JEFFREY ROSARIO TURCO, who was described by the Boston Globe’s Yvonne Abraham as “an anti-choice, transphobic, border-wall-loving Trumper,” won the March 2 Democratic Primary for the vacant state representative seat from Winthrop and Revere. Turco gathered 36 percent of the vote to defeat three other Democrats in that primary. A candidate, who proudly posted to […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Working women need more supports
MID-MARCH marks the moment many of us were sequestered into our homes as a result of the coronavirus. We all made significant changes in our lives, and the lives of our children, to help stop the significant spread of the virus. As a result of this seismic shift, many individuals began to struggle with a […]
Posted inEducation
School building formula failing Gateway Cities
THE STATE’S SYSTEM for financing the construction of new public schools is broken. Nowhere is that more apparent than the city of Lynn. The number of students in Lynn’s schools has increased by 21 percent since 2008. Nearly half of our schools, 12 out of 26, are over 100 years old. We’ve been able to […]
Posted inOpinion
3 Massachusetts myths about offshore wind
MASSACHUSETTS MADE headlines a few years ago when it secured the nation’s first large-scale procurement of offshore wind, the 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project. The Commonwealth was leading the way, planning on developing 3,200 megawatts in total, recognizing the potential of offshore wind to address its carbon reduction goals while catalyzing a new industry and growing […]
Posted inOpinion
Unemployment insurance bill doesn’t go far enough
A BEACON HILL deal has been made to prevent an enormous, unprecedented tax bill in April for Massachusetts employers. Some businesses were aware it was coming while most had no idea. But the Legislature is now acting to provide temporary relief for those first quarter unemployment insurance (UI) tax bills, which otherwise would have resulted in […]
Posted inOpinion
Healthcare workforce needs to be priority in 2021
The most precious resource the US health-care system has in the struggle against COVID-19 isn’t some miracle drug. It’s the expertise of its health-care workers—and they are exhausted. The Atlantic, 11/13/20 THE HEALTHCARE HEROES who fell victim to the pandemic in 2020 leave us a legacy which we must embrace by placing our grief into […]
Posted inOpinion
The state shouldn’t tax forgiven PPP loans
THE LAST YEAR has been devastating on many levels, but many of our small businesses are still standing because of the support from our communities and yes, because of the support of our local, state, and federal governments. In Massachusetts alone, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) helped retain countless amounts of jobs and saved thousands of […]
Posted inArts and Culture
13 views on how the pandemic will shape the future
IT WAS A YEAR AGO this week that it became clear how completely our world would be turned upside down. After mounting global concern about a deadly new respiratory illness originating in China, the novel coronavirus, as we initially referred to it, established a firm foothold in the US and the country was soon in […]
Posted inOpinion
Streamlining the criminal complaint pipeline
IN RECENT YEARS, Massachusetts has made significant progress in the direction of criminal justice reform. The credit goes to progressive thinkers in the Legislature, the attorney general and several district attorney offices, ballot initiatives legalizing marijuana, and an engaged and conscientious Supreme Judicial Court. The time is ripe to change the way we charge people […]
Posted inOpinion
Breaking down hospital community benefits
2020 was a year like no other. COVID-19 laid bare many inequities in our Commonwealth and nation. Black and Latinx residents, many of whom are low-wage essential workers, immigrants, and non-English speakers were most impacted by both the virus leading to higher rates of hospitalization and death, as well as by the accompanying chronic economic […]