Tag: Massachusetts
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At The Speed of Life
I was late to graduation, just like I was late for everything. Flying down the right-hand lane on South Livingston Avenue, doing close to 90 miles an hour with my 1958 Plymouth Belvedere convertible top down, when I heard a police car hit the wailers and saw the lights in my rear-view mirror. I pulled…
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Minimum-Wage Boost Making Dent in MA Child Poverty
It’s a significant dent. The share of Massachusetts children living in poverty is down, and state job growth along with recent boosts in the minimum wage are cited as big factors pushing the positive trend. The data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show the child poverty rate for Massachusetts dropped from…
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The Campaign for Fair Foods comes to Boston
Beatrice Bell Spare Change News Recently I went to a protest outside of Trader Joe’s on Boylston Street across from the Hynes Convention Center. I didn’t know what to expect. What I learned was very interesting. Immokalee Farms, which is located in Florida, grows tomatoes for Trader Joes, Stop & Shop, McDonald’s, Subway and Whole…
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Editorial: Betting on trouble
As a federal judge lectured yet another Massachusetts legislative leader for official corruption and sentenced him to multiple years in jail, the remaining powers that be on Beacon Hill were busy pitching a scheme that was devised behind closed doors to bring Las Vegas-style casinos to the Bay State. Somehow, it’s impossible to think about…
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SOMEONE'S GOTTA LOSE: Does the Mass. Lottery Target Poor People?
Tom Benner Spare Change News A public interest group believes state lotteries use marketing strategies to target low-income communities, where residents tend to spend a larger percentage of their incomes on lottery tickets than do the wealthier segments of society. But a public records request for the Massachusetts Lottery’s internal advertising documents so far has…
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Mass. Wants New Emphasis on Housing over Shelters
By Tom Benner First in a three-part series on the Patrick administration’s five-year plan to eliminate homelessness by 2013 Part One: The shift from shelters to housing Part Two: What the advocates and experts say Part Three: What policymakers say and next steps Housing First is a revolutionary concept in the fight against homelessness. Instead…