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Matt McDonald, a Boston-area native, has decades of experience as a reporter, editor, and copy editor. His work has appeared in The Mashpee Messenger, Cape Cod News, and The Norfolk Boomerang.
Local History
Do you have an impression that American colonists went to war with Great Britain in 1775 because the British Parliament imposed a tax on tea? That’s not uncommon. A lot of people think that. But it doesn’t make sense.
News
Massachusetts residents aren't legally allowed to audio record a conversation without the other person's consent. Can police do it without a warrant? The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court will decide.
News
Secretly recorded video that police take without a warrant can't be used at trial against a suspect in Massachusetts, the state's highest court has ruled. Prosecutors in a drug case in East Boston and Brighton were hoping to use at least the video without the audio
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A U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that invalidated the way Massachusetts cities and towns seize real estate for back taxes may end up getting a couple in Marlborough much more money than they would have had otherwise – and they may end up keeping their home. The Massachusetts Appeals
News
I've looked at every poll and every announced trend from the past several days, and I'm not going to pretend that I can make sense of it. There is so much conflicting data, and the election is (apparently) so close, I don't see how
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A longtime state representative leaving office in January 2025 cited the Massachusetts Legislature's refusal to put same-sex marriage to a statewide referendum as among his proudest moments in office. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in November 2003 issued a 4-3 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the state, the
Massachusetts
The state's highest court has again expanded the responsibility of police in Massachusetts to show that their investigations aren't racially biased. The high court upheld a trial court judge's dismissal of gun charges because Boston police wouldn't turn over documents showing how
News
The end of Catholic acute health care in eastern Massachusetts is in sight, as a bankruptcy judge has approved the sale of four nominally Catholic hospitals formerly run by the Archdiocese of Boston. The current owner, Steward Health Care System LLC, filed for bankruptcy on May 6, and is in