Update: The Massachusetts high court turned down Somerville's appeal. Somerville previously lost rulings in federal court, the superior court and the appellate court in its bid to withhold parking permit records. www.ma-appellatecourts.org/docket/FAR-3...

This email. #FOIA. www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/20/m...

From my colleagues @laurameckler.bsky.social & Danielle Douglas-Gabriel. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

I've been trying to figure out the impact President Trump's policies have had on foreign enrollment at US colleges. @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...

Some advocates predicted international college enrollment would plummet this year in the US. That's true at some schools, but others have maintained their enrollment. @washingtonpost.com wapo.st/3Ltd15K

Been a while since I had a byline in print. @washingtonpost.com

I was just looking at the excellent round-up of how to access state court records around the country created by @allyjar.bsky.social. I'd encourage any lawyers or journalists to update the info for their state (if needed). #courtrecords #courts #journalism docs.google.com/document/d/1...

First day at the Washington Post.

Start of the Honk parade in Cambridge/Somerville, Mass.

Signing off from public radio today. It was my last day at @wbur.org in Boston.

Some personal news…

Just learned Somerville, Mass. is appealing this appellate court ruling to the SJC, the highest state court in Mass. www.wbur.org/news/2025/09...

@wbur.org is looking for our next round of fellows! Applications are open for our three fellowship positions. Learn more about the roles and apply here:

Hundreds of people have been held at the Burlington ICE field office - a place not meant for overnight stays @wbur.org @miriamwasser.bsky.social and data crunched by @twallack.bsky.social @bertoscalese.bsky.social www.wbur.org/news/2025/09...

NEW: Massachusetts’ Statute of Limitations for Rape Is One of the Shortest in the Nation. In One Case, DNA Tied a Man to a Woman's Rape 17 Years Later, But It Was Too Late. By @wmariano.bsky.social @wbur.org w/ @twallack.bsky.social

The turkeys kept pecking at the chrome on this SUV. Guessing they saw their reflection and thought it was another turkey.

The students are back. @bostonu.bsky.social

Great accountability piece by my colleague @wwuthmann.bsky.social www.wbur.org/news/2025/08... @wbur.org

Random #FOIA story: I asked a city in Massachusetts for some data in 2014. City refused. The state Supervisor of Records ordered the city to give me the info. The city went to court in 2015 to challenge the order. It's been tied up in litigation ever since. (I am not a party to the lawsuit.)

Made some friends.

The @aclum.bsky.social requested police records about license plate readers. One Mass. city asked for $1.8 million, according to @massterlist.com #FOIA

Morning baking.

The Minnesota assassination is spurring a wave of state bills intended to protect elected officials. However, the measures are facing sharp criticism from press freedom and government watchdog organizations, which say the bills could be used to keep the public in the dark.

Bank of America has sued over 100 homeowners in Massachusetts over a paperwork error. @wbur.org www.wbur.org/news/2025/06...

Members of a Hanscom airport advisory commission expressed concern after a @wbur.org report that ICE is using the airport to move people around the country, according to the Lexington Observer. lexobserver.org/2025/06/19/i...

🔐An award you don’t want to win: This year's Golden Padlock goes to Elon Musk and DOGE for shredding and blocking access to records of vital public interest detailing controversial federal government actions. www.ire.org/2025-golden-...

More money is flowing into the Boston mayoral election...and sparking shots from both major campaigns. @wbur www.wbur.org/news/2025/06...

Hanscom Field — an airport in Massachusetts used mainly for corporate jets, charters and other private planes — has taken on a new role since the start of Trump's second term: A frequent transfer point for ICE detainees: www.wbur.org/news/2025/06... via @twallack.bsky.social @wbur.org

As ICE makes more arrests, it has also commissioned more charter flights to move people around the country. That includes at Hanscom airport outside of Boston. @wbur.org www.wbur.org/news/2025/06...

Must be election season.

Hello neighbors.

The @bostonglobe.com‬ is suing five Massachusetts police departments for withholding records. #FOIA www.bostonglobe.com/2025/05/22/m...

Spotted in Somerville this morning. @waymo.bsky.social

I wonder how many homes are blurred on Google Streetview.

Classmates of Brent Renaud, the gifted journalist killed in Ukraine, planted this tree in the @niemanfoundation.bsky.social garden. It’s an Arkansas black apple from Brent’s home state & I worried whether the spindly specimen could thrive here. This week it bloomed spectacularly. Of course it did.

The producers used a lot of archival footage shot on camcorders. Their tip: If you have important video on VHS, digitize it soon.

Looking forward to talking to producers of WTO/99 documentary tonight at the Independent Film Festival Boston. @wbur.org

“Trump is expected to propose rescinding $1.1 billion — two years' worth of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a congressionally chartered independent nonprofit organization that in turn partially funds NPR and PBS.” www.wbur.org/news/2025/04...

TIL Derek runs a niche eval leaderboard testing how good LLMs are at extracting committee names from the disclaimer text in political fundraising emails - more notes here: simonwillison.net/2025/Apr/8/p...

"Newspapers are closing at a rate of more than two every week."

Congrats to this year’s winner of the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting: Katey Rusch and Casey Smith for @ucberkeley IRP and @sfchronicle.com

How to leak to a journalist! featuring a bunch of good advice from those who know: @marisakabas.bsky.social @amandabecker.bsky.social @jeffhorwitz.bsky.social @rmac.bsky.social @swin24.bsky.social @juliaangwin.com @benmullin.bsky.social & @maxtani.bsky.social

Huge crowds came out for the cherry blossoms in DC this past weekend.

Joined WBUR’s Endless Thread to talk about whistleblowers and how to send tips to journalists. open.spotify.com/episode/0rur...

Happy evacuation day for all who observe. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evacuat...

78% of Mass lawmakers declined to say whether thether the Legislature, judiciary or governor's office should be covered by the state public records law. #FOIA www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/17/m...

The top picture was taken during the Christmas travel season in 2009. www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto...

Interesting piece by ProPublica about how its journalists used AI to sift through documents and find interesting examples. www.propublica.org/article/usin...

When your train to the airport also goes to the Mall of America.

Thanks @ire-nicar.bsky.social for a great #NICAR25 conference.