Massachusetts

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Letters to the Boston editors, February 17, 2012

Burning down the house
Regarding your recent "House of Incorrections" story (Talking Politics, February 3), I think it would be more believable if some criminal-justice experts were quoted.
By BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS | February 15, 2012

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

House of Incorrections
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.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | February 01, 2012

Review: Girlfriend

Concerned only with the truth
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.
By PETER KEOUGH | September 27, 2011

Maine sneaker-maker could provide military footwear

Born in the USA
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 overseas.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | September 21, 2011

By | January 01, 0001

Deval's Green Blues

Long supported by the state's environmental organizations, Governor Patrick has started a war with them over biomass
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 benefit of a handful of developers who stand to make money off of burning trees for energy.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 31, 2011

Boston's last congressman?

Musical chairs dept.
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.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 31, 2011

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

The issue provoked a rare show of common purpose on Beacon Hill
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.
By EDITORIAL | August 31, 2011

Biomass FAQ

Or, why it ain't easy burning green
Simply put, biomass is any natural living or once-living substance that can be converted into energy.
By KHADIJAH M. BRITTON | August 31, 2011

Identity Festival rocks out the dance party

Beats happening
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.
By LUKE O'NEIL | August 17, 2011

Mitt's best week ever

Romney's presidential quest is looking better than ever - no thanks to his own campaign
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.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | August 17, 2011

Heavy burden

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?
In 2012, collections on homes, buildings, and private infrastructure will feed more than 65 percent of Boston's $2.4 billion budget.
By CHRIS FARAONE | August 17, 2011

Fantasy camp

Where Lord of the Rings meets Lord of the Flies
Wizards & Warriors Camp is a living video game, putting kids in control of everything from plotline to character personality.
By ARIEL SHEARER | August 10, 2011

We've got beer

What Brewgate tells us about political attitudes. Plus, Wisconsin is a warm-up for 2012.
Even by Massachusetts political standards, Brewgate was a weird episode.
By EDITORIAL | August 10, 2011

Cruelty, compassion, and a capuchin, a decade later

The baby in the box
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.
By S.I. ROSENBAUM | August 04, 2011

The debt crisis is only on hold

Plus, what does congressman Bill Keating have against Cuban families?
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 cutting trillions of dollars in federal spending.
By EDITORIAL | August 03, 2011

The deCordova thinks about ''murals''

Off the Wall
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.
By GREG COOK | July 19, 2011

the great depression and republican Bolsheviks

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

Republican Bolsheviks
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.
By EDITORIAL | July 20, 2011

Showtime for New Boston

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.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | July 27, 2011

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

Freedom Watch
Ron Paul and Barney Frank make odd bedfellows, but one hopes theirs is more than a one-night-stand.
By HARVEY A. SILVERGLATE AND DANIEL R. SCHWARTZ | July 13, 2011

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

Shucking fit
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's soft-shell population.
By CHRIS FARAONE | July 18, 2011

Big conservative funders are making a new push at universities

Right turn on campus
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.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | July 18, 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 22, 2011

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

Gaming the system
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 entered office.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | June 20, 2011

What neighbors helping neighbors can show us about good government

We take care of our own
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, and leafy trees in Monson, a town of some 8500 people nestled in a valley about two hours' drive west of Boston.
By GREG COOK | June 09, 2011

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

Ready, Aim — Roast
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 trial!
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | May 31, 2011

All dogs go to probate court

In dog we trust
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.
By SCOTT FAYNER | May 11, 2011

Republicans continue to wage war on women

Plus, Beacon Hill follies, youth violence
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.
By EDITORIAL | May 11, 2011

An all-seeing eye for the FBI?

Every step you take
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 system, and records the time and position of your car.
By CHRIS FARAONE | April 27, 2011

Estrogen influx for pot protesters

Tokin' females
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.
By ARIEL SHEARER | April 13, 2011