Massachusetts

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The Massachusetts legislature is the principal roadblock to putting the state's criminal-justice system on the right track

As you read this, Beacon Hill is debating a "three-strikes" crime bill, while waiting for the US Attorney's Office to hand down indictments in the scandal over patronage at the probation department.
House of Incorrections
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | February 03, 2012

Review: Girlfriend

One night Evan's mother (Amanda Plummer) asks him to make a wish. He says he wants a girlfriend, and his wish comes true, but at a cost.
Concerned only with the truth
By PETER KEOUGH | September 30, 2011

Maine sneaker-maker could provide military footwear

As the only remaining manufacturer of athletic shoes in the United States — with three factories in Maine and two in Massachusetts — New Balance wants government assurance that military servicemembers wear American-made sneakers, not ones that are made
Born in the USA
By DEIRDRE FULTON | September 23, 2011

Libertarian angst: My problem with casinos and slots

I've got to admit that I find the whole casino-gambling/slots business to be very messy. It challenges my libertarian instincts. I've managed largely to reconcile...
By Harvey Silverglate | September 13, 2011

Deval's Green Blues

The document in question contains the final regulations for the state's biomass subsidies, and according to environmentalists, the Patrick administration is planning to reverse its pre-election position — and fly in the face of good science — for the be
Long supported by the state's environmental organizations, Governor Patrick has started a war with them over biomass
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | September 02, 2011

Boston's last congressman?

At the moment, neither the Senate president nor the Speaker of the House lives in the city. And in two years, the unthinkable could become reality: Boston might not have a single congressman residing in its borders.
Musical chairs dept.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | September 02, 2011

In a job-starved economy, casinos are still a good bet

As Beacon Hill considers — yet again — an expanded gaming proposal, some say that the opportunity has passed. We disagree, and continue to support a carefully crafted plan for bringing resort casinos to Massachusetts.
The issue provoked a rare show of common purpose on Beacon Hill
By EDITORIAL | September 02, 2011

Biomass FAQ

Simply put, biomass is any natural living or once-living substance that can be converted into energy.
Or, why it ain't easy burning green
By KHADIJAH M. BRITTON | September 02, 2011

Identity Festival rocks out the dance party

Genre predictions are dumb, but there is one thing absolutely certain in music: rock music is dead, and the era of electronic dominance is finally here.
Beats happening
By LUKE O'NEIL | August 19, 2011

Mitt's best week ever

The quadrennial farce known as the Ames Straw Poll has once again made its mark on the race for the Republican presidential nomination — by rewarding the candidate smart enough to avoid it.
Romney's presidential quest is looking better than ever - no thanks to his own campaign
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 19, 2011

Heavy burden

In 2012, collections on homes, buildings, and private infrastructure will feed more than 65 percent of Boston's $2.4 billion budget.
More than any other city on the East Coast, Boston is addicted to property taxes. Could the Hub be hitting a crippling tax-levy ceiling soon?
By CHRIS FARAONE | August 19, 2011

Fantasy camp

Wizards & Warriors Camp is a living video game, putting kids in control of everything from plotline to character personality.
Where Lord of the Rings meets Lord of the Flies
By ARIEL SHEARER | August 12, 2011

We've got beer

Even by Massachusetts political standards, Brewgate was a weird episode.
What Brewgate tells us about political attitudes. Plus, Wisconsin is a warm-up for 2012.
By EDITORIAL | August 12, 2011

Cruelty, compassion, and a capuchin, a decade later

I had tried not to look at the monkey's tits — the result, Janet told me later, of a glandular disorder. They bounced whenever the monkey moved. If you shaved them, they would have been a pretty nice set.
The baby in the box
By S.I. ROSENBAUM | August 05, 2011

The debt crisis is only on hold

The United States was only hours away from joining in the international community of deadbeats and bunko artists — think Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Portugal — when President Barack Obama signed the legislation raising the national debt ceiling and cu
Plus, what does congressman Bill Keating have against Cuban families?
By EDITORIAL | August 05, 2011

The deCordova thinks about ''murals''

In "Wall Works" at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, curatorial fellow Lexi Lee Sullivan attempts to corral a trend in art today that spans graffiti and interior decoration.
Off the Wall
By GREG COOK | July 22, 2011

the great depression and republican Bolsheviks

There is no mystery to the debt crisis. Plus: Scott Brown, and the Boston Foundation

Understanding the debate about raising the debt ceiling, and imagining the economic crisis that will follow if Congress fails to do so, is really very simple.
Republican Bolsheviks
By EDITORIAL | July 22, 2011

With the Urban League conference coming next week, Boston's movers and shakers are scrambling to project a progressive racial image

After years of trying to convince groups with large minority membership that the Hub is now a welcoming, friendly destination for African-Americans, this is the first big organization to test the theory.
Showtime for New Boston
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | July 22, 2011

Are Civil (Liberties) Unions America's Best Hope?

Ron Paul and Barney Frank make odd bedfellows, but one hopes theirs is more than a one-night-stand.
Freedom Watch
By HARVEY A. SILVERGLATE AND DANIEL R. SCHWARTZ | July 15, 2011

Are Logan Airport pollution and Massport indifference killing Boston's proud clam-digging tradition?

Denehy and other Boston clam farmers have come to face two seemingly impervious hurdles: a safety expansion at Logan Airport that will deplete two of their richest beaches, and a jet-fuel spill from last October that some allege wiped out half of Boston'
Shucking fit
By CHRIS FARAONE | July 15, 2011

Big conservative funders are making a new push at universities

Funders are working through official university channels to underwrite lecture series, conferences and colloquia, and centers geared for the general-interest student, all carrying university imprimatur.
Right turn on campus
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | July 15, 2011

massachusetts scandal with house of representatives

In the wake of the latest corruption scandal, let's just torch the offending chamber

Burning Down the House
Burning Down the House
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 24, 2011

Deval Patrick is on a second-term winning streak, and casinos might be the next payoff

Last summer, when Deval Patrick's veto killed a gaming bill in the final days of the legislative session, many thought he had badly damaged himself politically. He was, after all, the one who had pushed for casinos in Massachusetts almost from the day he
Gaming the system
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 17, 2011

What neighbors helping neighbors can show us about good government

Montana Phipps was supposed to go out for a run with a friend after school, but the dark storm clouds squelched their plans. So on June 1, she was in her bedroom at the end of Stewart Avenue, with a view across her neighborhood of wide lawns, hedges, an
We take care of our own
By GREG COOK | June 10, 2011

The Third Annual Phoenix Memorial Day look at the laughable state of Massachusetts politics

Hey, thanks for having me back for the Third Annual Boston Phoenix Memorial Day Political Roast! Good to see so many of you here — the last time I saw this many Beacon Hill insiders in one place was on the prospective witness list for the Sal DiMasi t
Ready, Aim — Roast
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | May 27, 2011

All dogs go to probate court

It's funny: while Massachusetts is considered a vanguard in the struggle for same-sex marriage and mellower pot laws, it has been way behind the pack in implementing pet trusts. But no longer.
In dog we trust
By SCOTT FAYNER | May 13, 2011

Republicans continue to wage war on women

The Republican Party's unrelenting war on women is now being waged with such frenzied fury that sane people might well wonder if there is a GOP-wide obsession with punishing an entire gender.
Plus, Beacon Hill follies, youth violence
By EDITORIAL | May 13, 2011

An all-seeing eye for the FBI?

The latest Boston Phoenix is spread across your steering wheel. You're reading this article. In a legal parking spot. With the engine off. A transportation cop zaps your license plate with a computerized scanner, cycles your registration through the s
Every step you take
By CHRIS FARAONE | April 29, 2011

Estrogen influx for pot protesters

For years, MassCann has been something of a gentleman's club, trying to legalize pot in Massachusetts with limited success. But the March 19 board election brought a dramatic change.
Tokin' females
By ARIEL SHEARER | April 15, 2011

Romney rides again

Mitt Romney has been running for president more or less nonstop for the past seven years — and still hasn't figured out how to do it.
To win the GOP nomination, Mitt will need to do things differently this time. Here's how.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | April 15, 2011

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