Senate retreat to hear from criminal justice experts

Speakers will address ‘key facts and issues’

By Natasha Ishak Criminal justice reform, William Brownsberger 1 Comment Jul 11, 2017

LEADERS OF THE SENATE, including President Stan Rosenberg and William Brownsberger, the Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, have made clear their support for a range of criminal justice reforms that go beyond those in legislation that resulted from a recent review of state policy focused on recidivism. On Wednesday, senators will(...)

The Download/ Health Care

Baker faces Medicaid conundrum

By CommonWealth Staff Charlie Baker, Medicaid 0 Comments Jul 11, 2017

Is half a loaf better than none at all? Usually the answer is yes. But Gov. Charlie Baker doesn’t seem so sure when it comes to his proposal to deal with ever-rising Medicaid costs in the state. Baker laid out a plan in January that would have hit employers who don’t meet certain benchmarks for(...)

Politics/ Summer 2017

Lawrence’s Rivera facing tough reelection fight

City showing signs of progress, but mayor faces battle to retain his post

By Ted Siefer Gateway Cities, Municipal Government 1 Comment Jul 11, 2017

Photographs by Meghan Moore THE MARCHERS PLOD ALONG, wearing matching maroon shirts and holding campaign signs, fronted by the candidate himself, Mayor Daniel Rivera, who waves to onlookers, his gut hanging over pressed khakis. It’s not a very enthusiastic display in a parade that features, by turns, synchronized Latin dancing, beauty queens in chiffon, and(...)

Rolling the Dice/ Gambling/ Summer 2017

Are thoroughbreds a good bet for the state?

Beacon Hill struggling with subsidies for the sport of kings

By Bruce Mohl Casinos, Massachusetts Legislature 1 Comment Jul 11, 2017

TEN HORSES SHOOT OUT of the gate with Simply Mas moving quickly to take the lead. The pack bunches up at the first turn, with Worth the Worry moving up on the inside and Goodbyeguinessbok gaining ground on the outside. As they head down the stretch, Simply Mas fades and Worth the Worry surges to(...)

Arts and Culture/ Economy/ Summer 2017

The promise of MASS MoCA

The museum’s latest expansion is a hit, but its impact on the struggling town of North Adams remains a work in progress

By Linda Enerson Arts and Culture, Economic development, MASS MoCA, Municipal Government, Western Massachusetts 3 Comments Jul 11, 2017

Photographs by Michael Manning TWO YOUNG MEN from Brooklyn tentatively inch down the hallway, holding onto a handrail because it’s so dark. They turn a corner and the room in front of them opens up, filled with intense light of different colors. They make their way to a bench and sit down, mesmerized by a large(...)

Gambling/ Politics/ Summer 2017

Beating the craps out of each other

A Massachusetts-Connecticut border war over gambling stirs fears of an Atlantic City meltdown

By Jack Sullivan Casinos, MA Gaming Commission, Massachusetts Legislature, MGM, Mohegan Sun, State Government, Taxes and Budget Issues, Wynn Resorts 0 Comments Jul 11, 2017

Illustration by Phil Foster CASINOS ARE ABOUT GAMBLING. Take away the restaurants, the shops, and the entertainment and what remains is the foundational reason for a casino’s existence—getting people to come and leave their money behind, lured by the slim chance they might walk away with a fatter wallet. Those who build and operate the(...)

Courts/ Politics/ Summer 2017

Progressive politics from the ground up

Heather Gerken has spent years making the case that state and local government is where the left should push change. With the election of Donald Trump, progressive federalism’s moment may have arrived.

By Michael Jonas federalism, Heather Gerken, Trump 0 Comments Jul 11, 2017

Photographs by Frank Curran STATES’ RIGHTS HAS a long and ugly history in this country. The phrase has often served as code for the segregationist Jim Crow policies that southern states clung to in the face of federal pressure in the 1950s and ’60s. It made progressives wary of a bigger role for states in(...)

Drug Addiction/ Drugs/ Summer 2017

Clark takes on Purdue’s opioid marketing

Says pharmaceutical company’s ‘greed and recklessness’ spawned crisis

By Shawn Zeller Katherine Clark, opioid crisis 1 Comment Jul 11, 2017

LATE LAST YEAR, an article in the Los Angeles Times caught the eye of US Rep. Katherine Clark of Melrose. The article alleged that Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, was moving aggressively to sell its signature drug abroad now that sales in the United States are on the decline. The Times article said(...)

Health/ Health Care/ Summer 2017

Deregulated health care not the answer

Medical capitalism works for investors, not patients

By Edward M Murphy Health Care, National Politics 0 Comments Jul 11, 2017

THE UNITED STATES has by far the most expensive health care system in the world. We spent $3.35 trillion, almost 18 percent of GDP and more than $10,000 per person, on health costs last year. The next highest country, Switzerland, spends approximately $7,000 per capita. France, Canada, Australia, and the UK spend about half of(...)

Politics/ Summer 2017

It’s not my party, but I’ll vote if I want to

Party primaries are increasingly non-partisan as party registration fades

By Steve Koczela and Hannah Chanatry party identification, unenrolled voters, Voter registration 2 Comments Jul 11, 2017

AN EVER-GROWING WAVE of unenrolled voters is slowly overtaking Massachusetts political parties. Old Massachusetts Democrats and Republicans are dying off and more and more of their grandkids are ditching the two-party structure. As the overall number of voters keeps rising, the percent of undeclared voters climbs, while the share of both Democrats and Republicans shrinks modestly.(...)


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