FEW PLACES HAVE the resources and brain power to match Boston when it comes to biomedical research, including the search for effective ways to treat and prevent cancer. Internationally renowned […]
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.
The road less traveled
GREATER BOSTON IS the breeding ground for the state’s top politicians. Going back to 1900, three out of every four constitutional officers came from within 25 miles of Boston. Go […]
Big Pharma hides costs with bait and switch
THE ADS FOR high-end prescription drugs seem ubiquitous. Invokana, Xarelto, Abilify, and Humira are just a few names familiar to anyone with a television. The drugs are some of the […]
Finneran loses pension appeal
THE STATE’S HIGHEST COURT has rejected an appeal by former House speaker Thomas Finneran to reinstate his pension, saying the one-time legislative leader’s lies during testimony in a federal lawsuit […]
T union president indicted for fraud, kickbacks
THE PRESIDENT OF an MBTA union is facing charges that he used his position as a buyer for the agency to submit fraudulent invoices that netted him more than $100,000 in […]
Senators leave money on the table
PUBLIC PRESSURE APPEARS to have won out as no Massachusetts state senator opted to receive three stipends for leadership positions as they could have under the rules and three Democratic lawmakers […]
Senators to see average pay rise 39%
THE AVERAGE PAY OF A STATE SENATOR will likely rise about 39 percent this year to $110,942 under a new compensation scheme that rewards lawmakers with stipends for the leadership […]
Patriots set another record
SANDWICHED BY BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK winter storms, commuter rail officials had one more challenge to deal with last week: The highest one-day ridership in the history of the service with fans coming […]
Buzz building about Suffolk Downs sale
RESIDENTS OF EAST BOSTON and Revere say they are hearing a sale of Suffolk Downs is imminent, but officials at the track say they have nothing to report. “We’ve fielded […]
T finds demand for late-night
THE MBTA MOVED one step closer to restoring late-night bus service after members of the oversight board gave cautious support for subsidies because of surveys showing there would be an […]
T reaches agreement to fix Silver Line buses
THE MBTA’S Fiscal and Management Control Board approved a $1 million addition to a contract with a Maine state government-backed equipment refurbishing company after the pact was suspended by Gov. […]
T to jettison parking vendor
THE MBTA’S OVERSIGHT BOARD voted to approve a potential 15-year contract with one of the country’s biggest parking management companies, ending a troubled relationship with its longtime lot operator that resulted […]
Stipends on steroids
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO and Senate President Stan Rosenberg got much more than a $1,000-a-week pay hike when the Legislature passed the bill to increase their salaries: They also were […]
Lawmakers override Baker pay raise veto
THE HOUSE AND SENATE on Thursday overrode Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of legislation authorizing big salary increases for lawmakers, constitutional officers, and judges. The Senate also sweetened the pay hike […]
Some senators in line for even bigger payday
STATE SENATORS COULD SEE THEIR PAY rise dramatically under a little-noticed provision in the pay raise bill and a proposed rules change that together would allow the lawmakers to collect […]
Healey sues Trump
MASSACHUSETTS ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey on Tuesday sued President Trump over what she called his “startling and chaotic” executive order banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, saying the act violated […]
Baker hints at pay raise veto
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said little has changed to sway him since he threatened to veto a legislative pay raise bill two years ago, but said he’ll wait to see the […]
Pay raise hearing just for show?
WHEN HOUSE SPEAKER Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg issued a joint statement last week about holding hearings on a two-year-old report to explore the possibility of raising salaries […]
Lawmakers: Hike everyone’s pay
THE TWO TOP LEGISLATIVE leaders on Beacon Hill filed a bill Monday that would boost their own pay by more than doubling the stipends they receive for their posts as […]
Logan passengers can now get a Lyft
MASSPORT HAS REACHED an agreement with Lyft to allow the ride-hailing company to operate out of Logan Airport, a move that paves the way for other transportation network companies such […]
Quick and quiet hearing on salaries report
ONE OF THE authors of a report recommending higher compensation for the state’s top elected officials said on Thursday he was “surprised” a joint legislative panel took two years to […]
Baker throws cold water on pay hikes
LAWMAKERS WILL FINALLY take up the recommendations for salary hikes for elected officials laid out in a 2014 report but the plan could be dead on arrival as Gov. Charlie […]
Home wreckers
Photographs by Mark Morelli FOR MOST HOMEOWNERS, their house is their past, present, and future, the hard shell around their nest egg. That shell requires regular attention and occasional investment, […]
Healey cracks down on more gun sales
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY continued her crackdown on the sale of illegal guns in the state by forcing a Worcester gun dealer to stop selling illegal handguns and pay $35,000 […]
