IF HISTORY IS a guide, three unanimous Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rulings on race and police practices issued last week will make policing more effective and more just. In one, […]
History suggests SJC rulings will improve policing
Posted inOpinion
A new vision for equitable learning
THE PHYSICAL CLOSURE of schools due to COVID-19 is taking a toll on our most precious resource; our children. The impact has been even more significant among black, Latinx, and […]
Posted inOpinion
Four issues to watch on health insurance
AT LAST WEEK’S Health Policy Commission meeting, Kevin Beagan, the deputy commissioner of the Division of Insurance, shared some interesting data highlighting the state of our private health insurance markets […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bill would bar state, county law officers at polls
RESPONDING TO RECENT comments by President Trump, Reps. Antonio Cabral of New Bedford and William Straus of Mattapoisett have filed legislation that would bar state and county law enforcement officials […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker’s firing of Walsh voided for now
Former Holyoke Soldiers Home superintendent Bennett Walsh insisted Gov. Charlie Baker didn’t have the power to fire him, and it turns out he was right. Hampden County Superior Court Judge […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker’s firing of Walsh voided for now
FORMER HOLYOKE Soldiers Home superintendent Bennett Walsh insisted Gov. Charlie Baker didn’t have the power to fire him, and it turns out he was right. Hampden County Superior Court Judge […]
Posted inPolitics
Mail-in voting was huge success; let’s keep it
ON SEPTEMBER 1, Massachusetts voters broke a record. Whether by mail, by dropbox, or in person, 1.7 million voters cast a ballot for our state primaries, exceeding the previous record from 1990. To put this […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Bus driver hit, killed at Charlestown garage
AN MBTA DRIVER walking to his vehicle early Monday morning at the Charlestown garage was struck by a bus and killed, according to T and union officials. Bernadin Etienne, an […]
Posted inPolitics
Groups urge ROE Act passage to honor Ginsburg
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP widely expected to nominate a pro-life judge to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a strong abortion rights voice on the court who died Friday at the age of 87, […]
Posted inEducation
Riley presses districts that are starting year with remote learning
MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATION COMMISSIONER Jeff Riley is escalating his push to convince school districts to bring students back in person, asking 16 districts for more information about their plans – and threatening them with a potential audit […]
Posted inTransportation
T targets white, wealthier riders with service cuts
THE MBTA moved cautiously on Monday toward embracing a framework for making budget-balancing service cuts that will fall disproportionately on white, wealthier riders who have more transportation options. Facing a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bar oversight agency considers misconduct by attorneys in lab scandal case
THE STATE Board of Bar Overseers on Monday began a two-week hearing to decide whether to recommend disciplinary action against three attorneys who worked for former attorney general Martha Coakley, who are accused […]
Posted inBallot Questions, The Codcast
Even basics in dispute on Right to Repair ballot question
Massachusetts voters will be asked in November whether to update the Right to Repair law — but they may have a hard time wading through the complexities of a ballot […]
Posted inThe Download
Even basics in dispute on Right to Repair ballot question
Massachusetts voters will be asked in November whether to update the Right to Repair law — but they may have a hard time wading through the complexities of a ballot […]
Posted inPolitics
Even basics in dispute on Right to Repair ballot question
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS will be asked in November whether to update the Right to Repair law — but they may have a hard time wading through the complexities of a ballot […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
While BPD investigates, employees collect $2.5m
THE BOSTON POLICE Department has paid out $2.5 million in salary and benefits to the 18 employees who are currently on administrative leave while the agency investigates alleged wrongdoing by […]
Posted inOpinion
Gas worker union chief hails DPU’s new attitude
TWO YEARS AGO this month the Merrimack Valley was rocked by gas explosions that tragically killed one young man and destroyed dozens of houses and businesses, disrupting lives for months. […]
Posted inOpinion
Bold thinking required at I-90 Allston interchange
SOMETIME IN THE mid-1950s, my mother packed the three of us into our black ’52 Plymouth and drove us onto the then-brand-new Southeast Expressway. She probably took us up the […]
Posted inOpinion
Police need to be removed from our schools
THE MURDER of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer reflects a broader, deep-seated racism that infiltrates all levels of our society, including our schools. The racist […]
Posted inOpinion
Anti-union actions reflect racist attitudes
THE CIVIL RIGHTS movement did not end with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. We are still in the midst of it. The work continues as we […]
Posted inOpinion
SJC off base on Baker’s emergency powers
DURING LAST WEEK’S Supreme Judicial Court hearing on the lawsuit challenging Gov. Charlie Baker’s COVID-19 emergency declaration and orders, several justices appeared receptive to the argument that the governor’s declaration […]
Posted inOpinion
Time for Beacon Hill to act on campus sexual assault bill
FOUR YEARS AGO, a diverse coalition of student activists and victim service providers filed a bill with the Massachusetts Legislature to keep campus survivors safe given the impending threat of […]
Posted inThe Download
SJC lobbies lawmakers on police reform
As conference committee members negotiate a final version of a police reform bill, the committee’s senators just got a powerful ally: The Supreme Judicial Court. The SJC on Thursday, in […]
Posted inRace/Racism
SJC lobbies lawmakers on police reform
AS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE members negotiate a final version of a police reform bill, the committee’s senators just got a powerful ally: The Supreme Judicial Court. The SJC on Thursday, in […]