WE ALL KNOW that New Bedford is facing a housing crisis that involves not only rising rents and home prices, but a severe shortage in housing options across all income levels. This housing production problem rests largely on the fact that construction costs in New Bedford rival Boston, but the rents that can be charged […]
Antonio F.D. Cabral
Posted inOpinion
Early childhood education at inflection point
THIS WEEK, the Massachusetts Legislature heard about a number of bills focused on early childhood education and care, including two of my own bills dealing with universal (H550) and full-day kindergarten (HJ549) and one that I’ve cosponsored focused on early education (H605). When I first filed my two bills more than a decade ago, there […]
Posted inOpinion
On immigration, Baker follows Trump playbook
ON JULY 24, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued its decision in the case of Lunn v. Commonwealth, holding that Massachusetts law enforcement officers lack authority to hold individuals on the sole strength of a federal immigration detainer. In response, Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation to allow Massachusetts law enforcement officers to detain targets of […]
Posted inEnvironment
Offshore wind better bet than hydro
IN A FEW WEEKS, the Massachusetts Legislature is likely to vote on a sweeping energy bill that will help determine how, from where, and from whom we get a substantial portion of our electricity for the next 10 or 20 years. Offshore wind is the best choice for Massachusetts. Here’s why. The Legislature should focus […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
How ‘Spotlight’ impacted the legislative process
SPOTLIGHT, BOSTON’S OWN OSCAR NOMINEE FOR BEST PICTURE, highlighted the courageous work of Boston Globe reporters and editors that exposed the Catholic Church’s handling of clergy sexual abuse. The Globe’s reporting forced the issue of clergy sexual abuse onto the Commonwealth’s agenda, both culturally and politically. Since the movie focused elsewhere, few of the movie’s […]
Posted inUncategorized
Counterpoints
Sen. Glodis writes that he considers learning English a right of English-language learners–a right they are entitled to have redeemed as quickly and effectively as possible. I fully endorse and adopt this principle as a starting point for a constructive discussion of transitional bilingual education. I would add to this that all children have the […]