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On the front lines at the gay-marriage hearing
On the front lines at the gay-marriage hearing
By DEIRDRE FULTON + EMILY PARKHURST | April 30, 2009

Several investigations begin simultaneously
For years controversy has churned over the Maine State Prison's treatment of both inmates and correctional officers. For the first time, legislators have taken action.
By LANCE TAPLEY | April 08, 2009

Baldacci rejects reform, embraces corporate prisons again

Prison watch
Awareness is dawning around the country that 30 years of lengthy, tough-on-crime prison sentences have constructed an unsustainably expensive penal system.
By LANCE TAPLEY | January 21, 2009

Black or blue

MLK EVENTS
What if blue eyes were like black skin?
By DEIRDRE FULTON | January 07, 2009

Corrections changes

NAACP leader challenges Maine prison policies
Like a movie hero, the NAACP’s new, young national president, Benjamin Jealous, swept into the 900-inmate Maine State Prison in Warren on Monday, quelling protests among the prisoners and, at least temporarily, rescuing the organization’s prison chapter from being snuffed out by state corrections officials.
By LANCE TAPLEY | December 10, 2008

At the Biltmore, exultation and ecstasy over Obama’s win

Talking politics
Shortly before 9:30 pm on Tuesday, a huge roar went up among the Democratic crowd packing the 17th floor ballroom at the Providence Biltmore.
By IAN DONNIS | November 05, 2008

Dianne's special deal

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson already has amassed a list of embarrassing political pratfalls. The Phoenix uncovers two more situations that should cause concern on the cusp of the election.
Undeterred by her Democratic primary loss to opponent Sonia Chang-Díaz, State Senator Dianne Wilkerson is forging ahead in a sticker campaign to win re-election of her Second Suffolk seat in the state legislature.
By TED SIEFER | October 29, 2008

Facebooking the convention

News feed
We rounded up a few Maine luminaries who’ve alighted in the Mile High City for the Democratic National Convention, and translated their observations into Facebook speak.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 28, 2008

Mainers off to Denver

Peace talks
Two well-known Mainers will take a peace petition to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this weekend, aimed specifically at opposing military action, flat-out war, and economic sanctions against Iran.
By DEIRDRE FULTON | August 20, 2008

Time for a clean sweep?

A former guard calls for prison reform
In early 2007, Rhonda Dawson, a thoughtful, candid, 45-year-old African-American guard at the Maine State Prison in Warren, quit her job after four years because, she says, of racist taunting from her fellow correctional officers.
By LANCE TAPLEY | July 23, 2008

Primary Endorsements 2008

Who we'd like to see in the first round
On June 10, Mainers in both the Democratic and Republican parties will get to vote on people to represent them in Washington DC.
By PORTLAND PHOENIX STAFF | June 04, 2008

Imprisoned facts

Will the truth escape from a break in the prison wall?
Although I had already written a lot about abuse in the prison, this May 21 interview with Dorney, a 28-year-old Portland man serving 20 years for assault, was what I had been waiting for.
By LANCE TAPLEY | May 28, 2008

Local heroes 2008

Ramon Martinez, Bill Harley, Ren Whitaker, and Bob Fusaro
In this, the eleventh annual edition of the Providence Phoenix’s “Best” issue, we highlight people and organizations who are doing exceptionally good work.
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | April 17, 2008

Jackson's sweet dream

Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign
This article originally appeared in the March 4, 1988 issue of the Boston Phoenix.
By SCOT LEHIGH | March 07, 2008

Three prison-reform events

Getting organized
Three events centered on Martin Luther King Day will kick off a prison-reform movement in Maine.
By LANCE TAPLEY | January 16, 2008

Was it all a dream?

EXCLUSIVE: Mitt Romney claims that his father marched with MLK, but the record says otherwise
The Phoenix can find no evidence that the senior Romney actually marched with King, nor anything in the public record suggesting that he ever claimed to do so.
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | December 21, 2007

Hateful holidays

Diverse city
I’d like to wish you all Bloodless Holidays.
By SHAY STEWART-BOULEY | December 12, 2007

Letters to the Portland editor: September 21, 2007

Cranky is cranky
I was bummed to see that your article on Portland street musicians failed to mention me. Come on!
By LETTERS TO THE PORTLAND EDITOR | September 19, 2007

Stabbed in the back

Officials reward a prison hero by endangering his life
Right now, a bewildered Mark Cible is on a nightmarish journey through some of America’s most violent prisons.
By LANCE TAPLEY | September 12, 2007

Gifted felons

In an interview, Mark Cible described Gary Watland as “brilliant.” His computer prowess was especially impressive, Cible says.
By LANCE TAPLEY | September 12, 2007

The Carson Beach Battle

Clouded by other explanations, the conflict is plainly racial
This article originally appeared in the August 9, 1977 issue of the Boston Phoenix .
By HOWARD HUSOCK | August 07, 2007

Prisoners as commodities

Critics slam Governor Baldacci’s plan to ship Maine inmates out of state to a for-profit company
If Baldacci goes around the Legislature with an emergency order, a big division could open between the governor and the Legislature.
By LANCE TAPLEY | April 25, 2007

Facing up

Letters to the Boston editor, March 9, 2007
“ Facing off over Facebook ” contained some very valuable information about university administrators’ increased role in monitoring students’ online activities.
By BOSTON PHOENIX LETTERS | March 07, 2007

Facing off over Facebook

Who’s looking at you, kid?
Students, be warned: the college of your choice may be watching you. Post at your own peril: The risks of sticking it to the man on Facebook. By Adam Reilly
By GREG LUKIANOFF AND WILL CREELEY | March 02, 2007

Does peace have a chance?

The anti-war movement faces its biggest challenge yet — politics
Four weeks after Democrats rode a wave of anti-war discontent to gain control of the US House and Senate, only four protestors show up to the weekly “Bridges for Peace” demonstration on the Casco Bay Bridge.
By SARA DONNELLY | December 27, 2006

The measure of a mayor

What have ten years of Kevin White meant for Boston?
This article originally appeared in the May 2, 1978 issue of the Boston Phoenix.
By TOM SHEEHAN | November 14, 2006

The Boston Red Sox

Are they racist?
This article originally appeared in the August 17, 1976 issue of the Boston Phoenix.
By TOM SHEEHAN | November 14, 2006

Republican radio

Two days with WRKO-AM, the unofficial broadcast arm of Kerry Healey’s campaign for governor
If you’re a political liberal — or just someone who has a sense of fair play — listening to two straight days of talk on WRKO-AM isn’t easy.
By ADAM REILLY | October 30, 2006

Healey's Hail Mary

Trailing in the polls, will the LG try an "October Surprise" of her own?
In the Massachusetts governor’s race, it’s looking like Republican nominee and Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey will need a doozy of an October surprise to catch Democratic nominee Deval Patrick.
By ADAM REILLY | October 04, 2006

$50 million worth of mistakes

Legal claims are costing the city millions of dollars a year. Is it a random blip or a sign of a badly run government?
Mistakes by Boston city workers — especially the police — have cost the city more than $50 million over the past four years. The breakdown: Inside the "Oops" fund. By David S. Bernstein Among the uninsured: How other cities handle their mistakes. By David S. Bernstein
By DAVID S. BERNSTEIN | September 28, 2006

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