THE BUDGET SIGNED by Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday includes a provision creating statewide standards for immigrant domestic violence and human trafficking survivors who are seeking documentation for certain visas. […]
Sarah Betancourt
Sarah Betancourt is a long-time Latina reporter in Massachusetts. Prior to joining Commonwealth, Sarah was a breaking news reporter for The Associated Press in Boston, and a correspondent with The Boston Globe and The Guardian. She has written about immigration, incarceration, and health policy for outlets like NBC, The Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, and the New York Law Journal. Sarah has reported stories such as a national look at teacher shortages, how databases are used by police departments to procure information on immigrants, and uncovered the spread of an infectious disease in children at a family detention center. She has covered the State House, local and national politics, crime and general assignment.
Sarah received a 2018 Investigative Reporters and Editors Award for her role in the ProPublica/NPR story, “They Got Hurt at Work and Then They Got Deported,” which explored how Florida employers and insurance companies were getting out of paying workers compensation benefits by using a state law to ensure injured undocumented workers were arrested or deported. Sarah attended Emerson College for a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Communication, and Columbia University for a fellowship and Master’s degree with the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism.
Posted inUncategorized
Franklin County shuts ICE detention center
THE FRANKLIN COUNTY Sheriff’s office shut down its detention center for immigrants, saying the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was not steering enough detainees its way. The 80-bed facility […]
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State’s housing assistance program posts big gains
THE STATE’S EMERGENCY housing assistance program is upping its game, pushing more money out the door and helping more people struggling to avoid eviction. As of January 13, the program […]
Posted inEconomy
Restaurants face light punishment over COVID rule violations
TOSSING COVID RULES aside and caution to the wind does not earn much punishment for businesses in Massachusetts. In Boston, officials are still regularly chastising restaurants for violating COVID protocols […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Boston center’s gang database lists 3,853 people.
THE DIRECTOR of the Boston Regional Intelligence Center said on Tuesday that the center’s gang database is comprised of 3,853 people with active status. In a hearing held by the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health insurers to promote 2017 birth control provision
A TRADE ASSOCIATION representing a swath of the state’s commercial health insurers is launching a public awareness campaign to let members, pharmacists, and providers know that a 2017 law permits […]
Posted inEconomy
Legislative compromise will end state tax on PPP grants
WITH A WEEK to go before business taxes are due on March 15, Massachusetts lawmakers signaled that they are prepared to join with the Baker administration and act to avert a state tax bill on business owners who accepted federal money to keep […]
Posted inHealth Care
2017 birth control provision fell through the cracks
IN 2017, amid growing concern that Congress and the Trump administration were moving to limit free access to contraceptives, the Massachusetts Legislature passed and Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a bill guaranteeing access […]
Posted inEconomy
PPP changes aim to help minority-owned and small businesses
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION this week has made a series of changes to the federal Paycheck Protection Program aimed at helping more businesses struggling to stay afloat one year after the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Sudders: Mass vaccination sites short-term solution
HEALTH AND HUMAN Services Secretary Marylou Sudders pushed back against the view that the state is going all-in on mass vaccination sites on Thursday during testimony before the Legislature’s Committee […]
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Lawmakers grill governor on website problems
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER was in the hot seat Thursday morning as the Legislature’s 17-member committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management grilled him over the state’s rollout of vaccines. […]
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New pandemic take on undocumented immigrant licenses
SUPPORTERS OF LEGISLATION authorizing the issuance of driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants this year decided to reframe the message, which comes amid a national pandemic. They say the licenses are […]
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Healey, feds sue over alleged immigration bond scam
ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey and two other state AGs joined the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in its first major watchdog action under the Biden administration, accusing an immigration bond provider of predatory […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge denies injunction to cut prison population
A SUPERIOR COURT judge denied a preliminary injunction that would have required the state Department of Correction to make specific efforts to further reduce its prison population in light of […]
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Baker ‘pissed off’ as vaccine website struggles
THE STATE WEBSITE for finding an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine crashed Thursday morning as a torrent of people 65 and above rushed to sign up, the latest chapter in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State nudges along design process for new women’s prison — again
A STATE SELECTION BOARD on Wednesday moved forward proposals to construct a new prison for women despite pushback from former prisoners and advocates who said the estimated $50 million for […]
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Oversight panel to scrutinize Baker vaccine rollout
THE MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE intends to put Gov. Charlie Baker on the hot seat over the vaccine rollout, calling an oversight hearing that has been used sparingly in the past. Senate […]
Posted inHealth Care
Advocates push vaccine equity for black and Latino residents
ADVOCATES FOR BLACK AND LATINO Massachusetts residents are asking Gov. Charlie Baker for a large influx of money and vaccine doses aimed at increasing vaccination rates among their populations. “For […]
Posted inEducation
Everett plan to vaccinate teachers goes awry
TEACHERS HAVE BEEN decrying their low status in the vaccine pecking order for weeks, but Everett decided to do something about it. The local School Committee voted on January 19 […]
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Curative at center of vaccine snafus in Danvers, Springfield
OVER 20 LEGISLATORS are questioning Gov. Charlie Baker over the usage of Curative Inc, to manage three mass vaccination sites, citing the company’s short existence and recent snags. “This corporation […]
Posted inHealth Care
Companion ads stir concerns, pushback
“ADULTS 75 yrs and older — Need a ride to your vaccine?” read the headline of the Craigslist ad. The ad was one of many popping up on websites a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DOC accused of ‘deliberate indifference’ to prisoners
ATTORNEYS FOR for 11 prisoners accused the Massachusetts Department of Correction on Wednesday of deliberate indifference to a provision in the state budget requiring the release of inmates during the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker offers vaccines to ‘companions’ of those over 75
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday said anyone bringing someone 75 and over to one of the state’s mass vaccination sites can also get inoculated even if it’s not their appointed […]
Posted inHealth Care
Website developer helps people find vaccination appointments
THANKS TO THE ingenuity of a software developer on maternity leave, the state may be improving its public website for scheduling COVID-19 vaccines. Olivia Adams, 28, developed her own website, […]