The Senate’s lead person on health care issues says the skilled nursing home industry in Massachusetts is struggling to stay afloat amid a virus that has claimed 3,534 lives at the facilities. “What we are seeing is an industry that was on or near the verge of collapse and it is collapsing,” said Sen. Cindy […]
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Kids are getting sick, too
If there has been one bright spot with the dangerous COVID-19 disease, it had been that children were largely spared. Since the pandemic started, Massachusetts has reported 3,111 COVID-19 cases in people under age 19, or 3.7 percent of the 82,182 confirmed cases. Only 54 of those infected were hospitalized and no one under 19 […]
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Class warfare: School status for the fall unclear
K-12 school board battles and faculty infighting in higher ed can often be as fierce as any street brawl. It’s only fitting, then, that education seems to be the issue that has shattered the illusion that everyone in Washington is getting along as the country lurches its way forward through a deadly pandemic. There is […]
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Coalition urges Baker to release prisoners
A coalition of advocacy groups pressured Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday to reduce the state’s prison population to limit the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. The community groups, led by the Massachusetts Public Health Association, outlined a 10-point plan to reduce incarceration with one major goal in mind — pressing Baker to make a move. […]
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A failure to communicate in North Adams
Crane Stationery Co. in North Adams needs to do a better job of communicating. On April 29, the company’s chief operations officer, Dean Daigle, sent an email to employees that most news outlets in the area regarded as a shutdown notice. “Crane Stationery to close North Adams plant,” read the headline in the Berkshire Eagle. Daigle […]
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Poftak wary of taking hard policy stances at T
Gov. Charlie Baker’s order requiring all passengers on the MBTA to wear face masks or face coverings took effect last week, but don’t expect strict enforcement by the state’s transit authority. Steve Poftak, the T’s general manager, said the order exempts people who are unable to wear a face covering because they have a medical condition. […]
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Prepping for a possible round two
Even as states begin to reopen, a growing chorus of researchers and doctors are openly worrying that there could be a resurgence of coronavirus, possibly in the fall. Conventional wisdom holds that a vaccine won’t be ready by then, but some are holding out hope. Moderna has received approval for phase 2 testing of its […]
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When will Massachusetts reopen?
Gov. Charlie Baker’s stay-at-home advisory and closure of non-essential businesses expire May 18. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who is leading a task force that will guide the reopening, said Monday that that is not a “magical date,” but rather the day on which the task force will release its report. That begs the obvious question: […]
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Voc-tech woes continue at Boston’s Madison Park
Amidst all the turmoil and angst that has turned the world as we know it upside down, we long for signs of normal life, some sort of consistency that can be counted on. Look no further than Boston’s troubled Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, where a global pandemic has done nothing to upset the […]
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Super PAC tied to Baker raises $177,500
Gov. Charlie Baker may be preoccupied with dealing with COVID-19, but his political operation is remaining busy. Massachusetts Majority, a super PAC with close ties to Baker, raised $177,500 during March and April, bringing its total fundraising haul over the last year to $1.1 million. The PAC has doled out just over $300,000 for direct […]