ON MONDAY, MASSACHUSETTS entered Phase 3 of its reopening plan, which Gov. Baker’s people have code-named “Vigilant.” It includes movie theaters, gyms, entertainment venues, casinos, and larger gatherings. This is on top of indoor dining, which recently reopened. We’re doing this as we watch COVID-19 numbers spike all around the country in states that were […]
Joseph Curtatone
Posted inHealth Care
In Somerville, we’re keeping up the pressure on all fronts
DURING THE Great Depression’s darkest days, FDR said: “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” As we face a crisis rivaled in modern times, we in Somerville are taking that advice to heart. Earlier this week, I announced several new COVID-19 initiatives: Testing for all who want it; […]
Posted inOpinion
Save the planet and money at the same time
THE AMERICAN OIL AND GAS industry spends a fortune trying to convince us that renewable, clean power sources like wind, solar, and geothermal are still unreliable and expensive. As mayor of a city on the front lines of negotiating for the energy needed to serve a growing local economy, I am here to tell you […]
Posted inTransportation
Time for radical action at the T
THIS PAST FRIDAY the MBTA had to empty out the station at Central Square in Cambridge because a Red Line car was billowing smoke. The service has experienced fires along the Orange and Green lines in recent months too. That’s not counting numerous derailments, one of which caused more than 100 days of reduced service […]
Posted inOpinion
White supremacy fuels ‘public charge’ proposal
I THINK IT’S SOME SORT of dystopian rule that the things with the most innocuous names often have the most pernicious effects. The newest entrant into that category is the US Department of Homeland Security’s proposed “public charge” rule, which seeks to deny anyone a green card if they have used some form of public […]
Posted inEducation, Politics
Curtatone: Charter question goes way too far
$412 MILLION. That figure represents the amount of taxpayer money that was diverted from 243 local school districts across the Commonwealth and given to charter schools last year. If Ballot Question 2 passes this election, that annual number will grow much higher, and the consequences for students in our public schools will be long-lasting. We […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
States must do right thing, accept Syrian refugees
FRIDAY’S ATTACK ON PARIS felt like an attack that happened in our backyard despite it having taken place an ocean away. The reason for that is the attackers didn’t target governmental or economic symbols, instead they went after concert venues, sports events, and cafes. They declared war on civilians. They declared war on public gatherings. […]
Posted inOpinion
“Black Lives Matter” more than a slogan
A BLACK LIVES MATTER banner hangs on the front of Somerville City Hall. We put it up this week. We shouldn’t have to. We shouldn’t have to put a banner up that says we are against police violence based on discrimination involving black people. It shouldn’t be newsworthy when a government body says that it […]
Posted inGambling, Opinion
Healey is right about Wynn casino
THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN and, agree or disagree—and everyone knows I disagree—casinos are a reality in the Commonwealth. But that doesn’t mean casino operators, and those who regulate them, get to skirt the law or continuously adapt regulations to fit their needs and own timelines, as we have seen time and time again in the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
Lessons from Ferguson
FOR MONTHS WE’VE all watched the travesty in Ferguson, Missouri, unfold from the death of Michael Brown, to the militarized police response to public protest, to the Department of Justice report detailing the Ferguson Police Department’s racist attitudes and policies. The temptation is to treat it like someone else’s problem, as if a similar situation […]