HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO dutifully sidled up to the state’s other top Democrats at a “unity” gathering yesterday morning in Dorchester, where party pooh-bahs reveled in their victories — and […]
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 inCriminal Justice
Rollins rolls to big win in Suffolk DA race
AGAINST THE BACKDROP of a national rethinking of criminal justice policies, Suffolk County residents voted for big change in the district attorney’s office as Rachael Rollins, a former federal prosecutor […]
Posted inPolitics
Pressley leads changing of the guard
CHANGE HAMMERED ON US Rep. Michael Capuano’s door at about 9:15 Tuesday night after making the rounds at a few other stops. It couldn’t wait. For Ayanna Pressley, the 44-year-old […]
Posted inPolitics
Liberal groups boost Sanchez challenger
IF THERE IS a campaign equivalent to the see-through pane in front of a fire alarm marked, “In case of emergency, break glass,” Jeff Sanchez has put his fist through […]
Posted inPolitics
Palfrey and Tingle on the quest to be the Dems’ No. 2
WHEN THE SUBJECT of the lieutenant governor’s office comes up, there’s an old saw in Massachusetts political circles that is offered to explain its place in the state’s political firmament: […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The law-and-order candidate – with a twist
AT A TIME when talk of criminal justice reform is in the air, Greg Henning looks like the face of the status quo. One of five candidates in the Democratic […]
Posted inPolitics
Are the parties over?
IT’S A TREND that’s been underway for years, and it may only accelerate. For all the talk of the enduring strength of the two-party system, voters unaligned with any party […]
Posted inEconomy
Triple-A duel: Zimbalist vs. Matheson
ANDREW ZIMBALIST HAS made a name for himself as a leading critic of public spending on private sports enterprises. The Smith College economist has long been one of the most […]
Posted inPolitics
All the president’s mess
IT’S ABSURD to think a president could ever be impeached for lying about sex. Or so was the prevailing wisdom until it happened in 1998 to Bill Clinton. Twenty years […]
Posted inEducation
Charter battle heats up in New Bedford
THINK THE BATTLE over charter schools in Massachusetts is over? Think again. Voters may have soundly defeated a ballot question two years ago to raise the cap on charters, but […]
Posted inUncategorized
Full-court press against Trump’s media attacks
ONE OF THE best-known lines concerning the job of the press in the Trump era, where a US president with little regard for the First Amendment to the Constitution he […]
Posted inPolitics
Progressive leaders rally behind Sanchez
FACING A FEISTY challenge from his political left, state Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez turned to progressive community leaders on Tuesday to vouch for his liberal bona fides, the latest sign that […]
Posted inPolitics
Freeze criticism of ICE?
A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT was arrested Thursday morning in New York City for allegedly tweeting that he would pay $500 to anyone who killed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Today’s […]
Posted inHealth Care
State sees huge growth of urgent care centers and retail clinics
RETAIL MEDICAL CLINICS and emergency care centers are growing at breakneck speed in Massachusetts, a trend that suggests strong demand for the lower-cost alternatives to standard outpatient and hospital emergency […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Opioids’ path of destruction in construction
DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH patterns among different population groups is a well-established fact. Indeed, it forms the foundation for an entire field of health research, epidemiology, which has contributed enormously to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
In Middlesex DA’s race, a progressive face-off
DONNA PATALANO, who is challenging incumbent Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, looks like exactly the right candidate at the right time. The Winchester attorney is pushing a strong reform platform […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
A real-life mystery at Boston library
IN A BUILDING whose shelves are packed with gripping fictional whodunits, it’s a real-life whodunit that is also a whodunwhat. On Tuesday, the Boston Herald broke the story that three […]
Posted inPolitics
No consensus on Capuano-Pressley showdown
YOU MIGHT AS well put a fork in Rep. Michael Capuano, whose long career is about to sunset in the face of a growing left-wing wave. Or is it getting […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
In Suffolk DA’s race, calls to coalesce
WHAT HAD BEEN a strong undercurrent in the Suffolk County district attorney’s race is now becoming an open topic of conversation – and consternation: The fact that candidates with similar […]
Posted inTransportation
Growing calls to tackle traffic’s toll
NEVER MIND THE Democratic Legislature or smart growth and transportation advocacy groups. Gov. Charlie Baker is now getting pressure to embrace a pilot program calling for variable-price tolling from the […]
Posted inTransportation
Can we outsmart traffic and parking woes?
THERE IS ONLY so much highway space available to accommodate the crush of cars commuting into and around Boston, just as there are only so many parking spaces in which […]
Posted inThe Back Story
Sanchez in hot seat on immigration measure
WHEN STATE REP. Jeffrey Sanchez was tapped last July to be the new chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, it put a veteran liberal lawmaker from one of […]
Posted inPolitics
GOP Senate hopefuls do the Trump squirm
IT’S BECOME a well-worn storyline: Republicans in conservative states or congressional districts pull their punches when it comes to criticizing their party’s leader in the White House, regardless of the […]
Posted inEducation
Parent provocateur
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL MANNING IT’S A THURSDAY EVENING in late May and about 20 immigrant parents and grandparents are gathered in a meeting room of the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association […]