In Massachusetts, if you’re unhappy with a response to a public records request, you can appeal it by submitting a petition to the supervisor of public records. And now, under the new public records law that took effect January 1st, municipalities and state agencies can also petition the supervisor for several reasons.

From the late ’80s to the early ’90s, Nintendo dominated the video game market with its now-iconic console, the Nintendo Entertainment System. Nintendo’s incredible success earned it the ire of competitors, legislators, and regulators who believed the company built its business on unfair - and illegal - practices like price fixing.

On November 8, Massachusetts voters passed Question 4, which legalized recreational marijuana use - but the ballot measure didn’t go into effect until December 15. During that period, the Massachusetts State Police continued to make marijuana-related arrests. Help us find out how many of those are for conduct that is now legal.

This September, the Massachusetts National Guard and State Police conducted an absurd raid to seize a single marijuana plant from the backyard an 81-year-old South Amherst woman. This was not an isolated incident but rather part of the so-called Domestic Cannabis Eradication and Suppression Program, which State Police have participated in for two decades, receiving thousands in federal funds.

When a Massachusetts agency tries to charge a requester a fee for “segregation” (also known as “redacting”), that agency is supposed to cite the applicable exemptions to the Public Records Law. While it’s not uncommon for an agency to cite two, three, or even four exemptions, when Andrew Quemere asked the Massachusetts State Police for its internal evidence audits, the department cited a whopping 17 of them to justify its $615 fee.