RACHAEL ROLLINS made headlines during her 2018 run for Suffolk County district attorney when she said, if elected, the office would not prosecute those charged with a set of 15 […]
Rachael Rollins on vindication of her decline-to-prosecute policyÂ
Posted inOpinion
Don’t undercut brownfields tax credit
WHEN AN ENVIRONMENTAL remediation program has thrived for a quarter-century — converting abandoned industrial sites into engines of job creation that address the ravages of environmental contamination — turning our […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Pandemic prayers: COVID is reshaping organized religionÂ
IT HAS BEEN more than a year since Temple Beth Zion, a nondenominational Jewish synagogue in Brookline, closed its physical doors. The synagogue started holding daily prayer services for the first […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Why tax forecasts during COVID have been so wrong
ONE OF THE GREAT PUZZLES of the past year is that the world was devastated by a plague and Massachusetts tax revenues were…pretty much OK. Month after month, the state […]
Posted inOpinion
Hotels that fire their workers must be held to account
WHEN MY FAMILY immigrated from Cabo Verde in West Africa, many of them got their first jobs in Boston’s hotels. My cousins Iva and Lucindo Brandao worked in the Colonnade […]
Posted inEnvironment
Baker pulls plug on Springfield biomass power plant
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION pulled the plug on a controversial biomass power plant in Springfield on Friday amid growing pushback from opponents who viewed the burning of wood to produce electricity […]
Posted inPolitics
Laborers union local backs Santiago
JON SANTIAGO, a state rep trying to build a broader base of support in Boston for his run for mayor, got a lift on Friday when a union local with […]
Posted inHealth Care
Disability community is ignored demographic in pandemic
LIKE MANY OTHER marginalized populations, the disability community often finds itself an outlier when it comes to decision-making but always at the center of who is suffering the most. Findings […]
Posted inThe Download
State won’t require 11th grade MCAS
In an attempt to reach a compromise on whether to administer the MCAS this year, Education Commissioner Jeff Riley may have pleased no one. Teachers’ unions and school officials had […]
Posted inEducation
State won’t require 11th grade MCAS
IN AN ATTEMPT to reach a compromise on whether to administer the MCAS this year, Education Commissioner Jeff Riley may have pleased no one. Teachers’ unions and school officials had […]
Posted inOpinion
Fattman case deserves fair, clear ‘public resolution’
SINCE 2012, I’ve worked in a profession that is heavily regulated by national and state campaign finance rules. My approach is to understand the rules, make sure they are clear […]
Posted inOpinion
Climate change already causing power grid issues
IN THE WAKE of the Texas tragedy, when the extreme cold weather literally froze the power grid, took out electricity and fuel supplies, and wreaked havoc on millions of lives, […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: COVID cases among people over 70 way down
THE HIGH VACCINATION rate among older people in Massachusetts is driving down the number of COVID-19 cases in that age group. According to the latest state data, there were 943 […]
Posted inThe Download
Mandatory vaccination debate is percolating
As more and more people get vaccinated, questions on what to do with people who refuse to get their shot(s) keep coming up. Should vaccinations be optional, required, or just […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Mandatory vaccination debate is percolating
AS MORE AND MORE people get vaccinated, questions on what to do with people who refuse to get their shot(s) keep coming up. Should vaccinations be optional, required, or just […]
Posted inOpinion
Biden infrastructure plan and ‘fix it right’
THE BIDEN INFRASTRUCTURE initiative, branded as The American Jobs Plan, may be the most important transportation investment program since the Eisenhower Interstate Highway Act. The Interstate Highway Act kicked off […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DCF head admits agency failed David AlmondÂ
THE TOP MASSACHUSETTS officials charged with protecting vulnerable children admitted Wednesday that the system failed badly in not preventing the death of Fall River teenager David Almond. “It is clear to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker: More J&J vaccines are on the way
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said the federal government will ship 10 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to states next week, with more than 100,000 doses slated for Massachusetts. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
What happened to David Almond?
The state Office of the Child Advocate released a scathing 106-page report on Wednesday detailing enormous failures by the Department of Children and Families and others that ultimately led to […]
Posted inThe Download
Janey already scoring from her potent perchÂ
For more than three years, Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu — who was way out in front on the issue — has been hammering away at the idea of making […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Scathing report details DCF failures leading to death of Fall River boyÂ
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIESÂ failed autistic teenager David Almond time and time again, making inexplicable decisions and ignoring danger signs until the 14-year-old died, emaciated and bruised, allegedly at […]
Posted inPolitics
Janey already scoring from her potent perch
For more than three years, Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu — who was way out in front on the issue — has been hammering away at the idea of making […]
Posted inPolitics
Judge rules against Fattmans in campaign finance case
A SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE on Tuesday refused to prohibit the head of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance from referring the results of his investigation of Sen. Ryan Fattman […]
Posted inUncategorized
White House official stresses flexibility in spending federal money
WITH MASSACHUSETTS EXPECTING an influx of nearly $8 billion in federal stimulus money, many of the federal government’s guidelines for how the money can be used won’t be released until […]