Author: Andrea Sears
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Election Shows Strong Support for LGBTQ Rights
Voter approval of Question 3 on the Massachusetts ballot was a victory for transgender rights in the Bay State. Approval of the measure upholding the state’s transgender nondiscrimination law was one of several victories for LGBTQ rights and candidates nationwide. But the civil rights of transgender people in particular have been under attack in several…
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Latinos Underrepresented at Top Public Colleges
A new study shows that selective public colleges nationwide admit disproportionately low numbers of Black and Latino students, while receiving more funding per student. The study, from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, found that all 41 states that have selective public colleges fund them at higher rates per student than their…
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Immigration Court Ordered to Review Denied Asylum Petition
A federal appeals court in Boston has ordered a review of a Bureau of Immigration Appeals ruling that denied a rehearing to a man seeking asylum. Indra Sihotang is one of hundreds who have fled anti-Christian oppression in Indonesia. He has been allowed to stay in the U.S. for well over a decade, but last…
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Tent Cities for Detaining Immigrants to be Built on Toxic Military Bases
A coalition of immigrant, labor and environmental groups is demanding details on government plans to detain migrant families at military bases known to be contaminated from decades of use for munitions and hazardous waste disposal, nuclear weapons development and military firing ranges. On Wednesday, Aug. 22, as the Trump administration rushed to build tent cities at…
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Health Care Advocates Call New Insurance Rule Bad for Consumers, Providers
Photo Courtesy of Franchise Opportunities A new health insurance rule is being called another blow to people with pre-existing conditions. On Wednesday, the Trump administration released a new rule that allows insurance companies to expand the sale of short-term insurance plans that don’t cover the health benefits deemed “essential” by the Affordable Care Act. Cheryl…
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Ocean Monuments Have No Impact on Commercial Fishing
Public data on commercial fishing shows no losses from the creation of protected areas off the New England coast, according to a new analysis. The commercial fishing industry had opposed the creation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, saying that prohibiting commercial fishing in the two areas would cripple the industry. But…
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Report: Census Undercount Could Undermine Well-Being of Mass. Children
BOSTON – The latest figures on the well-being of children show Massachusetts remains second in the nation, but child advocates fear trouble ahead. In the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2018 KIDS COUNT Data Book, the Bay State shows improvement in eight of 16 categories covering economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. But Laura…
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Study Shows “Red-Flag” Laws Reduce Gun Suicides
BOSTON – With the state Senate poised to take up a bill to allow removal of firearms from people considered a danger to themselves and others, new research shows such laws reduce suicides. The so-called “Red Flag” bill would allow a relative or someone with close ties to a legal gun owner to petition the…