LOOK FOR THE terms “procedural justice” and “police legitimacy” to re-enter the vocabulary of the West Wing. As the incoming Biden administration forms its policy on policing in the US, […]
Government
Posted inArts and Culture
The dysfunctional geography of ancient borders in a modern pandemic
LOOKING AT AN aerial photograph or walking down a side street, you’d be hard-pressed to find the border between Waltham’s South Side neighborhood and West Newton. The residential areas on both […]
Posted inRace/Racism
Congressional reps back calls for more inclusive State House
EIGHT OF MASSACHUSETTS’S nine members of the US House of Representatives have signed a letter to State House leaders in support of a group of Beacon Hill staff members of color, who demanded reforms to […]
Posted inPolitics
Election result draws tear-filled cheers — and jeers
SHEER ELATION consumed the Boston Common on Saturday afternoon as more than 1,000 people danced and cheered Joe Biden’s election as president. Kamala Harris, who made history as the first woman, black, or person of South Asian descent to be elected vice president, […]
Posted inPolitics
Report faults Democratic Party staff for handling of Morse allegations
A REPORT ON the state Democratic Party’s response to allegations of sexual misconduct against former congressional candidate Alex Morse faulted top officials for their handling of the situation and for […]
Posted inUncategorized
Nonprofits keep making in-lieu-of-tax payments to Boston
BOSTON’S MEDICAL, educational, and cultural nonprofit institutions have taken a huge financial hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, but most of them continued to make voluntary tax payments to the city […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Politics
Right to repair ballot question passes, but implementation a concern
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS on Tuesday voted to expand the state’s Right to Repair law and require car manufacturers to provide more information to independent repair shops. The passage of the ballot […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Staffing our democracy in the COVID era
WHEN WE LEARNED that there was a high likelihood of a poll-worker shortage stemming from COVID-19, advocacy organizations like MassVOTE , Common Cause Massachusetts, and Scholars Strategy Network joined forces to address it. Traditionally, […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
Trump executive order on race and diversity a big step backwards
LAST MONTH, President Trump issued an Executive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping to eliminate federal funding for initiatives that investigate how gender and racial biases consciously or unconsciously further inequality in America. Following […]
Posted inEconomy
Despite pandemic, Baker proposes higher spending
Despite the pandemic-related recession and high unemployment rates, and an expected drop in state tax revenues, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday released a budget proposal for the current fiscal year […]
Posted inUncategorized
Campbell says Boston is primed for change
FOR ANDREA CAMPBELL, action is what distinguishes her platform and ideas from Mayor Marty Walsh. Campbell, a Black District 4 city councilor, announced her run for the city’s top office […]
Posted inPolitics
Trump contracts COVID-19
IT’S THE DEFINITION of irony. After months of downplaying the pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 Americans, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump say they have tested positive […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins’s ‘Brady List’ not factoring in Boston police reform report
MEMBERS OF A TASK FORCE charged with recommending reforms for the Boston Police Department say that a list of names of law enforcement officers accused or found guilty of misconduct will not factor in their […]
Posted inUncategorized
Despite infection concerns, Baker reopens more venues
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER will allow more indoor performance and entertainment spaces to open on Monday, but only in communities deemed low-risk for transmission of COVID-19. His decision to continue with […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker rebukes Trump power transfer remarks
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER rebuked President Trump on Thursday for refusing to say whether he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power in the wake of the November 3 election. […]
Posted inPolitics
Mail-in voting was huge success; let’s keep it
ON SEPTEMBER 1, Massachusetts voters broke a record. Whether by mail, by dropbox, or in person, 1.7 million voters cast a ballot for our state primaries, exceeding the previous record from 1990. To put this […]
Posted inPolitics
Wu launches grassroots mayoral campaign
BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR Michelle Wu formally launched her candidacy for mayor on Tuesday with a campaign that promises to be a distinctive grassroots effort. One example is her campaign website, […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
Attacks on Postal Service are attack on democracy
FOR OVER two and a half centuries, the United States Postal Service has, in one form or another, served an essential function: to facilitate the exchange of goods, services, and […]
Posted inUncategorized
Mass. pursuing lawsuit over post office cuts
MASSACHUSETTS IS JOINING a multistate coalition filing a federal lawsuit requiring President Trump’s administration to adequately fund the US Postal Service and ensure it can deliver election-related mail. Secretary of the […]
Posted inEconomy
Almost half of Massachusetts businesses helped by federal aid
NEARLY HALF OF the state’s businesses and nonprofits received aid from a key federal loan program meant to keep people employed amid the coronavirus downturn, according to a new analysis by the […]
Posted inEconomy
Depoliticizing the development process in Boston
CALLS TO ABOLISH the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) go back almost to its creation. City Councilor Michelle Wu is the latest to take up the quest to rid […]
Posted inEducation
‘Breakfast after the bell’ signed into law
WITHIN THE NEXT two years, it will become much easier for an estimated 150,000 low-income children in Massachusetts to eat breakfast in school. Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday signed a […]
Posted inEducation
State school aid level-funded
IT WAS SUPPOSED to be the first year of a new school funding formula that was going to vastly increase public school spending. Instead, amid a global pandemic, the state […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Craft brewers, wholesalers strike distribution deal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CRAFT BREWERS AND the state’s beer wholesalers have reached a deal that would resolve a decade-long dispute over distribution rights centered around when a brewer can sever […]