The mayor, the music, and a mission under threat At this year’s UMass Boston Convocation ceremony, special guest Mayor Marty Walsh was greeted by a multimedia musical performance that captured both what is so precious about UMB and what is now under threat. First came the music: The UMB Chamber Singers, led […]
TOO MANY COPS
Some thoughts about last Saturday’s counterprotest It’s Labor Day as I start this column and I don’t want to labor too much on it, but I think it’s important to reflect upon a particular aspect of Saturday’s counterprotest against an ultra right-wing “parade” that hasn’t gotten nearly as much press attention as it […]
DISPATCH FROM THE MARCH AGAINST CAGES
Prison reformers protest Baker and Walsh-endorsed corrections conference Activists from 19 grassroots organizations marched through downtown Boston Sunday afternoon to protest the American Correctional Association (ACA), which was holding its annual conference at the Hynes Convention Center. The ACA is one of the largest accreditation agencies in the United States. It ensures […]
RECYCLING FOLLOW-UP: THE ROAD TO ZERO
Despite a relative win for recycling workers, living wage advocates pledge to keep on fighting
WILL BOSTON SET A NEW REGIONAL PRECEDENT AND FINALLY PAY RECYCLING WORKERS A LIVING WAGE?
For the first time in the city’s history, Boston’s living wage ordinance might finally get applied to low-paid workers sorting the city’s recycling …
THE FALL OF THE GE BOSTON DEAL, PART II
AG Healey should form independent commission to investigate the failed agreement Last week in the first installment of this two-part column, I ran through the many problems with the January 2016 deal between General Electric, the city of Boston, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that has now collapsed for all intents and purposes. […]
THE FALL OF THE GE BOSTON DEAL, PART I
The official narrative and the real story Readers might feel that this should be a time for me to take a victory lap. The GE Boston deal that I criticized from the moment it was made public in January 2016 has crashed to Earth a bit over three years later. The now-failing multinational […]
BOSTON FIDDLES WHILE THE WORLD BURNS
City government continues issuing reports while UN calls for immediate action When writing about human-induced global warming on a regular basis, it’s a good idea to pace oneself. Because it’s such a relentlessly depressing topic that highlighting it too often can backfire. Faced with an existential threat of such magnitude that human civilization—and […]
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION: LIVING ON SCRAPS
Boston is aiming to achieve “zero waste,” which some say can create more living-wage jobs. Is part of this lofty goal rooted in the region’s dirtiest hypocrisy?
‘WALK THE TALK’
Mayor Walsh needs to act faster to mitigate regional global warming threats Environmental groups protested Mayor Marty Walsh last week during the International Mayors Climate Summit and subsequent US Conference of Mayors meeting—demanding fast action to make Boston carbon neutral (achieving net zero CO2 emissions) and better prepare the city for the many […]
