Under a new seven-month pilot program, on the first two Sundays of every month, Boston Public Schools students and up to three family members will have free admission to several Boston arts and cultural institutions. But the free admission program doesn’t apply to all young people in the city.
Politics
New gig work ballot question lawsuit explained
A coalition of labor leaders and ride-share drivers is asking the Supreme Judicial Court to block ballot measures that would classify the drivers as independent contractors rather than employees under Massachusetts law – and the suit may feel like déjà vu.
Teachers union’s MCAS ballot question draws opponents
The Massachusetts Teachers Association, which is leading a ballot question campaign to end the MCAS graduation requirement for high schools students, has drawn an opponent, as an official with a Boston education reform nonprofit recently formed a ballot committee to oppose ending the requirement.
Legislators push to restore felon voting rights
Advocates and legislative allies are pushing to restore voting rights to more than 7,700 incarcerated felons in Massachusetts prisons and jails, a privilege taken away by a voter-approved constitutional amendment in 2000.
The last of Somerville’s old guard
Corruption cases, and attempted prosecutions, were once regular headlines in Somerville. The recent bribery conviction of a one-time local power broker, with echoes of another era, came and went without much fanfare.
Hits and misses on millionaire tax spending plan
With the release of her budget on Wednesday – the second including millionaire tax money — Gov. Maura Healey made some interesting moves. She delivered on some wish-list projects, missed on a couple others, and proposed a way to turn millions of dollars in millionaire tax money into billions of dollars for budget priorities.
Another chance for Mass. to back South African freedom struggle
Massachusetts has a long connection with the freedom and justice movement in South Africa, and those ties will be renewed this week when a key leader of the current fight for democracy there arrives in Boston to draw attention to that cause.
Donors to DiZoglio ballot campaign mostly hail from business sector
The ballot question is championed by state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who is in effect launching another statewide campaign after jumping from a state Senate seat to the auditor’s office in 2022.
Striking Newton teachers get support from Boston congresswoman
Some of the loudest voices of support among political leaders for striking teachers are again coming from officials who are far removed from the day-to-day oversight of the schools or state policy governing teachers’ strikes, which are illegal under current law.
Short takes: Baker makes his exit from Mass. politics official
According to campaign finance records, his gubernatorial campaign account was dissolved on January 4 and so was the super PAC that he helped launch in 2019 to support largely centrist candidates across Massachusetts.