Below is a statement from Sen. Julian Cyr of Truro regarding allegations that Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse abused his power in pursuing sexual relationships with college students at UMass Amherst. […]
Morse letter seems dictated by political calendar
Posted inEconomy
Faneuil Hall tenants, landlord in standoff
THE LANDLORD AND TENANTS at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston seem to be at a standoff, with the landlord refusing tenant demands for more modifications of the existing lease agreements […]
Posted inUncategorized
It’s a renter’s market in Boston
“IT’S A RENTER’S MARKET” hasn’t been uttered in the Greater Boston area for over a decade, but now it’s being heard over and over again as landlords cut their prices […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Bail fund now facing heat
CAN THE EFFORT to right the wrongs of the criminal justice system go too far? That’s the argument coming from liberal-leaning prosecutors after the arrest on new charges of a convicted […]
Posted inThe Download
Bail fund now facing heat
Can the effort to right the wrongs of the criminal justice system go too far? That’s the argument coming from liberal-leaning prosecutors after the arrest on new charges of a […]
Posted inEconomy
Poll finds Latinos heavily impacted by coronavirus
FOOD INSECURITY, DEPRESSION, and unemployment are the top three issues impacting Latino residents in Massachusetts during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group. Twenty percent of […]
Posted inPolitics
2 revealing exchanges in Kennedy-Markey debate
FOR TWO CANDIDATES who are perceived to be in sync on most issues, Ed Markey and Joe Kennedy III couldn’t seem to agree on much of anything during a televised […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker opposes Trump’s stimulus alternative
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said he opposes President Trump’s stimulus alternative because it relies for funding on money Massachusetts and other states are counting on to cover COVID-19 costs and related […]
Posted inEducation
Baker says most kids can return to in-person learning
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER said a key COVID-19 metric currently indicates children in nearly 91 percent of the state’s cities and towns can safely return to school this fall for in-person […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
State begins targeting COVID-19 spread in 33 communities
A CLUSTER of working-class cities remain the most hard-hit by COVID-19 in Massachusetts, as Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday announced new state assistance for virus hotspots. Although state officials have […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker sees positives in July revenue numbers
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER saw some positive signs in the state’s tax haul in July, but he cautioned that the fiscal challenges Massachusetts is facing right now are not going away. […]
Posted inEducation
When schools aren’t delivering, state has duty to intervene
I’VE OFTEN, and recently, heard arguments that state intervention in school districts is an assault on democracy, even racist. I disagree. Access to literacy is a fundamental right and foundation […]
Posted inThe Download
Will the shows go on in Pittsfield?
THE OLD ADAGE that the show must go on is facing a real test out in the Berkshires. The story begins in mid-March, when the coronavirus shut down the stage […]
Posted inPolitics
Globe ed page editor grills House candidate the paper endorsed
THE INTERVIEW Boston Globe editorial page editor Bina Venkataraman conducted with Jake Auchincloss had all the feel of a standard quizzing of a candidate as a newspaper weighs an endorsement, as […]
Posted inUncategorized
Surprise! July state tax revenues increase
STATE OFFICIALS are scratching their heads in astonishment over the July tax revenue numbers released last week. Even though the state’s unemployment rate is in the stratosphere and many businesses […]
Posted inOpinion
Cape and Islands DA officials take umbrage
Below are two columns submitted separately to CommonWealth in response to an op-ed written by Ricardo Brandon Rios on Joseph Kennedy III. The first is by Michael Kelley and the […]
Posted inEducation
What is a ‘hybrid’ education plan?
HUGE NUMBERS of Massachusetts students this fall will be returning to school on a “hybrid” plan – some mix of in-person and remote learning. Like so much of the post-pandemic […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Downing, Vennochi voice concerns on Baker
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS GIVE Gov. Charlie Baker very high marks in general and for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, but two guests on the CommonWealth Codcast criticized him for failing to […]
Posted inPolitics
Downing, Vennochi voice concerns on Baker
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS GIVE Gov. Charlie Baker very high marks in general and for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, but two guests on the CommonWealth Codcast criticized him for failing to […]
Posted inThe Download
Downing, Vennochi voice concerns on Baker
Massachusetts voters give Gov. Charlie Baker very high marks in general and for his handling of the COVID-19 crisis, but two guests on the CommonWealth Codcast criticized him for failing […]
Posted inOpinion
We need to do more to support the elderly
MASSACHUSETTS NEEDS to clearly demonstrate that it values older Massachusetts residents and is committed to building an age-friendly Commonwealth so that all residents of Massachusetts can age with dignity and […]
Posted inEducation
Parents turning to ‘pandemic pods’ and ‘microschools’
WHEN NORTH ANDOVER SCHOOLS closed in March, Jennifer Quadrozzi’s family formed a quarantine pod with three other neighborhood families. Quadrozzi’s seven-year-old daughter now had eight other children, ages two to nine, to play with. The kids would learn at their […]
Posted inOpinion
Grit alone is no longer enough
I DROPPED OUT of high school at the age of 17 after immigrating to Massachusetts from the Dominican Republic. School was just too hard for me, and there was not […]
Posted inOpinion
We must address black, brown mistrust of COVID-19 vaccine
MASSACHUSETTS IS IN DANGER of failing communities of color, once again, if we do not start preparing for a COVID-19 vaccine now. Black Americans, in particular, are both more susceptible […]