Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law on Wednesday a bill designed to keep the peace in front of abortion clinics. The new law replaces a statute passed in 2007 that […]
Patrick signs revamped abortion clinic law
Posted inPolitics
Probation juror says DeLeo should have been on trial
One of the jurors in the Probation Department corruption trial sent an email to a radio talk show host on Thursday saying he felt House Speaker Robert DeLeo should have […]
Posted inThe Download
Wegmans has the sizzle while Market Basket burns
As the Arthur S. Demoulas clan continues to fiddle while the Market Basket legacy burns, there is another entrant quietly moving into in the lucrative Massachusetts grocery store sector. This […]
Posted inPolitics
The long arm of Probation
The fallout from the Probation scandal appears to have gone beyond state lines and could have an impact on sentencing for former commissioner John O’Brien and his two top deputies. […]
Posted inPolitics
McCormick is a threat to Baker’s candidacy
Charlie Baker is a businessman who wants to be governor of Massachusetts. His pitch largely revolves around jobs, education, and his private-sector experience. Jeff McCormick is also a businessman who […]
Posted inThe Download
DeLeo on offensive
House Speaker Robert DeLeo has been on the offensive recently, and very little of it has relied on charm. DeLeo has made the rounds with television reporters. He’s battering the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion, Politics
“Discretionary” firearms licensing a risky move
In response to the shooting tragedies in Newtown, Connecticut, and Aurora, Colorado, and after many months of policy study, House Speaker Robert DeLeo introduced new firearms legislation. Public hearings were […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Rally supports accepting undocumented children
Immigration advocates gathered in the shadow of the Irish Famine Memorial in downtown Boston Monday to urge support for housing undocumented children who have streamed into the United States in […]
Posted inGambling
Earnings calls differ for Wynn, Mohegan Sun
The two companies competing for the Greater Boston casino license reported their quarterly financial numbers on Tuesday, and the tone of their conference calls with analysts was very different. Wynn […]
Posted inPolitics
Q&A on Probation case
The following information was gleaned from discussions with a variety of sources close to the Probation Department case involving former commissioner John O’Brien and his top aides, Elizabeth Tavares and […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Dark money unlikely to brighten Grossman’s odds
Cue the dark-money attack ad sliming the candidate in the lead. Cue the counter ad from the attack target calling out the candidate the attack ad is fronting for as […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
On immigrant children, we’re failing a moral test
The lingering question with the thousands of children detained along the US-Mexico border is are we still a nation that takes action or have we become paralyzed by our politics? […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
A six-state solution on energy makes sense
Your recent article entitled “A regional power solution” suggests that the six New England states are plotting a solution to our regional energy challenges without public engagement or a rationale. […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo criticizes Ware, calls him unprofessional
House Speaker Robert DeLeo over the weekend lashed out at Paul Ware for suggesting a statement Ware made in 2010 should not be construed as clearing the Speaker of any […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Probation jurors go with their heads
Jurors went with their heads rather than their hearts in finding former Probation commissioner John O’Brien and two of his top aides guilty of mail fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy. Their […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
CommonWealth’s coverage of the Probation trial verdict
3 Probation defendants found guilty by jury Fraudulent hires linked to DeLeo, Murray, other lawmakers A federal jury found former state Probation Department commissioner John O’Brien guilty of mail fraud, […]
Posted inPolitics
Putting thumb on scale is the Beacon Hill way
The federal corruption trial of John O’Brien unfolded on two levels. It was equal parts law enforcement exercise and political soap opera. The trial of O’Brien, the former state Probation […]
Posted inPolitics
Ware says his probe did not clear DeLeo
Paul Ware, the independent counsel appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court to investigate Probation Department corruption, took issue with House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s contention that his 2010 probe found the […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Baker’s McCormick problem
Gov. Deval Patrick’s bid to shelter immigrant children in Massachusetts is creating some interesting plot lines in the race to succeed him. The Democratic candidates for governor — Attorney General […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
A regional power solution
The six New England governors are plotting huge changes in the region’s energy market, but none of them are stepping up to explain why their proposals are needed or how […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo: Jury cleared me of inappropriate conduct
A chastened House Speaker Robert DeLeo responded to Thursday’s Probation Department guilty verdict by issuing a statement saying “it is a verdict that all of us have to respect.” But […]
Posted inPolitics
A stain on the dome
The guilty finding was made at the federal courthouse on Boston’s waterfront, but its reverberations were loudest a mile away at the State House. No legislators were formally charged in […]
Posted inPolitics
Ortiz wins big victory, but questions remain
US Attorney Carmen Ortiz with prosecutors Robert Fisher (left) and Fred Wyshak Nearly everyone on Beacon Hill thought US Attorney Carmen Ortiz was over-reaching by attempting to make a crime […]
Posted inPolitics
3 Probation defendants found guilty by jury
Defense attorneys (from left) John Amabile, William Fick, Stellio Sennis, Jeffrey Denner, and Brad Bailey A federal jury found former state Probation Department commissioner John O’Brien guilty of mail fraud, […]