PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL MANNING IT’S A THURSDAY EVENING in late May and about 20 immigrant parents and grandparents are gathered in a meeting room of the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association […]
Michael Jonas
Michael Jonas works with Laura in overseeing CommonWealth Beacon coverage and editing the work of reporters. His own reporting has a particular focus on politics, education, and criminal justice reform.
Posted inPolitics
Marty Walsh talks taxes, Baker, and more
Marty Walsh rolled to a huge reelection win last year and just hosted a national gathering of the US Conference of Mayors, where he could bask in the glow of […]
Posted inEnvironment
A towering battle
A month ago, the Conservation Law Foundation signaled its concern over state approval of a waterfront zoning plan that would allow a 600-foot tower on the edge of Boston Harbor […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Patriots star power fuels DA debate
COME FOR THE chance to meet New England Patriots stars, stay for the conversation on important criminal justice issues. That was the game plan for a forum Tuesday night in […]
Posted inPolitics
SJC knocks millionaires tax off November ballot
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL ruled that a proposal to raise taxes on high earners in Massachusetts cannot appear on the November ballot because it violates a constitutional provision requiring that all […]
Posted inPolitics
Is Charlie Baker beatable?
Charlie Baker, the most popular governor in America, looks like a lock for reelection, according to polls, pundits, and even lots of Democrats you talk to. But don’t count John […]
Posted inPolitics
Separation anxiety
THE SCENES OF children being stripped away from their parents at the country’s southern border are hitting a nerve even with those not generally inclined to lash out at the […]
Posted inPolitics
In #MeToo era, steps forward and back
When it comes to reckoning with the role of women in society, it can sometimes be difficult to know whether we’re in a period of enlightened new awareness or blithe […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Patriots players to tackle Suffolk DA race
THE CANDIDATES FOR Suffolk County district attorney may think twice before trying to slip past the moderators of an upcoming forum on the race. That’s because the questions will come […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
DA forum reveals ‘sunlight’ between candidates
THERE APPEARS TO be growing interest in the looming contest for Suffolk County district attorney, the first open race for the position in 16 years and an election coming amidst […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Drug treatment for drug addiction
It’s an approach that research evidence and many in recovery say makes sense — but one that some advocates say has it all wrong. One of the most effective ways […]
Posted inPolitics
Walsh touts his support for Zakim
MAYOR MARTY WALSH acknowledged on Tuesday that he encouraged Boston delegates to last weekend’s Democratic state convention to support challenger Josh Zakim, who scored an upset victory and won the […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Judging the judge
A protest last week outside a Salem courthouse featured a refrain made familiar by the scholarly legal eagles who regularly populate the president’s rally, where they apply only the most […]
Posted inEconomy
Our wheezing democracy
WHO ARE YOU going to turn to make important decisions affecting the state? The sluggish Legislature or schizophrenic, knee-jerk electorate? Those seem to be the less-than-compelling options at this point […]
Posted inEducation
At UMass Amherst, admission easier for out-of-state applicants
THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST has been so aggressive in recruiting out-of-state students that it’s now easier for those students to gain admission than it is for in-state students, according […]
Posted inEducation
Tracing Latino educational inequality
MASSACHUSETTS IS FALLING FAR SHORT when it comes to educating Latino students, with a four-year college graduation gap between white and Latino students that is the 37th worst in the […]
Posted inPolitics
NFL owners yield to Trump, bottom line
In the end, the megamillionaire NFL owners decided to take a knee. Not a knee of protest or principle, as some of their employees pursued last season, but a knee […]
Posted inEducation
Report rips Boston record with ‘off-track’ high school students
A DECADE AFTER a report found that one of every five students in Boston Public Schools had fallen “off track” to graduate from high school, a new study finds that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Devin McCourty tackles criminal justice reform
When New England Patriots co-captain Devin McCourty joined the protests first set off by Colin Kaepernick and “took a knee” during the National Anthem last season, he was making a […]
Posted inPolitics
Gonzalez, Massie share stage — and views
HE WAS NOWHERE to be seen, but Gov. Charlie Baker came in for a pummeling as the two Democrats vying for the right to take him on in November trained […]
Posted inGambling
All bets are on
Way back in 2005, when casino gambling in Massachusetts was still just a twinkle in Bob DeLeo’s eye, Gary Loveman, the Harvard Business School prof-turned-casino-pitchman regaled the region’s business bigs […]
Posted inEducation
The Codcast: “Time to degree’ is key
No one doubts the value of a college education. It is increasingly a requirement for entry into the middle class. But the road to a degree is filled with lots […]
Posted inPolitics
Diehl reverts to form
When Geoff Diehl worked his way to a second-ballot endorsement for US Senate by the state Republican Party at its convention last month, some wondered where the fire-breathing Trump supporter […]
Posted inEducation
Senate calls for ed funding formula revamp
STATE OFFICIALS ARE marking the 25th anniversary of the landmark 1993 education reform law with a statewide set of events being held under the banner “Leading the Nation,” a reference […]