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As a kid growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s in western Massachusetts, watching Malcolm in the Middle — the saga of a fourth-wall busting child prodigy and his family — was a staple of post-school hours. Jumping forward to present times, and my...

According to the Washington Office on Latin America, in a world filled with war, violence and extreme human suffering, Colombia is a model for how protracted complex conflicts can be resolved through political negotiation.The historic 2016 peace...

By BEN TOBINIt speaks to the diminished role of our school systems that we are starting to see the emergence of student-led conferences. As the recent federal probe into Massachusetts’ special education system has laid bare, our entire system has...

A recent donation of 132 acres to Hilltown Land Trust will link Williamsburg’s Briar Hill Conservation Area to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) State Forest in Goshen, extending hiking trails and wildlife corridors, conservation...

By MATT L. BARRON and JON WEISMANN

On Dec. 11, the U.S. House passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, legislation to require Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to disclose drug rebates and discounts, revealing what they pay drug makers for prescription drugs. The bill would also...

Why should the 99% of Massachusetts residents who do not hunt have to give up our last bastion of weapons-free rural recreation from October through December? Hunting and gun enthusiasts cite the archaic origins of the Sunday ban as a reason for...

By BEN TOBIN

One of the first things I notice in many schools these days is the emphasis on “belonging.” Certainly, this is an important element in any communal space and especially for developing learners. However, I can’t help but find this latest push,...

By JAMES PENTLAND

WILLIAMSBURG — After seeing some of the area’s widespread flooding from a helicopter as she flew from Hanscom Field in Bedford to Northampton, Gov. Maura Healey stopped in Williamsburg Wednesday morning to learn more about flood-related damages...

By JAMES PENTLAND

WILLIAMSBURG — State Auditor Diana DiZoglio knows she’s going up against powerful interests with her push to audit the Massachusetts Legislature, but she’s forging ahead regardless.“We’ll be preparing a report,” she told an audience of 30 at the Anne...

By BEN TOBIN

The world of education is rife with feel-good messages and jargon: growth mindset, whole child, inquiry-based, social-emotional learning.The learning will be rigorous and catered to the individual while also still meeting the requirements of state...

Two recent news stories got my attention. The first was about the creation of “Maternity Deserts.” These large areas in America totally lack maternity care and they have become more common because financial entities are closing maternity services in...

By BEN TOBIN

Fifty-seven years locked in a cage. It’s hard to fathom being trapped in a small space that isn’t even large enough to stand upright.Such was the fate of Josiah Spaulding Jr. in the late 1800s. By all accounts Josiah was a kind-hearted young man and,...

By BEN TOBIN

Sixty-thousand mollusks. It’s hard to conceive of that many invertebrates in one location. That is, however, the number of mollusks discovered at the home of famed epistemologist Jean Piaget after his death in 1980.Sixty thousand octopi, snails,...

By BEN TOBIN

As a licensed special education teacher and disabilities advocate, one of my first and foremost responsibilities is to follow the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This law includes the mandate that districts must identify...

It is important when reporting on Gov. Maura Healey’s planned logging moratorium, to include the importance of keeping our forests wild for the benefit of the people, who should be the ones to benefit from our public lands. While it is true that some...