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 pastries, exchanging pleasantries in Spanish, […]
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 governor’s FY 2017 proposal three […]
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 down to the site of […]
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 every paragraph of liquor license […]
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 his trial is legend in […]