A PLAN TOUTED by state education leaders as a breakthrough compromise aimed at healing the rift between district and charter schools has instead inflamed passions on Beacon Hill where the […]
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 inEducation
In Newton, the everyday version of “Varsity Blues” scandal
NEVER MIND BRIBING the college tennis coach and all its potential downsides — like a felony conviction and jail time. It turns out going to Newton North High School also […]
Posted inEducation
‘Promise Act’ ed bill would be boon for Boston
WHEN BOSTON MAYOR Mayor Marty Walsh testified in late March on behalf of a bill to revamp the state’s 26-year-old education funding formula, he called it “a solution that will […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Kraft to lawyers: Do your job
WHEN IT COMES TO his involvement with the Orchids of Asia Day Spa, it looks like Robert Kraft is going to get off again. With the best legal defense money […]
Posted inEducation
Teachers union, residents sue to block New Bedford charter school plan
A PLAN PUT forward by state education commissioner Jeff Riley as a compromise aimed at healing a rift over charter schools in New Bedford is instead drawing the wrath of […]
Posted inEducation
Mayors say they’ll sue over education aid if Beacon Hill doesn’t act
LEADERS ON BEACON HILL, who say they are committed this year to revamping the state’s 26-year-old education funding formula, got an extra nudge from a group of municipal leaders who […]
Posted inHealth Care
RFK, Jr.’s anti-vaccine campaign is reckless and wrong — say three Kennedys
OF ALL THE WRINKLES in the emerging measles crisis and spotlight it has put on families who have caused the outbreak by refusing to vaccinate their children, the most curious […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Guns
Holding Steven close
RONALD ODOM TALKS about his son’s death like it was yesterday because, for the soft-spoken retired letter carrier, it still feels that way. But this fall will mark 12 years […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health care chairs vow action on price variation
THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing may be new to their posts, but both seem to grasp the urgency of tackling big issues facing the […]
Posted inEducation
Boston taps high-stakes testing opponent
THE BOSTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE answered the question of who will lead the district by tapping former Minnesota education commissioner Brenda Cassellius to be the city’s next school superintendent. But the […]
Posted inUncategorized
A pot research bonanza
Massachusetts, despite its Puritan “blue laws” past, showed more of its blue state liberal leanings through a 2016 ballot question that made it one of 10 states to legalize recreational […]
Posted inEducation
On Boston superintendent pick, mayor’s view looms large
THE THREE FINALISTS for the Boston school superintendent position each faced six-and-half hours of public questioning this week. Each candidate spent a long day going before panels made up of […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Juul says it’s only here to help
E-CIGARETTE USE HAS EXPLODED, and whether this is a good thing or not depends very much on the vantage point from which it’s viewed. Both vantage points were on display […]
Posted inEducation
Homing in on new Boston superintendent
THREE FINALISTS HAVE BEEN NAMED in the search for a new Boston school superintendent, but it’s hard not to wonder whether home field advantage will be what matters in the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Medicare for All big hit with pols — but not Mass. hospitals
MEDICARE FOR ALL, which has gained traction among Democrats in Congress and some of the party’s presidential contenders, is often described as a way to guarantee health coverage to all […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The Rollins rule: play straight with me
HERE IS ONE OFFENSE that clearly does not appear on Rachael Rollins’s “do not prosecute” list: A top official taking a tough swipe at her through the press without first […]
Posted inHealth Care
A health care leader from the grassroots
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS often have a strong grassroots connection to the neighborhoods they serve. But no center may proclaim that more loudly through its leadership than the East Boston Neighborhood […]
Posted inEducation
Hampshire College president resigns
FOLLOWING SEVERAL MONTHS of turmoil and protest against her leadership, Hampshire College president Miriam Nelson resigned Friday afternoon, the latest chapter in ongoing upheaval at the Amherst campus. Nelson, who only […]
Posted inPolitics
Buttigieg brings buzz to Boston
PETE BUTTIGIEG brought his wonky, faith-flavored brand of Midwestern progressive politics to Boston on Wednesday afternoon, and was met with an enthusiastic reception. More than 1,000 people packed a Northeastern […]
Posted inTransportation
Is New York showing up ‘progressive’ Mass.?
START SPREADING THE NEWS: Not only are the Yankees a game and a half in front of the faltering Red Sox, New York has taken a big lead over Boston […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Guns
Police-worn body cameras not panning out
AS MORE AND MORE POLICE DEPARTMENTS adopt policies to have officers wear body cameras to record interactions with the public, the research evidence continues to build on the effects of […]
Posted inEducation
How much is enough to fix education aid formula?
BEACON HILL IS bracing for what’s likely to be one of the biggest legislative hearings in recent years, as hundreds of advocates, parents, local officials, union leaders, and students are […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Was ‘Reefer Madness’ right?
IN THE MID-1930s, a church group financed a film intended to frighten parents about the dangers their children face from marijuana. “Reefer Madness” portrayed cannabis as a powerful drug capable of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
With homicides, a tale of two very different cities
IS IT POSSIBLE to maintain a fierce urgency to reduce gun violence in Boston, while also taking stock of how much worse things could be and being grateful for the […]