WHEN FALL RIVER teen David Almond, who was under Department of Children and Families supervision, was found dead, allegedly due to abuse and neglect by his father and girlfriend, one […]
DCF-involved students attended school 90% of the time last year
Posted inEnvironment
Somerset board drafting letter to Baker on Brayton Point
THE SOMERSET Select Board is preparing to send a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker calling on him to take action against the companies that are using state land at Brayton […]
Posted inUncategorized
House rejects efforts to disclose committee votes
THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE on Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected efforts to publicly disclose how representatives vote on bills at the committee level. In approving a new set of operating rules for the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DYS worker assaulted, suffers life-threatening injuries
AN EMPLOYEE at a Department of Youth Services facility in Springfield suffered life-threatening injuries after being assaulted by a juvenile housed there. The victim, who has not been identified, is hospitalized […]
Posted inUncategorized
Clarification issued on House rules proposal
A KEY HOUSE LEADER issued a clarification of the branch’s rules proposal Wednesday morning, saying a key provision in the package would not conceal how all individual members of a […]
Posted inThe Download
House proposal would keep committee votes secret
It’s always been difficult to find out how House lawmakers vote on bills in committee, but under a set of rules scheduled for debate Wednesday it could become nearly impossible. […]
Posted inUncategorized
House proposal would keep committee votes secret
IT’S ALWAYS BEEN DIFFICULT to find out how House lawmakers vote on bills in committee, but under a set of rules scheduled for debate Wednesday it could become nearly impossible. […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House set to debate rules, extend emergency
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ALL HOUSE SESSIONS would permanently be livestreamed, committee chairs would have discretion to hold hybrid-format hearings, and published committee votes would not require the disclosure of […]
Posted inOpinion
AG could give big lift to supervised drug sites
PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE’S Empire of Pain describes Attorney General Maura Healey’s quest, not just for financial restitution from members of the Oxycontin-promoting Sackler family but also to expose their deep […]
Posted inUncategorized
Jockeying starts over how to spend $5b in federal aid
CHRIS CARLOZZI, state director of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, wants at least $1 billion. That’s what he thinks government should spend to help replenish the unemployment insurance trust […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker administration breaks silence on Brayton Point
The Baker administration, after months of silence, issued a cryptic statement suggesting it is reviewing the legal status of a controversial scrap metal operation using a state-owned pier at Brayton […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker administration breaks silence on Brayton Point
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION, after months of silence, issued a cryptic statement suggesting it is reviewing the legal status of a controversial scrap metal operation using a state-owned pier at Brayton […]
Posted inOpinion
A recipe for fixing the restaurant industry
WE’RE HEARING cheers of people saying the world is finally back to normal, that we can go back to living our lives the way we did before the pandemic. I […]
Posted inEducation
Community colleges see steep drop in Black, Latinx enrollment
AT ROXBURY COMMUNITY COLLEGE – where attendees are predominantly low-income students of color – enrollment was down by 20 to 25 percent last year. The college’s president, Valerie Roberson, wasn’t […]
Posted inOpinion
Despite COVID, we must prioritize sexual health
COVID-19 has permeated every level of every health system across the globe, overwhelming already overburdened health care workers and exposing existing faults within health systems—in addition to posing new barriers […]
Posted inOpinion
Standardized testing is not the way forward
AS WE EMERGED from the pandemic’s constraints, we finally had the freedom to book dinner reservations and plan a summer vacation, but in the midst of that liberation, our students were obligated […]
Posted inOpinion
Despite vaccines, COVID-19 testing remains priority
WHEN THE NEWS BROKE late last year that multiple pharmaceutical companies had successfully developed vaccines for COVID-19, we all breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, there was light at the […]
Posted inOpinion
Promising to be champion of small business
MASSACHUSETTS IS at an inflection point. Decisions we make as we emerge from quarantine will define the character of the Commonwealth for decades. Small businesses should be at the center […]
Posted inTransportation
Weekend commuter rail resumes on all lines
THE MBTA is resuming service on all commuter rail lines this weekend, and even launching trains to Needham on Sundays in a way the community opposes. The T suspended weekend […]
Posted inOpinion
Bus is finally getting the respect it deserves
A FEW YEARS AGO I started dating someone who joked that if she ever asked me to marry her it would have to be on the 111 bus because I […]
Posted inUncategorized
House rules proposal suggests permanent hybrid hearings
THE MASSACHUSETTS House is considering making several changes to its rules that would make the legislative branch’s proceedings more accessible permanently – including for those outside the building. A draft memo on […]
Posted inGambling
VaxMillions not driving up shots yet
THE NEW VaxMillions lottery so far isn’t driving up the rate of COVID-19 vaccinations in Massachusetts. In the week before Gov. Charlie Baker announced the lottery on June 15, 175,071 […]
Posted inPolitics
Chang-Diaz emphasizes the urgency of now
WHEN IT COMES to taking on the problems facing the state, Sonia Chang-Diaz regards patience far more as vice than virtue. A call for a more aggressive approach to everything […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health Equity task force report goes far beyond health care
A HEALTH EQUITY TASK FORCE formed by legislation during the COVID-19 pandemic went beyond its charge of examining COVID-related health disparities and issued a sweeping report Thursday that digs into […]