WHAT IS OUR moral responsibility as a Commonwealth for preventing the predictable loss of life from products manufactured in Massachusetts? Four state legislators — Democratic Reps. Marjorie Decker of Cambridge, Frank Moran […]
Mass. has blind spot when it comes to assault weapons
Posted inOpinion
Nursing homes have made staff gains, but more needed
MASSACHUSETTS NURSING facilities were at a crisis point regarding staffing even prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, due primarily to the inability to pay a competitive wage. In Massachusetts alone, there […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. should build on fed antipoverty programs
MASSACHUSETTS IS ONE of the richest states in the country, yet has a poverty rate higher than 24 other states, according to data released from the US Census Bureau. Over […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
State begins 3d procurement for offshore wind
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE’S ELECTRIC utilities and the Baker administration are back in the market for another offshore wind contract, this time seeking up to twice as much […]
Posted inEducation
Rigorous civics education needed now more than ever
AFTER DECADES OF being overlooked, the importance of teaching US history and civics in public schools is at last gaining momentum. At the same time, the American Rescue Plan will […]
Posted inThe Download
Holmes says residents surrounding Franklin Park deserve respect — and quietÂ
AT WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S virtual community meeting about the plague of dirt bikes and all-night parties overtaking parts of Franklin Park in Boston, ideas for what to do about it ranged […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Holmes says residents surrounding Franklin Park deserve respect — and quiet
AT WEDNESDAY’S virtual community meeting about the plague of dirt bikes and all-night parties overtaking parts of Franklin Park in Boston, ideas for what to do about it ranged from […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Healey sues global advertising firm for marketing addictive opioidsÂ
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY, who has been one of the country’s strongest legal crusaders against opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma, has now filed a lawsuit against marketing firm Publicis Health for […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
We need to get behind renewable natural gas
BY SUPPORTING the production of renewable natural gas, or RNG, Massachusetts residents have the opportunity to boost the state’s commitment to reducing food waste in landfills while increasing the supply […]
Posted inOpinion
Why Fallon is focusing on MassHealth, Medicare
LAST MONTH, Fallon Health announced that it would exit most of the commercial health insurance market and focus predominantly on public plans like MassHealth (Massachusetts’ version of Medicaid) and Medicare. […]
Posted inThe Download
Did DCF return David Almond to his father because he is white?
ADVOCATES SEEKING TO END racial disparities in Massachusetts’s child welfare system now have a powerful legislative ally: Sen. Adam Gomez, the new Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families […]
Posted inUncategorized
Did DCF return David Almond to his father because he is white?
ADVOCATES SEEKING TO END racial disparities in Massachusetts’s child welfare system now have a powerful legislative ally: Sen. Adam Gomez, the new Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families […]
Posted inOpinion
Big demographic changes pose challenge to caring for veterans’ needs Â
MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIALS REGULARLYÂ brag about the Commonwealth being a leader when it comes to our veterans. However, in terms of our population trend, this is one area where we may not […]
Posted inGun ownership
Our state gun laws need some updates
IN MASSACHUSETTS, we often congratulate ourselves for having strong gun laws. And we should. Evidence shows that there are fewer gun violence fatalities here than in states with laxer laws. […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics
Healey expands call for mandatory vaccinations
ATTORNEY GENERAL Maura Healey, who has said COVID-19 vaccinations should be required for public employees, indicated on Wednesday that she believes inoculations should be mandatory for at least some private […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Mass vax sites to offer walk-up appointmentsÂ
IN A SIGN of the vastly increased availability of COVID-19 vaccines, six mass vaccination sites in Massachusetts will begin offering walk-up vaccination appointments. Gov. Charlie Baker announced Wednesday that the Hynes Convention […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC rules Zoom court hearings OK, but …
THE TRIAL COURT is within its rights to hold hearings via videoconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in certain circumstances a criminal defendant should be allowed to postpone a […]
Posted inThe Download
Are liberals ‘addicted’ to the pandemic?
IN THE FACE of a deadly pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 people in the US and more than 3 million worldwide, one group seems to be letting politics […]
Posted inHealth Care
Are liberals ‘addicted’ to the pandemic?
IN THE FACE of a deadly pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 people in the US and more than 3 million worldwide, one group seems to be letting politics […]
Posted inOpinion
Gun store not welcome in Newton
PERHAPS THE MOST jarring part of returning to a sense of normalcy from COVID-19 has been the resurgence of daily headlines reporting the massacres of gun violence that continue to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Report says 479 children harmed last year under state supervision
The death of David Almond, a Fall River teenager with autism who died of abuse and neglect while under the supervision of the Department of Children and Families, has sparked the question: […]
Posted inUncategorized
Many issues with Fall River teen’s death still don’t add up
AFTER A 107-PAGE investigatory report and hours of public testimony, some of the key decisions that led to Fall River teen David Almond’s death remain inexplicable.  Almond, who was autistic, died […]
Posted inOpinion
Green projects are the future, but government must do its part
MASSACHUSETTS HAS ONCE AGAIN stepped into a leadership position on climate change with passage of the Next Generation Roadmap, legislation that backs up the Commonwealth’s commitment to achieving net zero […]
Posted inThe Download
Newton cut off from all-day rail
Newton has found itself on the outside looking in as the MBTA’s commuter rail system transitions from service geared around morning and afternoon peak periods to more frequent service at […]