THE SCANDAL AT THE Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is putting a spotlight on Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco Urena, with one veteran’s organization calling for his resignation – a development that is […]
Shira Schoenberg
Shira Schoenberg is a reporter at CommonWealth magazine. Shira previously worked for more than seven years at the Springfield Republican/MassLive.com where she covered state politics and elections, covering topics as diverse as the launch of the legal marijuana industry, problems with the state's foster care system and the elections of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Gov. Charlie Baker. Shira won the Massachusetts Bar Association's 2018 award for Excellence in Legal Journalism and has had several stories win awards from the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Shira covered the 2012 New Hampshire presidential primary for the Boston Globe. Before that, she worked for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor, where she wrote about state government, City Hall and Barack Obama's 2008 New Hampshire primary campaign. Shira holds a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Posted inHealth Care
Documents: Top Baker aides knew of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home outbreak
NEW DOCUMENTS RELEASED by the former superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home show that top state officials – including Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco Urena – knew about the growing […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC allows alcohol sales question to advance to 2020 ballot
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT ruled Tuesday that a proposed ballot question allowing for expanded alcohol and beer sales can proceed to the November ballot. Massachusetts state law limits the number […]
Posted inEducation
In Gateway Cities, lots of hurdles to remote learning
SARINA ALVES DISPLAYS a short story on the screen in front of her virtual class of eighth grade English students at Morton Middle School in Fall River. As a boy […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker urges caution over Memorial Day weekend
MASSACHUSETTS NOW HAS 250 testing sites for COVID-19 statewide, as it begins to reopen the economy and ramp up efforts to conduct mass testing. Gov. Charlie Baker held a press […]
Posted inEconomy
New House panels to focus on economic recovery, childcare
HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO on Thursday announced the creation of new House panels to examine legislative priorities related to the state’s recovery, with a focus on the economy and childcare, […]
Posted inEconomy
A lot of summer what ifs
What will the summer look like amid the COVID-19 threat? July 4 concerts are out, but will we be able to enjoy beaches and barbecues? What about pools, camps, and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Drive-up marijuana sales start Monday
DRIVE UP IN YOUR CAR, pay for your marijuana, take the bag, and leave. A global pandemic has moved Massachusetts’ legal marijuana industry into what had previously been the domain […]
Posted inEducation
Parents, daycare providers grapple with uncertainty
BEFORE THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic hit, April McCarthy, 31, of Chelmsford, was working as a mental health clinician, while a family daycare provider watched her 2-year-old daughter and 7-month-old son. Then […]
Posted inUncategorized
On church reopening, a muted ‘amen’
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Monday gave houses of worship permission to open immediately, with precautions. But worshippers seeking an in-person service this weekend may have limited options. Many congregational leaders […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker launches cautious phased reopening
MASSACHUSETTS TOOK INITIAL, cautious steps toward reopening on Monday, as Gov. Charlie Baker unveiled the first phase of a four-step process for restarting the state’s economy, which has nearly ground […]
Posted inHealth Care
Kids are getting sick, too
IF THERE HAS BEEN one bright spot with the dangerous COVID-19 disease, it had been that children were largely spared. Since the pandemic started, Massachusetts has reported 3,111 COVID-19 cases in […]
Posted inGambling
COVID-era casinos will feature temperature checks, masks
THE NEXT TIME patrons walk into a Massachusetts casino, they may have their temperature checked at the door and be handed a facemask. When a patron sits down at the […]
Posted inEducation
Peyser: Remote learning could continue in fall
MASSACHUSETTS’S TOP EDUCATION officials warned on Wednesday that schools should not expect to return to completely normal activities this September. School will look different when it starts, and there is […]
Posted inHealth Care
Holyoke Soldiers’ Home medical director resigns
THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, site of one of the country’s worst COVID-19 outbreaks, has given his notice and plans to resign from the position as soon […]
Posted inUncategorized
Healey links COVID-19 and race, poverty, pollution
ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey on Tuesday sought to draw attention to the high correlation between COVID-19 infections and poor, minority communities with high rates of air pollution. “While cities and […]
Posted inEconomy
Survey: Essential workers don’t feel safe
“ESSENTIAL” WORKERS MUST go to work during the coronavirus pandemic — but a majority of these workers do not feel safe at their jobs, according to a new survey. The […]
Posted inEconomy
Restaurants losing money on delivery orders
EL JEFE’S TAQUERIA, a casual Mexican restaurant in Cambridge’s Harvard Square, used to generate about a quarter of its sales through home delivery. Because of the commissions paid to delivery […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker says data will dictate state’s reopening schedule
HOW WILL GOV. CHARLIE BAKER decide when to reopen businesses and services? “Data, data, data” and the actions of other states were the two factors Baker mentioned on Thursday when […]
Posted inHealth Care
When will Massachusetts reopen?
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S stay-at-home advisory and closure of non-essential businesses expire May 18. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who is leading a task force that will guide the reopening, said Monday that […]
Posted inUncategorized
Galvin lays out plan for mail-in voting by request
SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH William Galvin on Wednesday released his proposal for expanding early and mail-in voting for the fall elections, even as influential lawmakers released a competing – and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Massachusetts House holds first remote session
A MASK-WEARING House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday presided over what he called a “historic day” – the first time the Massachusetts House has voted on a bill remotely. “It’s […]
Posted inEconomy
Marijuana companies beg for state relief money
IT TOOK TWO YEARS from the time Angela Brown applied for a license to sell recreational marijuana to the time she got final approval to open T. Bear’s manufacturing plant […]
Posted inEducation
Price hikes hurt families – but is it illegal?
SARAH JENNISON, a disabled mother living in Wareham, skipped buying the four-pack of toilet paper she saw listed on Facebook Marketplace for $20. But Jennison is immunocompromised with a seven-year-old […]
