BOSTON/State House - Declaring Monday, February 8th the day "we start to take control of our commonwealth, our common health, and our common future," Green-Rainbow Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein announced she would run for Governor of Massachusetts this year at a rally on the State House steps.

Surrounded by supporters holding signs, Stein named some of the pressing issues on which she would focus during the campaign. "Crumbling schools, unjust and racially biased CORI and drug laws, regressive taxes, crushing costs of war, climate threats to our economy, and the list goes on."

Brookline, MA - Between now and December 8th, the date of the special statewide primary, Open Media Boston will present conversations with the candidates vying to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Senator Edward Kennedy.

All of the declared Democrats have expressed a desire to emulate if not replace Kennedy’s decades long resume of accomplishments as a voice for liberal causes.

In the first of our series, we speak with Alan Khazei, founder and CEO of social justice organizations Be The Change, Inc. (he has since stepped down from that position to run for the Senate seat) and co-founder of City Year.

BOSTON/Boston Common - In the parlance of journalism, the following is called burying the lead. But I’m confident you’ll understand.

Moments after his announcement event was over, and participants and press were packing up to leave, I asked a young supporter wearing an “Alan Khazei for Senate” t-shirt if I could check the label. Sure enough, the shirts worn by more than a hundred Khazei supporters gathered out on the Boston Common today were union made by members of the United Food and Commercial Union, textile division.

BOSTON/State House - The official quest to replace Edward Kennedy in the U.S. Senate began this past Monday, when MA Governor Deval Patrick announced January 19, 2010 as the date for a special election to fill the seat left vacant by Kennedy’s passing on August 25th.

BOSTON/Charlestown - Members of the Joint Task Force on the Underground Economy and Employee Misclassification heard testimony from a dozen labor advocates and union and business leaders today, most of whom lauded the work of the multi-agency task force. Governor Deval Patrick initiated the state effort last year in a bid to stop employers who exploit their workers by ignoring state laws and refusing to pay employment taxes, workers compensation, and health insurance premiums.

BOSTON/Charlestown - A year ago, in March 2008, Governor Deval Patrick signed Executive Order 499 establishing the “Joint Enforcement Task Force on the Underground Economy and Employee Misclassification.” On Friday, June 19th, at Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown, the Task Force will hold its first Boston public hearing.