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 […]
Fall River goes all in – again
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 inThe Download
The battle for the last digital mile
Net neutrality is a simple concept: All data are created equally. Or, at least, should be treated equally. It means, at its base, TimeWarner, Verizon, Comcast, or some other broadband […]
Posted inEducation, Opinion
Boston teacher praises new hiring policy
There are few things that have given me as much relief as getting my notice that I was now a permanent teacher. The years of stress and confusion over whether […]
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 […]
Posted inPolitics
Ethics Commission revises conflict law
State Sen. Dan Wolf can keep his day job. The State Ethics Commission today finalized a change in regulations that will allow officials at the state and local level who […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Clearing the Cops: Additional Information
« Return to “Clearing the cops” Winter 2014 cover story [themify_button style=”large red rounded” link=”https://commonwealthbeacon.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Deadly-force-table.xlsx” ]Download Sortable Data about Specific Cases[/themify_button] Of the 73 people on the list, 56 […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Henriquez convicted of assault and battery
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICERep. Carlos Henriquez was led away in handcuffs Wednesday after being found guilty by a jury in a domestic violence case stemming from an early morning rendezvous […]
Posted inEconomy, Environment, Transportation
Pumped over gas tax
When the Massachusetts Legislature voted last year to raise the gas tax by 3 cents to 26.5 cents per gallon and allow the tax to rise automatically in future years […]
Posted inPolitics
The blue-red color divide in Massachusetts
On a national political map, Massachusetts is reliably blue, a Democratic stronghold. The congressional delegation is all Democrat, the State House is overwhelmingly Democrat, and every constitutional officer is a […]