SO MUCH FOR CONTRACTS
State Report Blasts MBTA Contractor Company hired to run Transit Police dispatch service under-delivered, charged extra, and kept inadequate records, according to inspector general’s report Ed. note: This article has been updated to reflect comments from IXP that were received after publication The private company hired to run the MBTA’s Transit Police dispatch never met […]
SOMERVILLIANS DONATE $5,000 TO RESTART SOMERVILLE WIRE
Municipal news service can run for another few months, now accepting applications for a reporter gig Great news! Thanks to the 40 Somerville residents who donated the $5,000 we needed, the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism has met our goal to restart publication of the Somerville Wire news service for another few months. This is […]
A MEDIUM, NOT A GENRE
On Curating A Comprehensive Chronicle Of Comics “A first class education on the subject and opportunities to experience exhibits of such quality. Something really special is happening.” The immense impact that comic books have had on modern pop culture is evident everywhere you look. It’s part of the success behind prestige TV projects like The […]
IF SOMERVILLIANS DONATE ANOTHER $2,420, WE CAN RESTART SOMERVILLE WIRE
An impressive $2,580 in public support came in this week. We can hire a new quarter-time reporter when we get to $5,000. In nonprofit fundraising, one is always looking for signs of public financial support. Because that’s an important way that charities like our Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism determine whether we’re providing useful services […]
DEBATABLE DATA
Shortcomings in the state’s greenhouse gas inventory pose issues for energy planning While Massachusetts has mandated major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decades, its greenhouse gas inventory may be underestimating the true level of emissions in the state. As government officials plan for the transition to a clean energy economy, climate advocates […]
EDITORIAL: SOMERVILLE WIRE ON HIATUS UNTIL SPRING
BINJ Needs $15,000 to Pay a Quarter-Time Staff Reporter for a Year It has been almost four years since the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism held a well-attended community forum in the big room at (the sadly shuttered) ONCE club on Highland Ave. that led to the launch of our Somerville News Garden project. The […]
ON THE WAY HOME
A New Beginning For Formerly Incarcerated Women “Stepping into this house made me feel better … She has a way of transforming pain into passion.” When Stacey Borden exited MCI-Framingham for the final time in 2010, she was done with more than three decades of jail stints and drug use due to untreated trauma. She […]
STILL WAITING
Tainted Drug Evidence Victims Still Waiting For Settlement Payments “We’ve got a system in place where it’s just, grab this money from mostly poor people, but don’t have mechanisms in place to really account for what’s taken.” It may be a new year, but tens of thousands of individuals wrongfully convicted on drug charges in […]
OPINION: GLX IS HERE! CELEBRATING AND LOOKING AHEAD
After decades of advocacy, I was thrilled to celebrate the opening of the Green Line Extension through my district in Somerville and Medford last week. This public works project is the result of years of hard work from countless community members, laborers, activists, and colleagues at all levels of government. I’m proud that we made […]
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CHERYL AMIRAULT LEFAVE
“Everything that I came across for 40 years has been a battle.” It seemed that last week a decades-old controversial case was headed for a pardon vote. Outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker had recommended a pardon for Cheryl Amirault LeFave and her brother, Gerald, in the well-known and highly disputed Fells Acre Day Care case. […]