THE BOSTON MARATHON has been run in some form every year since 1897, withstanding the 1918 influenza pandemic, two world wars, and other disruptions. But with the state’s path through […]
COVID-19 outduels Boston Marathon
Posted inCriminal Justice
Legal skirmishing continues at Bristol County Jail
EVEN AS COVID-19 deaths and infections are declining across Massachusetts, legal skirmishing is continuing at the Bristol County Jail over the safety of federal immigration detainees. Legal advocates for some […]
Posted inUncategorized
All sorts of reasons for not wearing a mask
JOE BIDEN on Tuesday called President Trump a “fool, an absolute fool” for “stoking deaths” by implying that wearing a mask in public to combat the spread of the COVID-19 […]
Posted inOpinion
The black swan of our time
This is the twelfth conversation between Dr. Jarone Lee, a frontline critical care and emergency physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Paul […]
Posted inEnvironment
Chelsea and East Boston deserve true transit equity
REMEMBER FOR A moment what life was like before COVID-19 upended our sense of normalcy. For Chelsea residents, that meant waiting much longer than the scheduled 8-12 minutes for the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Spotlight on Urena in Soldiers’ Home scandal
THE SCANDAL AT THE Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is putting a spotlight on Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco Urena, with one veteran’s organization calling for his resignation – a development that is […]
Posted inThe Download
Spotlight on Urena in Soldiers’ Home scandal
The scandal at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is putting a spotlight on Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco Urena, with one veteran’s organization calling for his resignation – a development that […]
Posted inHealth Care
Healey investigating Littleton nursing home
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY said her office is investigating a nursing home in Littleton to determine if its response to a COVID-19 outbreak that caused the deaths of 26 residents […]
Posted inHealth Care
Death data for individual nursing homes released
A correction has been added to this story. THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH on Wednesday evening released a breakdown of COVID-19 fatalities at 319 privately run long-term care facilities that […]
Posted inTransportation
How far apart should riders be on the MBTA?
THE STATE’S GUIDANCE on social distancing recommends people stay 6 feet apart, but the MBTA’s new standard for crowding on its buses and subways is 3 feet. That distance hasn’t […]
Posted inUncategorized
Unemployment portal now in multiple languages
ONE DAY AFTER making the state’s unemployment insurance portal available in Portuguese, the state added versions in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Haitian Kreyol. The new versions were added this week with […]
Posted inTransportation
Virus upends commuting attitudes, plans
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC will hopefully come to an end or become successfully managed in the not too distant future, but some of the commuting practices it is ushering in may have […]
Posted inThe Download
Virus upends commuting attitudes, plans
The coronavirus pandemic will hopefully come to an end or become successfully managed in the not too distant future, but some of the commuting practices it is ushering in may […]
Posted inUncategorized
Weeks late, Mass. unemployment portal translated into Portuguese
A PORTUGUESE VERSION of the state’s unemployment insurance portal was released Tuesday, nearly seven weeks after the Baker administration promised quick action on translations of the portal into several languages […]
Posted inPolitics
Leader of Mass. Republicans says party in ‘dire straits’
THE CHAIR of the Massachusetts Republican Party said on Tuesday that the state GOP is in “dire straits” heading into the 2020 election season. “We’re facing an uphill battle to […]
Posted inHealth Care
Documents: Top Baker aides knew of Holyoke Soldiers’ Home outbreak
NEW DOCUMENTS RELEASED by the former superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home show that top state officials – including Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco Urena – knew about the growing […]
Posted inHealth Care
Sudders: Nursing homes still work in progress
AS THE STATE’S OVERALL COVID-19 numbers continue to trend in a good direction, a top Baker administration official said on Tuesday that addressing the serious problems faced by nursing homes […]
Posted inUncategorized
Polito said she attended brother’s graduation party
LT. GOV. KARYN POLITO on Tuesday denied a report that she hosted a party at her home over the weekend, saying instead that she attended a graduation party hosted by […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Walsh says governing has become about ‘life and death’
MARTY WALSH IS THE FIRST to admit that dealing with a global pandemic was never among the challenges he imagined facing as Boston mayor. “The last thought in my mind — […]
Posted inUncategorized
SJC allows alcohol sales question to advance to 2020 ballot
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT ruled Tuesday that a proposed ballot question allowing for expanded alcohol and beer sales can proceed to the November ballot. Massachusetts state law limits the number […]
Posted inOpinion
Rider survey data should inform commuter rail planning
COMMONWEALTH’S RECENT STORY, “Pollack floats idea of slowing commuter rail makeover,” cited the precipitous drop in commuter rail mTicket revenue, from $331,341 collected on March 4 to $1,192 collected on […]
Posted inUncategorized
Walsh says governing has become about ‘life and death’
MARTY WALSH IS THE FIRST to admit that dealing with a global pandemic was never among the challenges he imagined facing as Boston mayor. “The last thought in my mind — […]
Posted inThe Download
Walsh says governing has become about ‘life and death’
Marty Walsh is the first to admit that dealing with a global pandemic was never among the challenges he imagined facing as Boston mayor. “The last thought in my mind […]
Posted inUncategorized
Boards of health combine education, enforcement
AS BUSINESSES START to reopen this week, local boards of health are both educating firms about the state’s rules on COVID-19 and policing them. The goal is to keep businesses […]