SOME HAD NUMBERS stenciled on their forearm. Some carried pictures of relatives lost forever. They came from a different place. They spoke a different language. Most came with only the shirts on their backs. They did not want to come. They came to escape persecution and certain death. That was my childhood dinner table. The […]
Politics
Posted inOpinion
Tsongas and the dying art of bipartisanship
ACCORDING TO A REPORT published by Pew Research in October 2017, the divide between Republicans and Democrats is the widest it’s been in the last 23 years, reflecting a sharp rise in political partisanship that threatens our ability to solve some of the nation’s most pressing problems. That’s why US Rep. Niki Tsongas’ accomplishments over […]
Posted inPolitics
Warren faces the affability ceiling
FOR ALL THE talk about the glass ceiling that women face in politics, it turns out the barrier isn’t whether voters think women have the strength or the smarts to do the job, but whether they’re likable enough. If that idea is a grating one after years of effort by women to show they can wield […]
Posted inThe Download
Warren faces the affability ceiling
For all the talk about the glass ceiling that women face in politics, it turns out the barrier isn’t whether voters think women have the strength or the smarts to do the job, but whether they’re likable enough. If that idea is a grating one after years of effort by women to show they can […]
Posted inEconomy
Natl. Grid, steelworkers reach tentative deal
NATIONAL GRID and the union locals representing 1,250 steelworkers said late Wednesday night that they have negotiated a new contract that, if ratified, would end a bitter, six-month lockout that has been costly for both sides. The utility and union locals issued a joint statement saying the terms of the new agreement would not be […]
Posted inPolitics
Beacon Hill notes: DeLeo cruises to speaker reelection
REP. ROBERT DELEO cruised to reelection as House speaker for the sixth time on Wednesday, but a small band of lawmakers from his own party registered their disapproval of the process by refusing to vote for him and pushing for an amendment to House rules to make future caucus votes for speaker secret. DeLeo was […]
Posted inPolitics
The steady hand
AS SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN made her way down the rope-line on election night, a familiar figure was close by her side. Roger Lau had managed Warren’s lopsided victory over a Republican state rep and now he was managing her exit from a clutch of reporters. It was Lau in his element, staffing the candidate, keeping […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker signs National Grid legislation
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER signed into law on Monday morning a bill that extends the unemployment benefits of workers locked out by their employers, giving a legislative victory to steelworkers locked out by National Grid. While the governor had indicated he would sign such legislation, his decision to sign the bill Monday morning surprised nearly everyone. […]
Posted inOpinion
A resolution for Legislature: Finish last year’s work
IN A FEW short days, the next legislative session in the Massachusetts State House will begin. New legislators will be sworn in. The governor will give his State of the State address. The mad dash to file bills and secure co-sponsorships will start—and end—in the blink of an eye. But we’re not there yet. Now […]
Posted inEconomy
National Grid, union fail to reach agreement
NATIONAL GRID and the two union locals representing 1,250 locked-out steelworkers failed to negotiate a new contract by their self-imposed deadline of Friday, but the two sides have agreed to keep meeting. The utility and the unions issued a joint statement at 12:30 a.m. Saturday that provided little information on why they had failed to […]