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Election 2020

Mayor Alex Morse of Holyoke, Massachusetts, speaks to reporters during the launch of his congressional campaign on July 22, 2019. — Jerrey Roberts / Daily Hampshire Gazette / gazettenet.com

Morse Denies He Violated UMass Policy, Says He's Staying In Congressional Race

Alex Morse says he is staying in the race for Congress. In a statement posted to social media Sunday night, the mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, defended himself against allegations he engaged in inappropriate behavior involving college students, while again apologizing for "making some students feel uncomfortable."

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni. — Don Treeger / The Republican / masslive.com/photos

Mass. ACLU Wants Information From Hampden County DA On Springfield Police Misconduct

A Massachusetts civil rights group has asked the Hampden County District Attorney’s office to divulge how much it knew about misconduct by Springfield police officers, and how it’s responded.

Power Outages Stoke Concern Over Possible Uptick In COVID Cases

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on July 31. — State House News Service

Massachusetts Gov. Baker Orders New Enforcement, Gathering Size Limit

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Springfield Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood. — Greg Saulmon / The Republican / masslive.com/photos

'Wholly Missing The Boat,' Springfield Police Delay Use-Of-Force Policy Changes

Police Commissioner Cheryl Clapprood in Springfield, Massachusetts, said this week her department has not changed its use-of-force policy, despite a scathing federal report and suggestions from the City Council.

UMass Investigating Allegations Of Inappropriate Behavior By Morse

By NEPM Newsroom • Aug 8, 2020

Alex Morse in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 2015. — Creative Commons

Updated at 3:56 p.m.

Calling the allegations "serious and deeply concerning," UMass Amherst said Saturday it was investigating whether Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse violated university policy or federal law during his time teaching on campus.

This comes after the Massachusetts Daily Collegian reported that the College Democrats of Massachusetts wrote the mayor a letter accusing him of using his “position of power for romantic or sexual gain.”

UMass Amherst Uninvites Most Students Planning To Live On Campus This Fall

By NEPR Newsroom • Aug 7, 2020

The campus of UMass Amherst. — Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican / masslive.com/photos

Updated 4:25 p.m.

UMass Amherst has reversed its plans to allow students to decide whether to return to campus housing.

School Year In Springfield To Begin Without In-Person Classes

By Sam Hudzik • Aug 7, 2020

Teachers outside the Boland Elementary School in Springfield, Massachusetts, prepare to hand out laptops on April 6, 2020. — Alden Bourne / NEPR

The public schools in Springfield, Massachusetts, will keep classes remote-only through at least the first few months of the year.

In-Person Voting Will Still Happen At All Conn. Polling Locations, Despite Power Outages

By editor • Aug 7, 2020

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There’s a primary next week. And though absentee balloting has been the talk, the question now is whether the power outages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias will affect in-person voting.

How Markey And Kennedy Are Working For Workers

By Callum Borchers • Aug 6, 2020

When the Democratic primary between Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy began, Massachusetts boasted one of the strongest economies in the country.

Now, the candidates find themselves representing the state with the nation’s highest unemployment rate. Roughly 1 million people in Massachusetts remain out of work, according federal data released Thursday.

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On March 7, 1965, 600 civil rights protesters attempted a march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, the state capital, to draw attention to the voting rights issue. Led by Hosea Williams and John Lewis (at right in light raincoat). — Spider Martin, National Archives photo / Creative Commons / flickr.com/photos/iip-photo-archive/

Rep. John Lewis And The Sisters Who Nursed Him In Selma

As I watched the cart carrying the body of John Lewis across the Pettus Bridge, I was reminded that in 1965, brutally beaten, Lewis was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, run by Sisters of St. Joseph — the only one in nine counties that received Black patients.

Writer Tochi Onyebuchi of New Haven in 2017. — Joyce Skowyra / NEPM

In 'Riot Baby,' Onyebuchi's Character Takes On Police Brutality And Structural Racism

In "Riot Baby" — a new novel from New Haven writer Tochi Onyebuchi — a young Black girl named Ella discovers she has powers that can help rid the world of police brutality and structural racism.

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Our Commitment: Civil Dialogue, Context and Conversation

We are deeply saddened by the tragic events of the last several weeks which have shaken the Black community. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many other Black Americans have triggered national and international outrage and calls for systemic change. We once again see the bitter truths about racism, inequality, and injustice. This is a difficult time in our Nation’s history. Unlike many countries around the world which have experienced similar horrific...

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Caravan 4 Justice activists and protesters gather at the north side of the Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford to demonstrate against the systemic abuse of police power perpetrated against the black community, June 7, 2020. — Joe Amon / Connecticut Public

'It's Happening To All Of Us': The Way Black Women Are Policed Is A Health Issue

It’s been more than four months since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her home by Louisville Metro Police as they executed a no-knock search warrant. She was a 26-year-old Black woman who worked as an emergency medical technician and aspired to become a nurse.