IN THE WAKE of the nationwide uprisings asserting that Black Lives Matter, there have been many eloquent pronouncements denouncing racism and pledging to do more to address its impact. The […]
To address juvenile injustice, data needed
Posted inOpinion
Systemic racism has very real health impact
AS A COUNTRY, we are waking up daily to the unacceptable and completely avoidable loss of black life. We know some of their names, like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. […]
Posted inOpinion
Meet the new public records law – same as the old one
OVER THREE YEARS have gone by since the Commonwealth’s much-heralded overhaul of the Public Records Law went into effect in 2017. Regrettably, the old vexing problems nonetheless still persist. That’s […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Italian-American pride means goodbye, Columbus
I’VE BEEN THINKING a lot about Christopher Columbus lately. That wasn’t always the case. Growing up an Italian-American kid, in an Italian-American town in New Jersey, we had summer feasts […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing homes start own Phase 1
LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES, the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts, are starting to enter their own Phase 1. The Baker administration is slightly easing visitation restrictions at the state’s […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
As Massachusetts reopens, prisoners remain isolated
AS MUCH OF MASSACHUSETTS continues to reopen, the same loosening of restrictions is not present at the state’s prisons. Many inmates continue to live in lockdown-like conditions, as the Department […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Judge rules DiMasi can work as lobbyist
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER Sal DiMasi was cleared on Thursday to register as a lobbyist by a Superior Court judge who overturned Secretary of State William Galvin’s decision to reject DiMasi’s […]
Posted inUncategorized
Gyms, museums, movie theaters can reopen Monday
MASSACHUSETTS RESIDENTS tired of being cooped up will have far more entertainment options come Monday, as gyms, museums, and movie theaters begin to reopen as the state moves into the […]
Posted inEconomy
Two Boston nonprofits merging
TWO HISTORIC BOSTON nonprofits – the Jewish Vocational Service and the Boston Center for Adult Education – are merging to increase workplace and educational opportunities for unemployed and underemployed adults. […]
Posted inEducation
Who should pay for the masks?
IT’S NO SECRET that school budgets are strained more drastically than ever as classrooms prepare to reopen in the fall. Backup masks for kids who don’t have them, hand sanitizer, and […]
Posted inThe Download
Who should pay for the masks?
It’s no secret that school budgets are strained more drastically than ever as classrooms prepare to reopen in the fall. Backup masks for kids who don’t have them, hand sanitizer, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Herald cuts 6 as staff continues to shrink
SIX STAFFERS at the Boston Herald received layoff notices on Wednesday, bringing the size of the editorial staff down to about 24. According to sources, the six included a political writer, a […]
Posted inTransportation
Senate pushed to pass transpo revenue package
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE, widely considered a bastion of liberalism on Beacon Hill, suddenly finds itself being pushed and prodded by all sorts of progressive groups to follow the lead of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker defends recommendation on next Holyoke supt
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday rebuffed members of the state’s congressional delegation who called for an independent investigation of the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home and defended his decision not to embrace […]
Posted inTransportation
No simple roundabout dispute
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE a routine road safety project to add a roundabout and sidewalks at a dangerous intersection near a Northampton grocery store. Instead, the project by the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Under pressure, N. Brookfield selectmen postpone July 4 parade
IF BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTERS can march down the streets, why not a July 4 parade? That was the argument being made by selectmen in North Brookfield, a small Worcester-area town […]
Posted inThe Download
Under pressure, N. Brookfield selectmen postpone July 4 parade
If Black Lives Matter protesters can march down the streets, why not a July 4 parade? That was the argument being made by selectmen in North Brookfield, a small Worcester-area […]
Posted inUncategorized
US immigration agency to furlough workers
ACROSS THE NATION, more than two-thirds of the 20,000 employees of a federal immigration services agency have been notified that they are likely to be furloughed for a minimum of […]
Posted inHealth Care
State’s COVID-19 response continues scaling back
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER is taking more steps to scale back the state’s response to COVID-19, doing away with the voluntary 14-day quarantine for visitors from seven nearby states and cutting […]
Posted inEconomy
New bill would extend eviction moratorium by a year
REVERE RESIDENT Dolores De Blass has lived in the same apartment for 11 years and never had a problem making the $2,000-a-month rent, but then COVID-19 came along. De Blass, her […]
Posted inUncategorized
Is Marty Baron out of touch with his newsroom?
MARTY BARON, the newspaper editor who showed no fear in taking on the Catholic Church and now President Trump, is suddenly being described as old-school and out of touch. The 65-year-old […]
Posted inThe Download
Is Marty Baron out of touch with his newsroom?
Marty Baron, the newspaper editor who showed no fear in taking on the Catholic Church and now President Trump, is suddenly being described as old-school and out of touch. The […]
Posted inOpinion
Juneteenth discussion at Tufts misses elephant in room
TUFTS UNIVERSITY, like many elite private colleges and universities in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and its aftermath of protests and related soul searching about racism in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Substance use treatment changing at Plymouth prison
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION is removing correctional officers and expanding treatment programming at the troubled prison facility in Plymouth used to treat men civilly committed for substance use. The shift in […]