THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT on Thursday issued a ruling that will make it easier for defendants to prove they are the victim of illegal racial profiling when pulled over during […]
Grappling with ‘driving while black,’ SJC offers help
Posted inHealth Care
COVID-19 vaccine unlikely to be a silver bullet
FOR MONTHS, a quarantine-weary, virus-ridden nation has been waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine. It’s become the endgame, the antidote to all the death and economic destruction the virus has caused. […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Senate leader sees $5b revenue downturn
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DESPITE SIGNS that the state’s finances have not completely cratered during the pandemic, the Senate’s top budget official said this week he anticipates tax collections in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Boston leads effort protesting naturalization fee hike
THE CITY OF BOSTON filed an amicus brief Thursday on behalf of 34 cities, counties, and municipal agencies asking a federal court to stop a new rule from going into […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Revised medical parole rules draw fire
A SECOND ATTEMPT by the Department of Correction to develop medical parole regulations is running into blowback from lawmakers and advocates who say the Baker administration is continuing to block […]
Posted inThe Download
Role of school nurses expands during pandemic
There are a multitude of reasons to go to the school nurse — a scraped knee, an asthma attack on the playground, a case of chickenpox, symptoms of the flu, […]
Posted inEducation
Role of school nurses expands during pandemic
THERE ARE A MULTITUDE of reasons to go to the school nurse — a scraped knee, an asthma attack on the playground, a case of chickenpox, symptoms of the flu, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Number of high-risk communities jumps
THE NUMBER of communities considered high risk for COVID-19 increased from 13 to 17, while people younger than 39 led the way in infections, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all […]
Posted inOpinion
Remembering Ralph Gants
AT AGE 15, Ralph Gants protested outside one of the exclusive country clubs in his hometown. Blacks and Jews were not welcome at the club. Ralph and a small group […]
Posted inUncategorized
For SJC, Baker tends to favor smart, moderate judges
IF THERE WERE EVER an example of the enormous power of the governor, it is this: Gov. Charlie Baker, with his next two picks, will appoint the entire seven-member bench […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Proposed Roxbury pot shop stirs debate
WHEN IT COMES to the debate over marijuana legalization in Massachusetts, the horse has left the barn. Voters legalized recreational marijuana sales via a 2016 statewide ballot question, and pot […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health insurance premiums to rise 8% next year
HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS for Massachusetts residents will rise by an average of 7.9 percent at the beginning of next year, despite insurers having profited from declining health care costs during the […]
Posted inTransportation
Poftak pushes feds for $32b for transit agencies
WITH FINANCIAL CHALLENGES mounting at the MBTA, General Manager Steve Poftak joined transportation officials from across the country on Tuesday to press Congress to pass a stimulus package containing $32 […]
Posted inUncategorized
Appeals court backs Trump on immigrant program
A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT has ruled the Trump administration can end humanitarian protections that have allowed more than 300,000 people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan to remain in the United States, including thousands in […]
Posted inEducation
Agencies scramble to offer school-day childcare
THOUSANDS OF MASSACHUSETTS students are starting school remotely this fall. Many of their parents are working. Where will those kids go during the day? The question is one that myriad […]
Posted inThe Codcast
No worries with ‘crowded’ Red Line train
I took a Red Line train last week that was crowded according to the MBTA’s COVID-19 crowding standards, but the consensus on this week’s Codcast was that I didn’t need to worry. […]
Posted inThe Download
Wu launches grassroots mayoral campaign
BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR Michelle Wu formally launched her candidacy for mayor on Tuesday with a campaign that promises to be a distinctive grassroots effort. One example is her campaign website, […]
Posted inPolitics
Wu launches grassroots mayoral campaign
BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR Michelle Wu formally launched her candidacy for mayor on Tuesday with a campaign that promises to be a distinctive grassroots effort. One example is her campaign website, […]
Posted inTransportation
T notes: Battery buses not ready for primetime yet
MBTA OFFICIALS said on Monday that battery-powered buses are a promising technology that is still several years away from being ready for prime time, largely because a test of five […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
SJC Chief Justice Ralph Gants dies
ONLY 10 DAYS after being hospitalized with a heart attack, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants spent Monday morning on the phone from his home talking to attorneys and advocates about the state’s eviction moratorium and pending eviction […]
Posted inTransportation
T gears up for rich-poor divide in service cuts
THE MBTA OVERSIGHT BOARD on Monday began formulating principles to follow as it prepares to cut the transit authority’s operating budget by $300 million to $600 million, with T officials […]
Posted inThe Download
No worries with ‘crowded’ Red Line train
I took a Red Line train last week that was crowded according to the MBTA’s COVID-19 crowding standards, but the consensus on this week’s Codcast was that I didn’t need […]
Posted inTransportation
No worries with ‘crowded’ Red Line train
I took a Red Line train last week that was crowded according to the MBTA’s COVID-19 crowding standards, but the consensus on this week’s Codcast was that I didn’t need […]
Posted inEducation
Report says $500 million in state education funding goes to most affluent communities
LESS THAN A year after Massachusetts enacted sweeping legislation to revamp its school funding formula to steer millions of dollars in new aid to low-income districts, a new report suggests […]