WE DON’T REALLY KNOW how the state will move to reopen the economy, but we now know who will come up with the plan. Gov. Charlie Baker tapped Lt. Gov. Karyn […]
Michael Jonas
Michael Jonas works with Laura in overseeing CommonWealth Beacon coverage and editing the work of reporters. His own reporting has a particular focus on politics, education, and criminal justice reform.
Posted inHealth Care
Coronavirus spotlights unease with end-of-life issues
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC has brought inspired scenes of heroic health care providers engaged in an all-out effort to save lives. But what about helping those at the end of life have […]
Posted inEconomy
Coronavirus campus unrest
APRIL, TRADITIONALLY A time of excitement and possibility in higher education, is instead proving to be the cruelest month for US colleges and universities. High school seniors normally would be […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker’s ‘test and trace’ gambit
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER, a data and systems guy from way back, has placed a big bet that a methodical approach to the coronavirus pandemic is what it will take to […]
Posted inEconomy
In hard-hit Chelsea, COVID-19 fight a collaborative effort
Fourth in a series on municipal leaders across Massachusetts and how they’re contending with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are previous stories on Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer, […]
Posted inEducation
Mass. ed guidance scores well in MIT report
WHILE MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOLS are scrambling — with mixed results — to try to continue lessons for students who are now sequestered at home, the state gets good grades from a […]
Posted inHealth Care
Blacks account for high share of Boston COVID-19 cases
AGAINST A BACKDROP of growing concern that coronavirus is disproportionately burdening minority populations, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh released the first set of city data on COVID-19 victims broken down by […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins: Lock him up
WHETHER YOU CALL IT a Nixon-goes-to-China moment or just an example of the shades of grey that color lots of criminal justice issues, Rachael Rollins is making news in a surprising […]
Posted inHealth Care
Antiviral drug ‘may have clinical benefit’ on COVID-19, study says
THE EXPERIMENTAL ANTIVIRAL drug remdesivir showed potential promise in a small study among severely ill coronavirus patients, raising hopes that it might prove to be an effective treatment for COVID-19. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Ventilators are life-savers, but questions loom about survival rates
MASSACHUSETTS LEADERS AND hospitals are scrambling to make sure they have enough ventilators for an expected surge of critically ill coronavirus patients. Meanwhile, the state public health department has issued […]
Posted inHealth Care
Coronavirus disproportionately hitting blacks and Latinos
IT IS BOTH A shocking but also utterly predictable new chapter in the unfolding coronavirus saga. The pandemic sweeping the country appears to be exacting a particularly high toll in black […]
Posted inEconomy
Virus notes: Budget roundtable tripped up by livestream failure
IT WAS AN inauspicious start to the effort to reckon with the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic on state revenue and the implications for the current fiscal year as […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Baker cabinet secretary tests positive
THE STATE’S PUBLIC SAFETY SECRETARY has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced Monday night, and is working from home. “This weekend, after experiencing mild symptoms, I was screened for COVID-19 […]
Posted inEconomy
The coronavirus is expanding the safety net
LIKE MILLIONS OF other US workers, Charlie Burke and Mutwaly Hamid were used to getting up in the morning and putting in long days on the job. But when the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Unusually high amount of deaths in Franklin Cty
DATA FROM THE MASSACHUSETTS Department of Public Health indicate an unusually high number of COVID-19 fatalities are occurring in Franklin County. Three new deaths were reported in Friday’s report, bringing […]
Posted inUncategorized
For Trump, cameras leave no room for social distancing
Practice what I preach, not what I do. That’s the only takeaway message one can glean from what have now become daily televised briefings by President Trump from the White […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC rules against district court judge in indigent defense case
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT ruled that a Springfield judge overstepped his authority in ordering the overburdened local public defenders’ office to take on more cases than the office said it […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Keeping the faith in the coronavirus era
WHILE HEROIC HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS are on the front lines, putting themselves at risk as they care for patients being ravaged by the novel coronavirus, faith leaders and their congregations are […]
Posted inEducation
State sets ‘meaningful and productive’ K-12 learning goal
SHUTTERED K-12 SCHOOLS across Massachusetts are being urged by state officials to create a curriculum that would engage students stuck at home because of the coronavirus in “meaningful and productive […]
Posted inEconomy
Safety net hospitals, health centers teetering on the brink
DR. ERIC DICKSON oversees a sprawling health care system that cares for lots of low-income families throughout central Massachusetts, many of whom are wondering how they’ll pay their rent or […]
Posted inPolitics
The virus’s toll on democracy
WHILE PRESSING LIFE-AND-DEATH ISSUES of course must remain the paramount focus of efforts in the face of the coronavirus (notwithstanding the president’s pivot to talk of getting commerce flowing by Easter), […]
Posted inHealth Care
Harvard’s Bacow, wife test positive for COVID-19
HARVARD UNIVERSITY President Larry Bacow said on Tuesday that he and his wife tested positive for COVID-19. In an email sent to the Harvard community on Tuesday, Bacow said he […]
Posted inEconomy
Those on margins will bear brunt of virus toll
WHILE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC seems certain to extend its reach to all corners of the globe, its impact will not be felt evenly. Those on society’s margins and lower economic rungs […]
Posted inEconomy
An economy put in a ‘medically-induced coma’
THE ECONOMIC CONVULSIONS from the coronavirus pandemic are unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. We’re not being blindsided by an unwelcome economic downturn; we have decided to set one in motion. […]