The Latest
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‘No Good Answers Here': Mass. Schools Preparing For Students to Return
Getting kids back in school safely this fall is the priority in Massachusetts school districts. That’s the word from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which asked school systems last week to prioritize in-person learning in the coming year. Plans are due by the end of July. But the preparations underway at Billerica Memorial High School offer a...
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City Councilors Want New Board to Probe Boston Police Misconduct
Calling the current system of public oversight broken, Boston city councilors filed an ordinance Tuesday to create an independent board to investigate police misconduct allegations. The measure, introduced by councilors Andrea Campbell, Ricardo Arroyo and Julia Mejia, would establish an 11-member panel with broad authority to investigate citizen complaints, including the power to subpoena officers and witnesses to testify. The…
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As Mass. Reopens, Data Shows People of Color Face Greater Risk From COVID-19
In late March, Ron Marlowe was still commuting to work on public transportation, and like most others, he wasn’t wearing a mask. Then one day, Marlowe came down with an incredible headache. He tested positive for COVID-19 and spent five days in the hospital. “They put me in a wheelchair and they whisked me away,” he remembered. Marlowe says...
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Senators Press FEMA For Answers on ‘Defective' PPE Sent To Nursing Homes
Two New England senators are pressing the federal government to explain its plan to supply nursing homes with personal protective gear after reports surfaced that some equipment supplied by FEMA was inadequate or defective. In a letter sent last week to the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Elizabeth Warren...
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Some Mass. Nursing Homes Short-Staffed During Pandemic, Federal Data Shows
As nursing homes across Massachusetts continue to grapple with the virus, many still don’t have a full roster of employees, according to new federal data, potentially compounding the challenges they face during the pandemic
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MBTA Readies for More Riders, But How Do You Keep Social Distance on a Bus?
With so many people working from home, ridership has plummeted on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. But as the state continues to reopen, and more of us take public transit to work, is the T ready for more riders? Some advocates worry the answer is no. “I’m very sad and disappointed and concerned,” said Richard Dimino, president and CEO...
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‘Nightmare Within a Nightmare': Families Press for Coronavirus Transparency in Nursing Homes
After recovering from the flu, 92-year-old Robert Stout was discharged from Pleasant Bay Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Brewster on April 10. On the day he left, family members say Pleasant Bay didn’t give them any notice that others in the facility were showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus. But that same day, Pleasant Bay received assistance from the...
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‘It's Definitely Tense Right Now': Nursing Homes Emerge as Coronavirus Hot Spots
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities have emerged as tragic hot spots in the coronavirus pandemic. The state of Massachusetts is taking steps to better protect vulnerable nursing home residents, but some advocates and families tell the NBC10 Boston Investigators they worry the new measures aren’t enough. “It’s a very sad and frustrating experience,” said Peter Nelson, whose...
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Child Abuse Reports Drop 50% in Mass. During Coronavirus Pandemic
Cokiena Fuller worries every day what might be happening behind closed doors as families shelter at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fuller, a supervisor for the state Department of Children and Families, says her agency has seen a significant drop in abuse and neglect reports in recent weeks. But advocates fear the prevalence of child abuse hasn’t decreased –...
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A Lifeline Through Language: Hospital Interpreters Critical During Coronavirus Outbreak
Imagine getting sick, being alone and not being able to easily communicate with your doctors. That’s the reality for many patients in Massachusetts who don’t speak English as their first language. “It is a feeling of panic, of helplessness, anguish,” said Carolyn Santiago of Massachusetts General Hospital. Santiago’s mother had a stroke 12 years ago. Santiago asked staff at...
