Here’s a rundown of what’s in our spring print issue, which is in the mail and available online. You may have heard something about infighting in Fall River between wunderkind […]
CommonWealth’s Spring 2018 issue is out!
Posted inEducation
UMass vs. UMass
The list of those supporting the takeover of Mount Ida College in Newton by the University of Massachusetts as a satellite campus for Amherst students starts with UMass President Martin Meehan, […]
Posted inThe Download
UMass vs. UMass
The list of those supporting the takeover of Mount Ida College in Newton by the University of Massachusetts as a satellite campus for Amherst students starts with UMass President Martin Meehan, […]
Posted inPolitics
Fall River’s lightning rod
Photographs by Meghan Moore FALL RIVER MAYOR Jasiel Correia’s voice was scratchy and raw. It was March 13, the day after yet another nor’easter, and he had spent a good part […]
Posted inEconomy
Hollywood haves and have-nots
 NEW BEDFORD MAYOR JON MITCHELL thinks his city, with its gritty harbor, its cobblestoned streets, its mill buildings, and its sweeping ocean views, has Hollywood appeal. Hollywood also appeals to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Tax that dirty water
LISA MURPHY DOESN’T have any control over how much rain or snow falls on her property in Milton, but she is nevertheless being charged a special fee for stormwater runoff. […]
Posted inTransportation
Three officials part of attempt to change the T’s culture
Photographs by Frank Curran WHEN BRIAN SHORTSLEEVE took over as chief administrator of the MBTA in August 2015, he wanted to shake things up. The former managing director at the […]
Posted inEconomy
Lottery winners not getting full prize value
THE WINNERS OF two second-chance drawings offered by the Massachusetts Lottery are getting shortchanged, collecting merchandise worth far less than what they were promised. Second-chance games do what the name […]
Posted inBook Review
Book review: Massport at 60
Massport at 60: Shaping the future since 1956 By Jim Aloisi Massachusetts Port Authority 262 pages YES, THIS BOOKÂ commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Massachusetts Port Authority, but the story […]
Posted inEconomy
1099 Nation spreads its tentacles
JULIO BELDI SPENT more than 10 years working in the seamy underside of the non-union construction industry. Paid $17-$22 an hour for his work as a carpenter across New England, Beldi […]
Posted inHealth Care
Democrats have a lot to learn from Trump
OUR DAILY FOCUS on Donald Trump’s narcissistic behavior diverts attention from something much more significant: the likelihood that his presidency may constitute an important historical transition for the United States. It […]
Posted inPolitics
Clark seems like she’s in a good spot
US REP. KATHERINE CLARK appears well positioned politically if the Democrats retake the House of Representatives in November—and even if they don’t. If Democrats win, Clark can take some of […]
Posted inEducation
College math doesn’t add up
AMY BLANCHETTE GRADUATED from community college a few years ago and applied to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth as the next step in her long-term goal of attaining a master’s […]
Posted inHealth Care
An upstart helps to reshape MassHealth
ON MARCH 1, the state’s Medicaid program—known as MassHealth—entered a new era with the launch of 17 accountable care organizations, or ACOs, aiming to provide better coordinated care at lower […]
Posted inPolitics
Amherst church is now his home
ON THE VERGE of being deported last summer, Lucio Perez took sanctuary in the First Congregational Church in Amherst. He hasn’t left since. Perez is one of three people in […]
Posted inTransportation
MBTA expansion means new maps
THE MBTA IS starting to expand again, and that means the maps of the system need to change—which is not as simple as it sounds. There are more than 500 […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmakers refuse to release records
THE LEGISLATURE, THE GOVERNOR, and the judiciary are all exempt in one way or another from the state’s Public Records Law, but the governor and the judiciary sometimes voluntarily comply […]
Posted inTransportation
Debate over new T revenues coming
THE MBTA OVERSIGHT BOARD on Monday unanimously approved a $2 billion budget for the coming fiscal year and indicated it would tackle the issue of whether the T needs a […]
Posted inEducation
Inspirational talks are not cheap
EX-NBA SUPERSTAR KAREEM Abdul-Jabbar gave a speech at Bunker Hill Community College last October — not on how to shoot his patented skyhook, but on the weighty subject of “Islam: […]
Posted inOpinion
We need your feedback
THIS ISSUE CAME TOGETHER much like past issues. We came up with our story ideas and reported them out. We recruited freelancers to research and write other stories. And we […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Episode 92: Two firms say Healey goes too far
Attorney General Maura Healey wants to shut down the companies that sell electricity to residential customers in Massachusetts, but officials with two of the firms say the answer to any […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Codcast: Two firms say Healey goes too far
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEYÂ wants to shut down the companies that sell electricity to residential customers in Massachusetts, but officials with two of the firms say the answer to any problems […]
Posted inThe Download
The Codcast: Two firms say Healey goes too far
Attorney General Maura Healey wants to shut down the companies that sell electricity to residential customers in Massachusetts, but officials with two of the firms say the answer to any […]
Posted inUncategorized
On records, State Police all about delay
THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE are not a big fan of transparency, as the agency’s policy on public records seems to be all about delay. The State Police regularly redact documents […]