The committee created by House Speaker Robert DeLeo to explore ways of reducing gun violence in Massachusetts made 44 recommendations on Monday, most of them nuts and bolts proposals to […]
44 gun recommendations
Posted inThe Download
Tsarnaev and the death penalty
Attorney General Eric Holder approved a motion for prosecutors to seek the death penalty for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzokhar Tsarnaev, triggering an emotional debate inside Massachusetts about the ethics […]
Posted inThe Download
Trying to Patch the sinking news lifeboat
Soccer is the game of the future, its deriders have long said, and always will be. After the latest news that Patch, the pet project of AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Panagiotakos’s lobbying fees soar
Steven Panagiotakos, once one of the state’s most respected lawmakers, is quickly becoming one of Beacon Hill’s top lobbyists. Records on file with the Secretary of State’s office indicate Panagiotakos’s […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo’s probation problem
Laughter and applause rained down on the House chamber on Wednesday. Beacon Hill lawmakers sent one of their own off in style, welcomed a new member to their ranks, and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics, State House News Service, The Download
Political fallout from Jeremiah Oliver case
Gov. Deval Patrick pronounced the state of the Commonwealth “strong,” but the state of the Department of Children and Families is anything but. Patrick won’t be able to revel in […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Economy, Politics, State House News Service
DeLeo rules out new taxes, fees
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday ruled out any new taxes or fees in the budget his deputies will produce this spring, essentially nixing Gov. Deval […]
Posted inEconomy, State House News Service, The Download
Fall River goes all in – again
The last time a casino deal blew up on Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan, he shrugged it off as the cost of rolling the dice. Flanagan’s gambling had nearly blown […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Lynn police cleared in fatal shooting
The Essex District Attorney says the fatal shooting of an Iraqi war veteran in September by Lynn police was justified because the man, Denis Reynoso, had grabbed an officer’s gun […]
Posted inEducation, The Download
Nose to the grindstone
A week ago, Tom Friedman diagnosed the problem with American education and the reason why US kids are falling farther behind on international benchmarks of achievement: We’ve become a nation […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
No systemic problems at DCF, Patrick says
Gov. Deval Patrick said Monday that the problems facing the Department of Children and Families in the wake of the Jeremiah Oliver case are “not systemic” and that the ongoing […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Probation listicles all the rage
Lawyers for embattled former Probation Department chief John O’Brien have long claimed that the federal racketeering case against the one-time Beacon Hill fixer represents an attempt to criminalize patronage. They’ve […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Voting reforms are long overdue
In an era of voting rights retrenchment – where electoral freedoms are steadily eroding nationwide – Massachusetts lawmakers on Beacon Hill are on the verge of doing the unexpected: Passing […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Henriquez, in cuffs, testifies at State House
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICEWith his lawyer asserting his innocence and suggesting the all-white jury that convicted him was not a “jury of his peers,” incarcerated state Rep. Carlos Henriquez was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, The Download
Does Evans have a violence-reduction strategy?
The appointment of Boston’s new police commissioner, William Evans, has generated positive reaction, especially because of his vow to strengthen connections to residents through things like more walking beats in […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Back Story
Meade sought legal advice on Red Sox invite
On June 25, 2012, Peter Meade got to do what most Boston fans only dream of doing: He filled in as the public address announcer at Fenway Park as the […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service, The Download
Beacon Hill exodus
Despite comfortable perches on Beacon Hill, state lawmakers are fleeing the Legislature at a fast clip. Leading the outmigration are several top lieutenants to House Speaker Robert DeLeo. Lynn Democrat […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Flood insurance follies
The federal government was losing its shirt subsidizing the flood insurance of homeowners, so it passed a law in 2012 requiring the homeowners to pay more. But now that premiums […]
Posted inGambling, Opinion
Revere-only casino insults E. Boston
I’ve been supporting the community activists in East Boston who are working mightily to oppose the proposed Suffolk Downs casino. These activists are not simply saying “no” to the casino […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cape Wind foe files another legal challenge
Cape Wind’s chief opponent on Tuesday filed another lawsuit against the proposed offshore wind farm, alleging the project’s power contract with a Massachusetts electric utility violates federal laws. The Alliance […]
Posted inPolitics, The Download
Sex and politics
Most people who followed the day-to-day coverage of the trial of state Rep. Carlos Henriquez were confused. Katherine Gonsalves, the college student who accused Henriquez of hitting her when she […]
Posted inEnvironment
Broadway Electrical pulls plug on solar work
One of the state’s largest solar contractors is reportedly shutting its doors, but it was unclear on Friday whether the shutdown was temporary or permanent or why it was happening. […]
Posted inEnvironment, The Back Story
Keenan relents on gas plant amendment
The Salem lawmaker at the center of a heated battle over a proposed North Shore power plant has dropped legislation short-circuiting all legal challenges to the proposed plant, saying he’ll […]
Posted inPolitics
Murray tells senators she won’t leave early
Senate President Therese Murray told her fellow Democrats on Thursday that she intends to serve out the remainder of her term as the head of the body, which means Senate […]