Judging the judge

By CommonWealth Staff Charlie Baker, Courts, Judge Thomas Estes, opioid crisis, Salem 0 Comments Jun 1, 2018

A protest last week outside a Salem courthouse featured a refrain made familiar by the scholarly legal eagles who regularly populate the president’s rally, where they apply only the most reasoned conclusions to complicated issues. “Lock him up,” shouted about 200 people gathered outside the Ruane Judicial Center, according to this Salem News account. The(...)

The Download/ Economy/ Politics

Our wheezing democracy

By CommonWealth Staff Massachusetts politics, Millionaire's tax, Taxes and Budget Issues 0 Comments May 31, 2018

Who are you going to turn to make important decisions affecting the state? The sluggish Legislature or schizophrenic, knee-jerk electorate? Those seem to be the less-than-compelling options at this point in dealing with a set of questions that will have enormous implications for the state’s budget and initiatives we look for it to fund. Lawmakers(...)

The Download/ Arts and Culture/ Media

Funny, not funny

By CommonWealth Staff ABC, First Amendment, President Trump, Roseanne Barr 0 Comments May 30, 2018

Comedy is in the eye of the beholder. This wasn’t funny. ABC canceled the wildly popular reboot of the “Roseanne” show after its namesake, Roseanne Barr, tweeted out a stunningly tasteless and racist comment about Valerie Jarrett, the former advisor and close friend of former president Barack Obama. Barr is an unabashed supporter of President Trump and(...)

The Download/ Transportation

The Codcast: Bus renaissance underway?

By CommonWealth Staff Mayor Marty Walsh, MBTA, Transit Matters, Transportation 0 Comments May 29, 2018

Buses aren’t as sexy as new Orange Line cars or the extension of the Green Line into Somerville and Medford. But they are a lot cheaper to buy and much easier to operate. Which is why a bus renaissance of sorts is happening – a series of initiatives that hold the promise of changing the(...)

The Download

‘A surprisingly good idea’ from the T

By CommonWealth Staff MBTA 0 Comments May 25, 2018

The MBTA may finally be starting to get it. After years and years of running weekend commuter rail trains that very few people ride, the T this week decided to do something about it. The Fiscal and Management Control Board voted to offer a special fare this summer that allows passengers to take as many(...)

The Download

NFL owners yield to Trump, bottom line

By CommonWealth Staff Criminal justice reform, discrimination, Donald Trump, NFL, police brutality 0 Comments May 24, 2018

In the end, the megamillionaire NFL owners decided to take a knee. Not a knee of protest or principle, as some of their employees pursued last season, but a knee of supplication. They bowed down to the royal leader, King Donald, hoping their new policy would satisfy his highness’s imperial ragings and lead him to(...)

The Download/ Media

Conflicted about McGrory accusations

By CommonWealth Staff Brian McGrory, Hilary Sargent, The Boston Globe 0 Comments May 23, 2018

Wednesday’s Boston Globe had a story inside Metro about noted Harvard economist Roland Fryer being investigated for sexual harassment. It was not an unusual story for the paper to cover, given the Globe is the region’s most powerful media outlet. The Globe has done many stories on sexual harassment in the workplace, especially since the(...)

The Download/ Education

Meehan, UMass Boston faculty at war

By CommonWealth Staff Marty Meehan, Mount Ida College, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston 0 Comments May 22, 2018

The faculty at UMass Boston, angered and threatened by the purchase of Mount Ida College in Newton by UMass Amherst, retaliated by scuttling the search for a new chancellor at their own campus. UMass President Marty Meehan announced on Monday that all three finalists for the Boston job had withdrawn their names from consideration after(...)

The Download/ Criminal Justice

The Codcast: Devin McCourty tackles criminal justice reform

By CommonWealth Staff Beacon Hill, Criminal justice reform, Devin McCourty, New England Patriots 0 Comments May 21, 2018

When New England Patriots co-captain Devin McCourty joined the protests first set off by Colin Kaepernick and “took a knee” during the National Anthem last season, he was making a statement about racial justice issues in the country and the treatment of blacks by law enforcement officials. President Trump quickly “hijacked” the issue, McCourty says(...)

The Download/ Health/ Politics

Gag rule impacts Massachusetts

By CommonWealth Staff Abortion Rights, Health, Massachusetts politics, National Politics, Planned Parenthood, President Trump, women's rights 0 Comments May 18, 2018

In Massachusetts, we view abortion rights as settled law, though acknowledging that there are still pockets of deep opposition. The debate over abortion rights rarely rises to an issue in federal or local races here because state law is so firm on a woman’s right to choose that a vocal opponent rarely has a chance(...)


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