AFTER MORE THAN a year of restrictions, Massachusetts is returning to something like normal. But the pandemic has made it painfully clear that, for many people, “normal” was never just […]
Government
Posted inUncategorized
Lawmakers consider making virtual public meeting access permanent
FOR A WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS resident to attend a two-hour meeting in Boston, it’s an eight to 10 hour commitment, said state Rep. Mindy Domb, an Amherst Democrat. To get to Boston in the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Legislative staff complain of low pay, long hours
WHEN MAIA RAYNOR started working as a legislative aide for Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz of Boston in 2018, she was earning $38,000 a year. She spent 50 to 60 hours a […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker touts Mass. vaccine record in meeting with Biden
AGAINST THE BACKDROP of partisan warfare in Washington on everything from masks to infrastructure spending, President Biden met on Tuesday with a bipartisan group of six governors, including Charlie Baker, […]
Posted inOpinion
Big demographic changes pose challenge to caring for veterans’ needs
MASSACHUSETTS OFFICIALS REGULARLY brag about the Commonwealth being a leader when it comes to our veterans. However, in terms of our population trend, this is one area where we may not […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
There should be no slowdown on police reform
IS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION going slow on police reform? Recently, the White House announced it is putting on hold the formation of a national commission on this critical matter. “Based on close, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Somerset coming apart at the seams
THE SOUTH COAST community of Somerset seems to be pulling apart at the seams, as rancor over stop-gap development at Brayton Point prompted the chair of the Board of Selectmen […]
Posted inUncategorized
David Almond’s death overshadows DCF budget hearing
LEGISLATIVE BUDGET HEARINGS are typically dry discussions of line items and government programs. On Tuesday, however, lawmakers were reminded in stark terms of the life-or-death decisions involved in determining how state […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lynch warns of reliance on China for PPE
US REP. STEPHEN LYNCH issued a call on Tuesday for all recipients of federal aid under the American Rescue Plan Act to boycott Chinese personal protection equipment and buy American. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
State considering major expansion of child abuse reporting laws
FOR YEARS, Larry Nassar sexually abused female athletes under the guise of medical treatment while serving as the doctor for USA Gymnastics. Nassar was eventually convicted on multiple felony charges and sentenced to more […]
Posted inHealth Care
Dr. Michael Mina’s rapid test theory
THE US COULD have prevented the surge of COVID-19 cases this winter that killed hundreds of thousands of people if only the FDA had approved methods for at-home rapid testing […]
Posted inEconomy
Moderna, Massachusetts, and durable US foreign policy
PRESIDENT TRUMP PULLED America from the global stage in pursuit of isolationist foreign policy. The fight against the pandemic provides an opening for President Biden to not only restore alliances but […]
Posted inEconomy
What it costs to be the Patriots’ ‘official’ airport
T.F. GREEN AIRPORT in Rhode Island competes against its much bigger rival to the north in Boston using all sorts of promotions, with some interesting terms and conditions. For example, […]
Posted inPolitics
Pandemic shutdown has opened up civic participation
WHEN IT COMES to civic engagement, a funny thing happened on the way to the pandemic shutdown. While all sorts of aspects of daily life ground to a halt as […]
Posted inEnvironment
Biden accused of playing politics on Vineyard Wind
WHEN THE TRUMP administration dragged its feet on the environmental permitting of Vineyard Wind, wind energy proponents in Massachusetts and across the country cried foul, claiming politics was driving the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Warren seeks 2% tax on those worth $50m
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ARGUING THAT THE wealth of billionaires has grown over the course of the pandemic, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday introduced legislation in Congress to tax […]
Posted inUncategorized
Pandemic leads to rethinking of childcare
THE SHUTTERING of daycares last spring made apparent to workers and employers alike the importance of childcare to a functioning economy. Now, experts hope that one silver lining of the […]
Posted inEconomy
PPP changes aim to help minority-owned and small businesses
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION this week has made a series of changes to the federal Paycheck Protection Program aimed at helping more businesses struggling to stay afloat one year after the […]
Posted inHealth Care
In vaccine rollout, cities find themselves on the front line
IN ALL THE finger-pointing over the state’s shaky COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the criticism may have been aimed at Charlie Baker, but in Revere, the phone calls went to Brian Arrigo. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Capitol insurrection unmasks the real terrorist next door
OUR FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT and criminal justice agencies have been dropping the ball on domestic terrorism. They simply have not seen the terrorists for what they are. At play are […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker calls for Trump’s removal
REPUBLICAN GOV. Charlie Baker on Thursday called for President Trump to be removed from office, joining the entire Massachusetts congressional delegation in saying the president fueled division and spread lies […]
Posted inNews Analysis, Politics
Whalen: ‘Serious threat to our democracy’
THE SEARING IMAGES of a violent mob of President Trump’s supporters breaching the US Capitol and forcing a temporary halt to the confirmation of the Electoral College votes, in protest […]
Posted inUncategorized
Let Mass. home bakers do their thing
RETIRED SALON OWNER and daycare provider Marcia Donnelly did not want to fight City Hall. She just wanted to sell home-baked sourdough bread from her kitchen in Southbridge. Homemade food […]
Posted inPolitics
Holmes says he will run for speaker
STATE REP. RUSSELL HOLMES, one of the most outspoken critics of the top-down centralization of power in the House of Representatives, said he will run for speaker, presuming rumors are […]