SUSAN KENNEY heard about the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and the rising veteran death toll on the news. Her father, Charles Lowell, lived at the home, yet […]
Families of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home vets tell heartbreaking tales
Posted inEducation
Time to fix the charter school cap
THE STATUTORY RED TAPE restricting the number (and percentage) of students who can attend charter public schools has the Swiftian feel of Lilliputians tying down one of the best solutions […]
Posted inThe Download
Toppling Baker top of mind for Dems
The Democratic Party in Massachusetts is riding high. Heading into the election just two weeks away, party members control the entire congressional delegation, are looking to add to their dominance […]
Posted inPolitics
Toppling Baker top of mind for Dems
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY in Massachusetts is riding high. Heading into the election just two weeks away, party members control the entire congressional delegation, are looking to add to their dominance […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Allston I-90 throat consensus seems very iffy
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Stephanie Pollack has warned that the $1 billion I-90 Allston interchange could be scaled back dramatically if stakeholders are unable to reach consensus on how to rebuild the […]
Posted inEducation
Coalition to press state ed leaders on vocational school admissions
A COALITION OF groups pushing for changes to the admissions policies at Massachusetts vocational technical high schools is sounding the alarm on an issue that got sidetracked by the pandemic, […]
Posted inUncategorized
With eviction ban lifted, landlords have next move
ON THE FIRST business day after the end of a six-month long statewide moratorium on evictions, not much happened. But that could change fairly quickly. The 11,000-plus pending cases that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lawsuit over civil commitments targets Hampden sheriff’s program
A LAWSUIT TO end the practice of confining civilly committed men with substance use disorders in prisons has been expanded to directly target a substance use program at the Hampden County House […]
Posted inUncategorized
Municipal leaders oppose new marijuana delivery licenses
PROPOSED NEW STATE REGULATIONS that would authorize marijuana delivery companies to sell directly to consumers were already drawing fire from marijuana retail stores worried that they will lose business to the […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The two sides of ranked choice voting
Massachusetts voters will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. CommonWealth Magazine · The two […]
Posted inThe Codcast
The two sides of ranked choice voting
Massachusetts voters will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. CommonWealth Magazine · The two […]
Posted inThe Download
The two sides of ranked-choice voting
Massachusetts voters will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. Under ranked-choice voting, as envisioned […]
Posted inPolitics
The two sides of ranked-choice voting
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS will decide on the November ballot whether to overhaul the state’s system of voting by switching to ranked-choice voting for most non-presidential elections. Under ranked-choice voting, as envisioned […]
Posted inOpinion
Nursing home residents need more help voting
NEARLY 40,000 citizens in nursing homes across Massachusetts have endured months of harrowing conditions under COVID-19, watching as friends and caregivers succumb, victims of the largest concentration of deaths in […]
Posted inTransportation
T revising ridership projections downward
This story has been updated. MBTA OFFICIALS are revising downward their ridership and revenue projections based on scenario planning that envisions telecommuting becoming “standard practice for the foreseeable future.” State […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Museums refocus and reinvent to survive COVID
JANE PARKER LIVES in Harvard, and over the years, she has visited the neighboring Fruitlands Museum for big events, like February’s Winterfest. In early October, Parker returned to Fruitlands to hike for the […]
Posted inOpinion
Ed Markey’s reckless support for court packing
SINCE THE SAD PASSING of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, headlines have been dominated by Judge Amy Coney Barrett and her nomination to the Supreme Court. I have said publicly that […]
Posted inOpinion
Baker’s ‘miracle budget’ doesn’t rise to the occasion
THE UNVEILING of Gov. Charlie Baker’s revised fiscal year 2021 budget raised eyebrows. Some called it a “miracle budget” because he proposed a balanced budget without large-scale cuts and — […]
Posted inTransportation
Pollack urged to open up I-90 throat review process
Below is a letter sent by Rick Dimino, president and CEO of the business group A Better City, to state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack on October 14 concerning the so-called […]
Posted inEnvironment
N.E. governors seek bigger say in power policies
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER and four other New England governors made a push on Friday for a much bigger say in the way the region’s electricity markets are regulated and governed, […]
Posted inPolitics
Tran, Cronin trade salvos over experience, ethics
SEN. DEAN TRAN of Fitchburg said at a Thursday night debate that he deserves to be reelected because of his experience and accomplishments on Beacon Hill even though his reputation […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge allows prisoners to pursue stimulus checks
A RULING by a California judge is allowing those in prison to apply for government stimulus checks, overturning a decision by the Internal Revenue Service that such payments are not […]
Posted inOpinion
As 2d COVID spike nears, ending eviction ban bad idea
MASSACHUSETTS FINDS ITSELF in what looks like the early stages of a second coronavirus spike. Since the start of September, the state’s daily incidence rate has increased 118 percent. Our […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
US attorney establishes new civil rights task force
US ATTORNEY ANDREW LELLING said Friday that he is establishing a new Civil Rights Task Force to help local and state law enforcement prevent, investigate, and prosecute civil rights violations in Massachusetts. The […]