ACTING MAYOR Kim Janey declared last week that Boston will move to dismantle the tent city of homeless people that has grown in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea […]
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 inPolitics
Wu says local-option tax could help fund fare-free MBTA service
WHEN IT COMES to fare-free MBTA service, is Michelle Wu willing to put her money – or that of Boston residents – where her mouth is? The frontrunner in the […]
Posted inPolitics
Does Wu have a Teflon coating?
MICHELLE WU has made it clear she’s no Charlie Baker fan, telling the Boston Globe her ambitious agenda for Boston would be easier to achieve with a Democrat in the […]
Posted inPolitics
Wu and Essaibi George face off in Boston mayoral debate
WITH LESS THAN three weeks to go before the election, Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George faced off Wednesday night for the first time in a one-on-one debate in the […]
Posted inHealth Care
FDA’s controversial approval of Alzheimer’s drug draws calls for reform
WHEN MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM announced two weeks ago that it would not offer a controversial new drug treatment for Alzheimer’s disease to patients, it was an important statement from the […]
Posted inPolitics
Poll shows big lead for Wu in Boston mayor’s race
SHE MAY BE the “teachah” and the “muthah” to take on the problems facing Boston, but Annissa Essaibi George faces a steep uphill climb to become the “mayah” if the […]
Posted inPolitics
Is it Wu’s race to lose?
BOSTON WILL ELECT a new mayor three weeks from today. Three debates, the first of which comes on Wednesday night, will finally give voters a chance to see the two […]
Posted inPolitics
Here’s the Diehl with wacky Mass. politics
IT’S OFTEN HARD for outsiders to make sense of Massachusetts, where Democrats reign supreme but Republicans have dominated the governor’s office for more than three decades. Today’s development does little […]
Posted inPolitics
Ayanna Pressley endorses Michelle Wu in Boston mayor’s race
US REP. AYANNA PRESSLEY endorsed City Councilor Michelle Wu in the Boston mayor’s race, giving her campaign a high-profile progressive boost with just over a month to go before the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Vaccine fight only latest bad headline for State Police
IT’S NOT AS IF the Massachusetts State Police were on a particularly great run already. The department has been hit by one scandal after another, mostly centered on overtime fraud […]
Posted inPolitics
What went wrong for Framingham’s 1st mayor?
FOUR YEARS AGO, voters swept Yvonne Spicer into office as Framingham’s first mayor, heralding a new chapter for the community of 72,000, which had outgrown the town government structure that […]
Posted inPolitics
Janey endorses Wu for mayor
ACTING MAYOR KIM JANEY, whose own hopes to win a full term as Boston mayor were dashed by a fourth-place finish in the September 14 preliminary election, endorsed finalist Michelle […]
Posted inPolitics
Look who landed in Roxbury council final
THERE HAS BEEN much consternation and reflection since last week’s Boston mayoral preliminary about the failure of any of the three Black candidates to land a spot on the November […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Voters shrug at Boston’s ‘historic’ mayor’s race
THE BOSTON MAYOR’S race drew national coverage, with stories appearing everywhere from the New York Times and Washington Post to the PBS NewsHour. The outsized attention was squarely focused on […]
Posted inPolitics
A mayoral miss for Black Boston
BOSTON’S NEXT MAYOR will break twin barriers by being the first woman and first person of color to lead the city. But the storyline of big change comes tinged with […]
Posted inPolitics
It’s Wu vs. Essaibi George in final election for Boston mayor
BREAKING TWIN BARRIERS in a city that has often been resistant to change, city councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George topped Tuesday’s preliminary election for mayor of Boston and […]
Posted inPolitics
Wu says she’s won a spot in Boston mayoral final
WITH OFFICIAL RESULTS slow to trickle in, City Councilor Michelle Wu told supporters Tuesday night she is confident she’ll finish in one of the two top spots in Boston’s preliminary […]
Posted inPolitics
Boston’s preliminary race for mayor in the homestretch
WITH BOSTON’S PRELIMINARY election for mayor only hours away, a lot remains up in the air. The one certainty: For the first time in the 199 years since its incorporation […]
Posted inPolitics
Wu rides high in new poll
CITY COUNCILOR City Councilor Michelle Wu continues to hold a commanding lead in the Boston mayor’s race, with three rivals tightly bunched in the fight for second place in next […]
Posted inPolitics
Mayoral debate more talking points than testy
SOME WERE EXPECTING fireworks, but what we saw was more often a display of sparklers. The five major candidates for mayor of Boston squared off Wednesday night in a televised […]
Posted inEducation
An education ‘he-cession’
THE PANDEMIC HAS walloped women economically, giving rise to the term “she-cession” to describe the financial fallout from COVID that has disproportionately hit them. Playing out much more quietly has […]
Posted inPolitics
Redistricting effort looks to reestablish Black Senate seat
A REDISTRICTING PUSH to establish a majority-Black state Senate district in Boston is coming at a time of heightened attention to racial equity issues and demands for a seat at […]
Posted inPolitics
The Sesame Street guide to the Boston mayor’s race
RUNNING FOR MAYOR of Boston is not child’s play, but a familiar jingle from a long-running children’s television show provides a useful template for considering how the candidates are positioning […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
RFK assassin’s parole recommendation ignites passions in divided family
MOST OF THOSE with first-hand memories of his assassination have probably reached initial eligibility for Social Security. But 53 years after Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down in a Los […]