OUTRAGE OVER THE brutal killing of George Floyd has rightly heightened public scrutiny of police union resistance to desperately needed reforms. Less understandable is the assumption that the police are an […]
Police brutality highlights clout of public-sector unions
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Tensions rising between House and Senate
A correction and a clarification have been added to this story. JUST AS THE LEGISLATUREÂ heads into crunch time on Beacon Hill, tensions appear to be rising between the House and […]
Posted inThe Download
Tensions rising between House and Senate
Just as the Legislature heads into crunch time on Beacon Hill, tensions appear to be rising between the House and Senate over how bills should emerge from a key committee. […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers back extension of existing MBTA control board
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE AND SENATE leaders reached an agreement Thursday to keep the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board in place for another year and to scrap a […]
Posted inOpinion
Ranked choice voting can promote equality
“I am convinced that if we are to get on to the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values” Rev. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker stops short on key reform measure
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER promised to follow through on all of the recommendations contained in a report documenting a series of management and medical mistakes at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, but […]
Posted inArts and Culture
The fascist roots of Columbus Day
AS STATUES OF Christopher Columbus are toppled (or beheaded), from St. Paul to Richmond to Boston, Americans are beginning to question the motive for raising certain historical actors to mythical […]
Posted inEducation
State: Students low risk for COVID-19
IN CRAFTING A BACK-TO-SCHOOL PLAN for the fall, the Baker administration is relying on nascent medical research suggesting children under 20 are less likely to both contract COVID-19 and transmit […]
Posted inHealth Care
COVID-19 crackdown coming for N. End restaurants
FOLLOWING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about expanded outdoor dining in Boston’s North End not complying with COVID-19 guidelines, the city’s Licensing Board has decided to crack down with random inspections of new “al […]
Posted inThe Download
COVID-19 crackdown coming for N. End restaurants
Following numerous complaints about expanded outdoor dining in Boston’s North End not complying with COVID-19 guidelines, the city’s Licensing Board has decided to crack down with random inspections of new […]
Posted inOpinion
Living wage needed for human service workers
THROUGHOUT THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic, we have heralded the selfless heroism of our health care workforce and first responders. The doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, EMTs, firefighters, and police continue to […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Parents divided over the coming school year
PARENTS ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS are sharply divided along racial lines on how they want the next school year to unfold and whether schools have the ability to operate safely, according to […]
Posted inPolitics
Boston councilors approve budget after charged debate
AFTER MORE THAN two hours of debate, Boston city councilors approved a $3.61 billion budget for 2021, averting a showdown with Mayor Marty Walsh that some councilors deemed […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Boston City Council bans use of facial recognition tech
THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL voted unanimously on Wednesday to prohibit the police department and other city agencies from using facial recognition technology or information derived from face surveillance systems. The […]
Posted inHealth Care
Walsh is fall guy, but it goes way beyond him
IN HIS 174-PAGE REPORT on the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, Mark Pearlstein and his team paint a portrait of a long-term care facility for veterans that was managed poorly, overseen improperly, […]
Posted inHealth Care
What went wrong at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home
THE WORST DECISION made by the staff at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was to combine some 40 residents of two locked dementia care units – some with COVID-19 and most not – into […]
Posted inUncategorized
Fireworks rattle cities, draw wild theories
THERE’S SO MUCHÂ about life over the last few months that was impossible to predict, even after the pandemic began to reshape nearly every facet of our daily existence. For residents […]
Posted inThe Download
Fireworks rattle cities, draw wild theories
There’s so much about life over the last few months that was impossible to predict, even after the pandemic began to reshape nearly facet of our daily existence. For residents […]
Posted inUncategorized
Veterans Secretary Francisco Urena resigns
SECRETARY OF VETERANS’ Services Francisco Urena has resigned in advance of the release of a report investigating the coronavirus outbreak at Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, according to multiple news reports. Urena […]
Posted inTransportation
Theoharides stirs outrage with Pike stance
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY Stephanie Pollack got a big assist from one of her colleagues in Gov. Charlie Baker’s cabinet on Monday in making the case for a status quo solution to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Walsh, council in budget showdown
THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL and Mayor Marty Walsh are in a high-stakes budget standoff fueled by the pandemic, policing issues, and political positioning a year ahead of a mayoral election. […]
Posted inUncategorized
Trump suspends visa program bringing workers to US
PRESIDENT TRUMP on Monday extended existing restrictions on the issuance of new green cards and temporarily suspended new work visas that will bar hundreds of thousands of immigrants from coming […]
Posted inUncategorized
Auditor employees violated conflict of interest law
THE STATE ETHICS COMMISSION says a former employee and a former consultant of the state auditor’s office violated Massachusetts conflict of interest laws by forming a software company that attempted […]
Posted inPolitics
Race comments roil public sector workforce
MANY PUBLIC EMPLOYEES are learning the hard way: The right to free speech doesn’t extend to racist speech when you’re on a taxpayer-funded salary. Some of the recent examples are particularly […]