Forty-two years ago, the city of Newton had four local newspapers: the Newton Graphic, the Newton Times, the Waltham Tribune (which also served Newton) and the Newton TAB. Residents had to work hard to be uninformed about local government and community comings and goings. As a reporter, then political editor of the Times, I thought …
Month: July 2021
Mass. voting laws need upgrade
Any-reason absentee voting, expanded early voting, drop boxes, all designed to limit exposure to COVID-19, all worked to enhance Massachusetts voter turnout for the 2020 election. 3.7 million - 76 percent of those registered - turned out, the highest percentage since 1992. Those procedures expired in June, and, while they have now been extended through …
Voting suppression and subversion: the GOP’s American dream
Photo Time Inc When it comes to securing voting rights, rhetorical flourish will go only so far. At his eulogy for civil rights icon John Lewis last year, former President Obama waxed eloquent in support of comprehensive legislation. Last week in Philadelphia, President Biden's voting rights speech was occasionally stirring and substantively on target. But …
Continue reading Voting suppression and subversion: the GOP’s American dream
Kidney needed. Pass the word!
The sign hung over Fenway Park, just under the beloved Red Sox icon. It read, "Save Doug Kahn’s Life! BWH.donorscreen.org Kidney donor urgently needed!" A desperate move on behalf of a desperate young man. Things have never been easy for the 50-year-old Brockton accountant and father of two children, ages nine and seven. As a …
Time to Replace the 1812 on the Fourth
Backyard barbecues, beach parties, fireworks, and concerts featuring the 1812 Overture – all traditional parts of the holiday celebrating the independence of our nation. What’s wrong with this picture? Why, the 1812 Overture, of course. This marquee finale by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and many of us look forward to …
Marjorie Arons-Barron 