New In The Phoenix -- Sal Sings?

In this week's issue of the Boston Phoenix -- in print tomorrow, online now -- I write about the anxiety permeating Beacon Hill, as Sal DiMasi makes his way to Worcester, reportedly to testify before the federal grand jury considering the probation patronage scandal.

At the close of 2010, I predicted that the probation scandal would ultimately be seen as the biggest Massachusetts political story of that year:

...previous scandals, including those involving Wilkerson and DiMasi, ultimately failed to take down other state lawmakers or significantly change the overriding culture.

Conversations with legislators, staff, and those who work closely with them suggest a sense that this, too, will blow over.

That may not be realistic.... The scandal may be much worse than they seem to think — because they don't seem to understand what they've done wrong.

Of course, it's possible that after all this time the US Attorney's office will have little to show for its lengthy efforts. But right now there's plenty of worry on Beacon Hill.

My new article is here:  Sal's Baaaaaack!