IN THEIR PRIMARY NIGHT acceptance speeches, Gov. Charlie Baker and his Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez laid out very different visions of the future. Baker talked of fiscal discipline, opposition to […]
Speeches highlight big differences between Baker, Gonzalez
Posted inPolitics
The Bay State Trump bump
Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there He wasn’t there again today I wish, I wish he’d go away… “Antigonish” […]
Posted inThe Download
The Bay State Trump bump
Yesterday, upon the stair, I met a man who wasn’t there He wasn’t there again today I wish, I wish he’d go away… […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins rolls to big win in Suffolk DA race
AGAINST THE BACKDROP of a national rethinking of criminal justice policies, Suffolk County residents voted for big change in the district attorney’s office as Rachael Rollins, a former federal prosecutor […]
Posted inPolitics
Voters hand defeats to two key members of DeLeo leadership team
ON A PRIMARY NIGHT when Beacon Hill incumbents fared well overall, two members of House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s leadership team from Boston were defeated by newcomers to state politics. Nika […]
Posted inPolitics
Pressley leads changing of the guard
CHANGE HAMMERED ON US Rep. Michael Capuano’s door at about 9:15 Tuesday night after making the rounds at a few other stops. It couldn’t wait. For Ayanna Pressley, the 44-year-old […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Leonard Bernstein’s legacy in Lawrence
This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before. –Leonard Bernstein ON A RECENT AUGUST DAY, students gathered around […]
Posted inPolitics
Five keys to the primary election
NEWCOMERS OR INCUMBENTS? Several races feature contests between incumbents with seniority and power versus newcomers who represent change. In most of the cases, the change isn’t about ideology but simply […]
Posted inThe Download
Five keys to the primary election
Newcomers or incumbents? Several races feature contests between incumbents with seniority and power versus newcomers who represent change. In most of the cases, the change isn’t about ideology but simply […]
Posted inOpinion
Democracy at risk when unions attacked
AS THE 2018 ELECTIONS APPROACH, many voters find themselves doing a lot of soul-searching about the state of our democracy. On the one hand, the Trump administration seems to be […]
Posted inPolitics
Berkshire County DA’s race: baggage, experience, politics
BY ALL INDICATIONS, the Democratic primary race for Berkshire County district attorney has been a bruiser. In public forums and interviews, the incumbent and his two challengers have challenged each […]
Posted inOpinion
Why some establishment Dems are on the defensive
HEADING INTO THE SEPTEMBER 4 primary, there is an undercurrent of voter discontent with establishment Democrats, which activists and candidates propose to fix with more progressive ideology – or at […]
Posted inOpinion
Hey, college presidents, speak up!
COLLEGE PRESIDENTS HAVE long used the bully pulpit that comes with their office to shape public opinion. That is, until now. Today, college leaders remain silent, having turned their sights […]
Posted inPolitics
Liberal groups boost Sanchez challenger
IF THERE IS a campaign equivalent to the see-through pane in front of a fire alarm marked, “In case of emergency, break glass,” Jeff Sanchez has put his fist through […]
Posted inUncategorized
AG: Towns can’t ban medical pot
IN A STARTLING TURNAROUND, Attorney General Maura Healey has reversed her office’s decision that allowed communities to ban medical marijuana dispensaries after opening the door earlier this summer for cities […]
Posted inPolitics
Palfrey and Tingle on the quest to be the Dems’ No. 2
WHEN THE SUBJECT of the lieutenant governor’s office comes up, there’s an old saw in Massachusetts political circles that is offered to explain its place in the state’s political firmament: […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Palfrey and Tingle on the quest to be the Dems’ No. 2
When the subject of the lieutenant governor’s office comes up, there’s an old saw in Massachusetts political circles that is offered to explain its place in the state’s political firmament: […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 113: Palfrey and Tingle on quest to be Dems’ No. 2
Two Democrats — Quentin Palfrey and Jimmy Tingle — are vying for the September 4 nomination for lieutenant governor. The winner will be paired with the victor in the party’s […]
Posted inThe Back Story
Lobbyists shower DeLeo, Sanchez with donations
LOBBYISTS POURED MONEY into the campaign coffers of House Speaker Robert DeLeo and one of his top lieutenants, House Ways and Means chair Jeffrey Sanchez, during the first part of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
The law-and-order candidate – with a twist
AT A TIME when talk of criminal justice reform is in the air, Greg Henning looks like the face of the status quo. One of five candidates in the Democratic […]
Posted inPolitics
Are the parties over?
IT’S A TREND that’s been underway for years, and it may only accelerate. For all the talk of the enduring strength of the two-party system, voters unaligned with any party […]
Posted inThe Download
Are the parties over?
It’s a trend that’s been underway for years, and it may only accelerate. For all the talk of the enduring strength of the two-party system, voters unaligned with any party […]
Posted inTransportation
T pares back Alewife rate hike by $1
THE MBTA SAID IT IS PARING BACK by $1 the proposed weekday parking rate increase set to take effect next week at its Alewife garage in light of major repairs […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
In DA races, commitment to transparency is crucial
MASSACHUSETTS WILL HOLD primary elections for district attorney on Tuesday, and general elections in November. In the past, candidates have almost always run unopposed, and voter interest in the races […]