With her first 100 days in office coinciding with the COVID-19 crisis, Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia perseveres in the interest of most vulnerable, disconnected populations
News to Us
WHERE DOES CARES ACT MONEY COME FROM? AND HOW DO BANKS MAKE DECISIONS?
In forecasting what’s coming next regarding the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), it is important to understand the lending environment. We thought it might be helpful to look at the lender’s role, why there may have been so much lender confusion.
LANDLORDS CAN’T EVICT DURING PANDEMIC, BUT A BUNCH OF THEM TRIED
"It was sort of testing the water with it, seeing what [evictions] they can get away with. This legislation stopped folks in their tracks before it caught on."
IN BOSTON, A REOPENED HOSPITAL BUILDING HOUSES INFECTED AND VULNERABLE
“We were realizing what a big problem this is. We needed to take a larger, more system-based response to it.”
BREAKING DOWN THE MASSACHUSETTS EVICTION AND FORECLOSURE MORATORIUM
"The bottom line is, the final version, literally, was everything that we wanted. I shared it with some of the legal services attorneys who had worked with me, and their first response was this is a total home run."
WHO GOT CARES ACT LOANS AND HOW MUCH, PLUS UPDATE ON THE LATEST FUNDS
Nearly three-quarters of the loans went to the smallest of companies—those needing $150,000 or less. While slightly more than a quarter of a point of these loans went to the big players, those big borrowers took slightly more than 9% of the available funds.
IN PANDEMIC, “EVERY TOOL” AVAILABLE NOT ENOUGH FOR IMMIGRANT ADVOCATES
“People are still getting deported. It’s a pandemic, and they are tearing apart families for nothing.”
MASS CRAFT DISTILLERS PETITION FOR “FIGHTING CHANCE” IN COVID ECONOMY
The petition asks officials to consider: excise tax relief for the alcohol used to make hand sanitizer; the ability to sell and ship products directly to consumers within the state; and the ability for bars and restaurants to sell cocktails with takeout food orders.
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC COULD CAUSE TROUBLED MASS COLLEGES TO CLOSE
From unique hurdles for New England institutions, to enrollment crises on the international and domestic fronts, to preexisting existential challenges, coronavirus may spell the end for some colleges and universities.
AN MBTA BUS DRIVER GETS BACK ON THE ROAD AFTER A TWO-WEEK QUARANTINE
“We should only be able to have seven passengers on the bus so they can keep that amount of distance between them. But that is not happening.”