Between the Lines: Customarily Defiant

Deval Patrick’s public statements about the troubled state Department of Children and Families on balance strike me as not only defensive, but defiant. When he said last week, for example, that the agency’s failures stem from a lack of computer...

From Our Readers

Gannon’s House of Cards On the one-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing and lockdown, the ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the FBI demanding the release of documents and facts surrounding the FBI’s involvement before and after the tragedy....

From Our Readers

Berwick’s Progressive, Not “Dangerous” I object to the headline of your recent profile of gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick (The “Dangerous” Democrat, April 24). What an irresponsible title for this article! Don Berwick is a progressive...

Between the Lines: Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Last month, when state Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D-Springfield) announced that she was leaving her seat for a job in the Hampden Superior Court Clerk’s office, Sal Circosta decided to jump into the race to succeed her. A month later, Circosta has changed his...

Guest Column: The Closeted Valley

The Pioneer Valley is still trying to come out of the closet. In the past Western Mass. has led in many aspects of LGBTQ progress—from the champions in Springfield who stood for ENDA in its earliest days, to the activists in Northampton whose passions became a...