john hilliard

This is as good as it gets!!

...And then we wrote a song about it
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/m...

‘They don’t even pretend to comply’: Mass. agencies, cities, and towns openly flout open record law - The Boston Globe When requests are fought or ignored by agencies, enforcement of Massachusetts' public records law often falls to those who requested the documents.

Important story by @iamjohnhilliard.bsky.social -- ‘They don’t even pretend to comply’: Mass. agencies, cities, and towns openly flout open record law
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/04/m...

‘They don’t even pretend to comply’: Mass. agencies, cities, and towns openly flout open record law - The Boston Globe When requests are fought or ignored by agencies, enforcement of Massachusetts' public records law often falls to those who requested the documents.

In Massachusetts, the state law’s deadlines for fulfilling records requests can be ignored, workers can conspire to overestimate costs, elected officials can spend years fighting requests in court, or not bother releasing records at all. @bostonglobe.com

A photo of Marcelo Gomes standing at the State of the Union in Washington, D.C. Text on card reads: “Milford teen, Marcelo Gomes, leaves State of the Union after targeted DHS tweet”

Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Milford teen who was arrested by ICE last May, went to the State of the Union as a guest of Representative Seth Moulton. He left early after a Department of Homeland Security tweet singled him out by name. trib.al/z40q0Yo

A college dorm’s attempt to ‘catch a predator’ was disastrous. The fallout has changed lives — and isn’t over. - The Boston Globe A dorm room sting at Assumption University started as a bad idea among students and quickly spiraled into consequences that are still being felt.

Today's Starting Point dives into a college dorm's attempt to "catch a predator" and the consequences that are still being felt.

Introductions to women. Free flights. Business deals. Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Harvard run deeper than previously known. - The Boston Globe Some of Epstein’s ties to the school were hiding in plain sight, yet Harvard officials missed or looked past them during their 2019 probe.

The Epstein files mention Harvard University more than 12,000 times.

A new Boston Globe Spotlight Team report found that Jeffrey Epstein's ties to the country’s most revered academic institution ran deeper than previously known.

Is French food hot again? - The Boston Globe French food was once considered bygone, too Euro, and boring. Now? Everyone wants a piece of it.

NEW: French food was once considered bygone, too Euro, and boring. Now? Everyone wants a piece of it.

So, is French cuisine “hot” again?

My latest in my newsletter, the Food Club, via @bostonglobe.com @globeri.bsky.social

www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/26/m...

We now know the full scale of Trump’s federal workforce cuts - The Boston Globe Amid Trump’s bureaucracy-slashing directives, the federal workforce shrunk by about 220,000 people in 2025.

The federal workforce shrunk by nearly 220,000 people last year, close to 10 percent, according to a Globe analysis of federal data.

New transit links could transform Everett’s access to Boston - The Boston Globe Existing transit connections between Boston and Everett are lackluster, despite their proximity, residents and politicians say.

In Everett, a web of projects — including an extended Silver Line route, a new pedestrian and cycling bridge connecting Everett to Somerville, and a possible commuter rail stop — could make it easier to ride a bike, bus, or train in and out of some parts of the city.

‘It’s just un-American’: ICE’s mass detention centers run into resistance — including from Republicans - The Boston Globe This week New Hampshire Republican Governor Kelly Ayotte successfully lobbied the government to keep a new detention center out of her state.

As ICE seeks to build out mass detention centers around the country, they're meeting a wall of local resistance -- even in solid Trump country.
My story:
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/26/n...

What an incredible sunset over Boston tonight...

❤️

📹: @Theonlyesti_

Milford teen Marcelo Gomes leaves State of the Union after targeted DHS tweet - The Boston Globe This week, Gomes met with members of Congress and talked about his experience in detention before attending President Trump’s speech as Representative Seth Moulton's guest.

Gomes, who was arrested by ICE last May while on the way to volleyball practice, attended the event as a guest of Representative Seth Moulton. @bostonglobe.com

‘GRWM’ to meet the governor: How Mass. politicians are turning to friendly influencers to spread their messages - The Boston Globe Massachusetts politicians are increasingly embracing online creators to expand their reach beyond traditional press, including offering them one-on-one interviews or inviting them to events.

In Massachusetts and beyond, politicians have increasingly turned to people with armies of followers, but that shift has raised questions about how transparent politicians and the influencers they work with should be as they knit their social feeds together. @bostonglobe.com

Retired judge: Feds must investigate DCF over treatment of disabled children - The Boston Globe The judge, Carol Erskine, highlighted the deaths of three children with disabilities, including Harmony Montgomery.

A retired Massachusetts juvenile court judge is seeking a federal investigation into the Department of Children and Families, saying she fears a pattern of discrimination against children with disabilities. @bostonglobe.com

The overhaul of White Stadium is set to cost $325 million. How does the price compare to other soccer venues? - The Boston Globe In Boston, costs have jumped more than 60 percent from an initial projection of $200 million.

The White Stadium project's total cost now dwarfs that of similar soccer stadium projects around the country by tens of millions of dollars, if not more. @bostonglobe.com

Some local media news:
@politico.com is ending Mass Playbook as @kellygarrity.bsky.social joins the Globe to write a new politics newsletter

When you have Sam Altman co signing maybe rethink it?

“The National Association of Government Employees told WBUR it was unhappy with the announcement and said Healey’s administration is “rushing” the introduction of AI.”

Boston built a global biotech empire. Now the talent is quietly drifting away. - The Boston Globe In a first-of-its-kind survey, the Globe asked hundreds of scientists about the impact of federal funding cuts.

In a first-of-its-kind survey, the Globe asked hundreds of scientists about the impact of federal funding cuts.
The results were stark:
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/09/m...

They came to Massachusetts to cure disease. Now they’re packing up their labs. - The Boston Globe In a first-of-its-kind survey, the Globe asked hundreds of scientists about the impact of federal funding cuts.

Asked how the federal research cuts have affected science, one Boston Children’s Hospital researcher said, “This is like asking, how do you think dropping an atomic bomb on New York City will affect the future of Broadway musicals?”
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/09/m...

An aide to Governor Healey is set to lose her work authorization. She’s suing Trump to keep it. - The Boston Globe Valentina Amaro Bowser, an immigrant from Venezuela, is in limbo after the federal government paused certain visa applications.

An aide to Governor Maura Healey, who is an immigrant from Venezuela currently on a work visa, is suing the Trump administration, arguing she could lose her job in state government unless federal immigration officials quickly approve her work authorization. via @bostonglobe.com

Video: Police release body camera footage from Brown University shooting - The Boston Globe The heavily redacted video begins at 4:16 p.m. on Dec. 13, about 10 minutes after the first call came in. The 20 minutes that follow show police rushing to clear the building and get victims out.

Nearly two months after a deadly shooting at Brown University killed two students and injured nine others, released body-worn camera footage of a responding officer. via @bostonglobe.com

Mayor Wu says White Stadium overhaul’s cost to taxpayers rising to $135 million - The Boston Globe Boston Legacy FC, the new professional women’s soccer team that is partnering with the city for the project, will put in more than $190 million for its portion of the redevelopment.

The city's project to overhaul White Stadium will cost taxpayers $135 million, up from the most recent $90 million estimate — an increase Mayor Michelle Wu has attributed to inflation and the rising costs of materials and labor.

In Gloucester, remembrance and resilience after a familiar tragedy - The Boston Globe “You see more fishermen with one arm or one hand than in any other job,” said Tom Scola, a Gloucester lobsterman, as he talked with a friend in the predawn dark on the State Fish Pier.

An estimated 10,000 lives have been lost at sea in Gloucester’s long history. The industry’s fatality rate is 28 times greater than the national average for all occupations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/06/m...

The one thing that should make Patriots fans feel a little better after a brutal Super Bowl defeat - The Boston Globe Few expected New England to make it so far this season. Each unexpected win was a gift, a collective dopamine drip, a happy surprise in a year full of so many unpleasant ones.

Today's Starting Point explores a (faint) silver lining for bummed-out Patriots fans after a tough Super Bowl loss.

Is the ice safe for winter fun? A pro shares how to check. - The Boston Globe Cold weather alone doesn't guarantee that a pond or lake is safe for winter recreation.

Cold weather alone doesn’t guarantee safe conditions for pond hockey, ice fishing, and other activities. So how do you test the ice? And what should you do if you fall in? A pro explains via @bostonglobe.com

After months of escalation, Healey took action to counter ICE. Fellow Democrats ask: Is it enough? - The Boston Globe Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey's proposal to block ICE agents from arresting people in courthouses, churches, or schools, hasn’t stopped calls from within her own party for the state to go furthe...

NEW: Gov. Healey's plan to counter ICE in Massachusetts drew a standing ovation from supporters and derision from conservative critics. It’s since elicited something else: Demands for more.
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/03/m...

Local groups sue ICE over policy on warrantless home entries - The Boston Globe Advocates say an ICE policy on home entry collides with constitutional protections against search and seizure.

Several Boston-area immigrant-advocacy organizations sued the federal government, seeking to halt immigration-enforcement authorities’ new stated practice of forcibly entering homes without a judicial warrant.

‘CBS Evening News’: Tony Dokoupil Under Fire for Interviewing His Own Mom Viewers accuse CBS News of 'dumbing down.'

Tuesday morning:
New CBS boss promises “huge emphasis on scoops.”

Tuesday evening:
CBS Evening News anchor interviews his mom.

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Every leader should study what happened. The importance of listening to dissent is a key lesson every leader should learn. This is essential reading.