Author: Valerie Adamski

  • Oh Crap, Is That Today?! Our Last-Minute Guide to the 2014 Midterms

    Oh Crap, Is That Today?! Our Last-Minute Guide to the 2014 Midterms

    Valerie Adamski BOSTON, Mass.—On Nov. 4, people across the Commonwealth will head to the polls to choose a new governor, attorney general and other elected officials in a little-known ritual called “midterm elections.” Don’t worry — we forgot, too. But we’ve got you covered with this handy guide to where the statewide candidates stand on…

  • Priced Out: Development Drives Rising Rents in Union Square

    Priced Out: Development Drives Rising Rents in Union Square

    It’s 7:30 on a sticky Tuesday morning in mid-June. The bus is packed with teenagers studying for exams and finishing homework. Windows are cracked and hot air blows in, moving the stagnant air. Droopy-eyed professionals move aside as the bus approaches School St., allowing students to exit the bus and start their day, alleviating the…

  • Forty Years Later, Busing Crisis Stirs Controversy

    Forty Years Later, Busing Crisis Stirs Controversy

    BOSTON, Mass.—Three Boston city councilors stirred up controversy recently by voting “present” when Councilor Charles Yancey proposed a resolution to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that declared racial segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. While 10 of the 13 councilors voted in favor,…

  • Local Woman Gives the Gift of Warmth

    Local Woman Gives the Gift of Warmth

    BOSTON, Mass.—In the midst of a winter that seems to be never-ending, one Watertown resident is trying to keep those who are less fortunate in the Boston area a little warmer, inside and out. Cathy O’Grady, a wife, mother and full-time accountant, has found time in her busy schedule to ensure those in need are…

  • Patrick Calls for Criminal Reform for Substance Abuse and Mental Illness

    BOSTON, Mass.—Gov. Deval Patrick has announced a plan to reduce recidivism by 50 percent in the next five years by implementing a step-down program, substance abuse rehabilitation and proper care for mentally ill offenders. To reduce recidivism, Patrick plans to introduce a step-down program that will allow inmates to finish their sentences at county-based houses…