Massachusetts Archives

STATE OF THE BOSTON COMEDY UNION

Seven comics. Two hours. One historic summit on the state of stand-up comedy in the Hub. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Governor, members of the House and Senate, our fellow Greater Bostonians: Sixteen years into this new century, you can talk to any seasoned comedy fan in Greater Boston, the ones who

DAN MCCARTHY May 25, 2016

AUSTERITY BUDGET, PART 3

May 24, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS The Worst of the House and the Senate Ways and Means Committee FY 2017 State Budget Proposals A weekly column like this one can only keep up with a limited number of current events. Although committed to tracking the worst proposed cuts at

JASON PRAMAS May 24, 2016

OF BOLIVAR AND BOSTON

Social and economic insecurity in Caracas has a significant impact on Venezuelans in Massachusetts One late March morning, corridos — the socially conscious ballads popular throughout Central and Latin America — blared throughout the blue and gold basement chapel of Tremont Temple Baptist Church. About 21 people mingled around a table of coffee and breakfast

ALEJANDRO RAMIREZ May 12, 2016

AUSTERITY BUDGET: PART 2

April 28, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS The lowlights of the Mass House Ways and Means Committee FY 2017 state budget proposal Time for a look at the latest act of the Commonwealth’s annual fiscal circus: the House Ways and Means Committee (HWMC) FY 2017 budget proposal. As with the

JASON PRAMAS April 28, 2016

BOSTON’S MARATHON APOCALYPSE

In hashing out what happened on that dark day three years ago, it’s important to consider the Bay State’s history as an apocalyptic ground zero There is no shining beacon on the hill in Boston. There is a shiny gold dome capping the Massachusetts State House just a short walk

CHIP BERLET April 15, 2016

THE THIRSTY GAMES

An exploration into the sordid history of Boston’s modern prohibition PART I: Boston’s liquor licensing quota was born out of elitism and has fostered a poisonous disparity over the past century. Can lifting the cap break the cycle? “Except for the city of Boston.” This historically pointed phrase punctuates

HALEY HAMILTON March 24, 2016

JOEY’S ANGELS

Joe Donovan beat impossible odds in being paroled from a life sentence. With his release this month, he and his advocates recount the nightmare behind them and brace for a daunting road ahead. No one ever accused Joe Donovan of killing anyone, but he was convicted of murder nonetheless. The story of

CHRIS FARAONE March 6, 2016

GE BOSTON DEAL: THE MISSING MANUAL, PART 4

February 29, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS In May 2012, three former GE executives were imprisoned after being convicted on multiple charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and defraud the United States. Dominick Carollo, Steven Goldberg and Peter Grimm had all worked for GE Capital—the financial division that operated

JASON PRAMAS February 29, 2016

AUSTERITY BUDGET: BAKER HITS STUDENTS, HOMELESS, POOR, EVERYBODY BUT THE RICH WITH FY17 BUDGET PROPOSAL

February 25, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS If you’re a working person, and you want to understand the annual Massachusetts state budget process, the best resource to consult is the Mass Budget and Policy Center (MBPC). It issues timely reports detailing every major budget proposal and wrapping up each final

JASON PRAMAS February 25, 2016

GE BOSTON DEAL: THE MISSING MANUAL, PART 3

Image by Kent Buckley February 15, 2016 BY JASON PRAMAS @JASONPRAMAS Returning to our ongoing look at General Electric’s recent and inconvenient history of violating the public trust, in part 2 of this “missing manual” the corporation got out of the subprime housing loan market just in time to avoid

JASON PRAMAS February 15, 2016