Gov. Charlie Baker

After months of sustained activism by prison abolitionists to block the construction of new detention facilities in Massachusetts, a veto by Governor Charlie Baker has struck a blow to the advocates’ campaign.

With enough support to withstand a potential veto from the governor, the state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would allow residents without legal immigration status to apply for standard driver’s licenses.

In the past week, Boston Public Schools teachers and staff have seen their highest-ever number of COVID-19 infections — with 1,202 staff out on Monday — and a post-winter holiday return to school marred by shipments of ineffective face masks and expired at-home tests courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Elected officials and public health officials came together last week to take aim at Gov. Charlie Baker’s handling of the latest COVID-19 surge that has already infected thousands and will likely infect more as families continue to gather for the holidays.

After almost two years of pandemic uncertainty, vague communication and a revolving door of Boston School Committee member resignations, Governor Baker and his appointee Commissioner Jeff Riley have added a layer of stressful bullying by continuing to foster the idea of receivership for the Boston Public Schools.

When Gov. Charlie Baker let Massachusetts’ eviction moratorium expire last October, he said he had a plan to keep residents from being thrown out of their homes. His Eviction Diversion Initiative would spend nearly $200 million on relief for tenants and landlords and fund legal assistance during eviction proceedings, as opposed to maintaining a ban that simply kept the courts from processing eviction filings.

Rather than bemoan the loss of Rollins in the district attorney’s office, this is the time to petition Governor Charlie Baker to appoint a replacement who will continue with the changes that Rollins has initiated.

Teachers unions, who have been pushing for school staff to receive vaccinations before students return to schools, hit back at DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley and the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker, who had rebuffed the unions’ requests.