Governor Deval Patrick Historic inauguration draws thousands

Serghino René

Deval Patrick, the first African American to be elected as governor and only the second in American history, takes the oath of office today amid a weeklong celebration considered to be one of the most inclusive in state history.

The historical significance of this inauguration is underscored by the symbolic use of the Mendi Bible, given to John Quincy Adams by the group of Africans he defended in 1841 before the U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark case that resulted in freedom for those aboard the slave ship Amistad.
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Big Dig legacy hangs on fatal collapse

Denise Lavoie

The legacy of the most expensive highway project in U.S. history is being defined not by the underground leaks that plagued it or the quintupling of its price tag to more than $14.6 billion.

No, it comes down to the hundreds of bolts, each weighing less than a pound, that were glued into the concrete tunnel roof to hold up the 4,600-pound concrete ceiling panels. Full story

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FROM THE
EDITOR’S DESK

Squeezing the middle class

Now comes the hard part. It is time to pay for those lavish Christmas presents purchased in a spirit of exuberant generosity. A review of the sales slips forces a return to reality. There will be no substantial year-end corporate bonus to help balance the budget.
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