Levasseur Blowup: The Voices

Ray Luc Levasseur, in a statement at the U.S. District Courthouse in Springfield in 1989: “I was born into a particular class of workers that was severely exploited and subjected to certain kinds of conditions. And that left an imprint on my mind that I was...
Fighting for  Habitat

Fighting for Habitat

As legislation goes, the bill is remarkably concise, just 31 words added to an existing law: "The director [of the Mass. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife] shall not impose any project review or permit requirement upon any land unless such land is located within...

Imperium Watch: The Force of Few Words

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has just filed a two-page bill.The filing of a two-page bill in Congress should be news no matter what its contents, but in this case the size of the problem the bill addresses is as awe-inspiring as its brevity. Sanders'...
Habitat: Who's Bill Pepin?

Habitat: Who's Bill Pepin?

When Bill Pepin had problems with the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, he approached his local legislators—state Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera and state Sen. Stephen Buoniconti—who filed bills that would dramatically reduce the agency's...

Between the Lines: Weak Ties That Bind

Melinda Blau and I are consequential strangers.At least, I suspect that would be Blau's term for our relationship. We have a friendly connection—a professional symbiosis from which I've gotten some interesting stories and Blau has gotten some publicity...