonWealth for a series of stories on the Boston Redevelopment Authority and city employees getting affordable housing units, written by Jack and Bruce.
Giving up the battle at DCF
As Howie Carr constantly points out, you know someone is on their way out once they start being described as “embattled.” And it was hard to find anyone in the […]
DOR web problems force deadline change
State officials have extended the filing deadline for income tax filers because of problems with the Department of Revenue’s website, the latest technology glitch that is causing issues for state […]
Veterans court
What makes specialty courts for drugs, housing, and now veterans so effective? Well, for the veterans treatment court, which is relatively new, they realized that there were things about veterans […]
Paving the way for votes
CORRECTION: The original map that accompanied this story was based on a 2010 draft redistricting plan provided by the Lawrence city clerk’s office in error. The map and legend have […]
Cashing in
CommonWealth has obtained all settlement and judgment payouts by the State Comptroller from Fiscal Year 2005 though the second quarter of Fiscal 2014. Click here for the data, which includes […]
McCormick tries Forrest Gump approach
When new candidates emerge on the scene, they often have to do something to set themselves apart. For Joe Malone running against Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1988, it was youth. […]
Pope wants a church rich in faith, not in wealth
Pope Francis I is affecting change in an institution that measures such seismic shifts in centuries, not months. Not only is he moderating the tone of the Catholic Church on […]
Labor ruling on college athletes a game changer
When the “Sweet 16” round tips off tonight in college basketball’s March Madness, executives at CBS can’t wait – for the first commercial. The annual hoops championships is not only […]
Republican candidates hiding in plain sight
It’s been a generation or two since the GOP in Massachusetts – the so-called Saltonstall, Sargent, and Lodge Republicans who would now be termed RINOs on the national stage – […]
Walsh wants it all
Greater Boston Mayor Martin Walsh wants a seat at everyone’s table. Or at least those within the planets that circle the state capital. Walsh sent a letter to the state […]
The politics of terror
Terrorist acts, by their very definition, are political statements. But the fallout and aftermath can trigger political posturing as well, as evidenced by some local involvement in two of the […]
Coakley challenges church in bias suit
Attorney General Martha Coakley thrust her office into the middle of a civil suit against the Worcester Diocese, saying the church’s refusal to sell property it owns in Northbridge to […]
You apparently haven’t come that far, baby
Styling is out for T riders. Actually, just for women straphangers. Guys are okay, unless they choose to wear a kilt. According to the Supreme Judicial Court’s interpretation of the […]
O’Brien judge bows out
The federal judge in the corruption trial of former Probation commissioner John O’Brien recused himself Thursday but not before excoriating defense attorneys for bringing the motion as retaliation for ruling […]
Dookhan was lone “bad actor”
The state inspector general ripped top state health and lab officials for missing clear warning signs and withholding key information from investigators that would have exposed the extent of the […]
Walsh has different marching orders as mayor
A lot has changed in the city, state, and country since 1995, especially when it comes to gay rights. That was the year the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right […]
Possible Probation witness lists filed
Defense Witness List Prosecution Witness List The prosecution and defense teams in the federal corruption trial of former Probation commissioner John J. O’Brien on Tuesday filed lists of people they […]
Lawmakers get immunity
Lawyers for former Probation commissioner John O’Brien revealed that a number of state legislators have been granted immunity by federal prosecutors in exchange for their testimony in the one-time powerful […]
The quick Fox Brown-out
In business, and in general, when a contract expires, that means a person and a company are no longer tethered to each other. They can choose to continue the relationship […]
Derek Jeter is just the ticket
Leave it to a Yankee to spotlight the absurdity of Massachusetts ticket scalping and reselling laws. Shortstop Derek Jeter, a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, announced the upcoming season – […]
Is CVS a leader – or merely reading the smoke signals?
Ed Sweda must be dusting off his costume and doing a little dance. Sweda is the longtime archnemesis of Big Tobacco and, as senior counsel for the Group Against Smoking […]
Trying to Patch the sinking news lifeboat
Soccer is the game of the future, its deriders have long said, and always will be. After the latest news that Patch, the pet project of AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, […]
Lynn police cleared in fatal shooting
The Essex District Attorney says the fatal shooting of an Iraqi war veteran in September by Lynn police was justified because the man, Denis Reynoso, had grabbed an officer’s gun […]
