MASSACHUSETTS — Thousands of students from Massachusetts who attended a now-shuttered chain of “predatory” arts colleges will have their loans forgiven, according to the Attorney General Andrea Campbell and the U.S. Department of Education.

About 3,500 students who attended Arts Institute colleges — including the former New England Institute of Art in Brookline — between 2004 and 2017 will have a total of about $80 million forgiven.

The now bankrupt Education Management Corporation ran over 100 Arts Institute colleges in the U.S. The last of the schools closed in September.

“These predatory for-profit schools harmed vulnerable students for their own financial gain, leaving student borrowers burdened with debt and without viable job or financial prospects,” Campbell said in a news release Wednesday. “Thanks in part to the diligent work of my office, I, alongside the Department of Education, am tremendously proud to announce meaningful debt relief for former students of The Art Institutes and help advance consumer and economic justice for these struggling borrowers.”

Following a state lawsuit in 2018, the New England Institute of Art was found to have broken the state Consumer Protection Act by lying to students about what types of jobs they would get upon graduation. Tuition at the New England Institute of Art ran close to $19,000 per year, not counting room and board.

In total, 315,000 former Arts Institute students will get their debt forgiven, totaling about $6.1 billion.

Michael Dukakis recently retired at age 90. He leaves an impressive resume, including the Democrat presidential nominee for 1988 (he got creamed by George H.W. Bush), Northeastern University professor, and two-term Governor of Massachusetts (1983-1991). 

One of Dukakis’ less-than-shining moments was when he went for a cruise in an army tank while sporting a blue helmet. Another was declaring April 24, 1989, New Kids on the Block Day in Massachusetts. 

That was 35 years ago. I had almost forgotten until it popped up on social media.

New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) was a boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts, active between 1984 and 1994, only to reemerge in 2008. 

NKOTB’s original members included 15-year-old Donnie Wahlberg and his schoolmates Jamie Kelly, Jordan Knight, his older brother Jonathan, and Danny Wood. When Kelly left the group, 12-year-old Joey McIntyre replaced him.

Some fans insist Donnie’s brother Mark Wahlberg was a founding member of New Kids on the Block, but that is not quite accurate. Wahlberg was with the group briefly but it was when it was known as Nynuk before it adopted the name New Kids on the Block. 

The change from Nynuk to New Kids on the Block occurred after Mark Wahlberg left the group, became Marky Mark (with and without the Funky Bunch), acted in films, and opened hamburger joints.

Technically, Mark Wahlberg was never a member of New Kids on the Block.

Mark Wahlberg ran afoul of the law and developed an addiction to cocaine while running as a young pre-teen in the Boston area. After 45 days in jail and some coaching from his brother Donnie, Mark got his act together and has had a successful career.

New Kids on the Block is touring this summer with a stop in Connecticut in July and a show at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts on  August 10, 2024.

An arrest was made in Massachusetts in connection with the fatal shooting on Sunday in Hoboken, stated Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez.

The Hoboken Police Department responded to shots fired in the area of 320 Marshall Drive at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The victim was 21-year-old Damon Murray of Hoboken. He was transported to Jersey City Medical Center by private auto. He suffered from an apparent gunshot wound to the abdomen and was pronounced dead around midnight.

Albert Morales, 33, of North Bergen, has been charged with murder, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of weapon. He was arrested on Tuesday in Chicopee, Massachusetts by Massachusetts State Police.

Morales will remain in custody pending extradition to New Jersey.

Local: Home in Hoboken’s historic Castle Point Terrace neighborhood listed for $4.15 million