Boston updates plans to become a zero-waste community
Leah Cussen, news correspondent
November 21, 2019
The City of Boston released its first Climate Action Plan, or CAP, which defined its goals to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for climate change, in 2007. The 2019 CAP update, released in October, outlines the specific actions Boston plans to take within the next five years in order to achieve carbon neutrality, or net zero carb...
Boston Public Library eliminates fines for young cardholders
Avery Bleichfeld, news staff
November 13, 2019
This month, Boston Public Library, or BPL, took a step toward embodying the phrase “Free To All,” which is carved above the entrance to the central branch at Copley Square. On Nov. 1, the library eliminated all fines on overdue books for cardholders 18 years and younger in an attempt to facilitate...
Boston Convenience Store Owners Association protests the menthol ban
Christie Ya-Chi Lee, news correspondent
November 13, 2019
The Boston Convenience Store Owners Association (BCSOA) rallied Wednesday, Nov. 6 in front of the Massachusetts State House to protest against the Boston Public Health Commission’s, or BPHC’s, proposed ban of menthol cigarettes. Participants gathered to express their distaste for the recent regul...
Pressley encourages youth to vote at BU College Democrats’ Election Day Forum
Kelly Garrity, news correspondent
November 11, 2019
When U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley arrived at Boston University from Chicago in 1992, she had no intention of running for Boston City Council or Congress. “I was not obsessing about title or position,” she said Tuesday, Nov. 5 to a crowd of over 100 students in a town hall event hosted by the B...
Pete Buttigieg brings presidential campaign to Boston fundraiser
Jessica Silverman, news staff
November 4, 2019
Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg held a grassroots fundraising event at Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston on Oct. 29. He answered questions from the audience ranging from climate change to Halloween costumes for his dogs. Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, began the event by ...
Judge rules Baker’s vape ban oversteps constitutional boundaries
Petrina Danardatu, news correspondent
October 30, 2019
Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins claimed the actions of Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration overstepped constitutional boundaries in a hearing on Oct. 21, sparking even more controversy surrounding the four-month sales ban on nicotine and marijuana vape products. Wilkins released a 32-page order giving the Baker administration a week from Oct. 21 to comply with state law that dictat...
Baker’s proposed healthcare bill highlights primary care, mental health
Maya Homan, news correspondent
October 30, 2019
A proposed bill seeks to reform the healthcare system in Massachusetts by forcing providers to invest more money into primary care and behavioral health and regulating healthcare companies to ensure their prices are fair to consumers. However, critics worry the bill overlooks the complexity of the current h...
Cory Booker advocates for unity, cooperation among Americans on campaign trail
Nadine El-Bawab, deputy campus editor
October 30, 2019
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., made an appearance at local Fenway bar Game On! to pitch unity and activism in his bid for the presidency on Monday, Oct. 21 during a grassroots campaign event. The junior Senator spoke for nearly 30 minutes about his hopes for the country, arguing that Democratic candidates sh...
Boston Saves expansion helps BPS kindergarteners pay for higher ed
Jayden Khatib, news correspondent
October 23, 2019
This program is an extension of an existing three-year pilot program active in 17 BPS schools. The program entails that each kindergarten student is given a savings account with $50 to begin saving toward their post-secondary education, whether that be college or trade school. The program could ...
Local vape shops take hit from Baker’s ban
Ingrid Angulo, news correspondent
October 9, 2019
Massachusetts’ temporary ban on the sale of all vaping products is the strictest in the nation. Its severity is causing new problems for local businesses and raising concerns about its effectiveness in addressing public health. Gov. Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency Sept. 24 in response to...
Protesters rally, march during MIT Corporation annual meeting
Nicholas Stolte, news correspondent
October 9, 2019
MIT students and faculty joined community members at the Stratton Student Center and marched to North Court to speak out against MIT’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein and David Koch, among other individuals, during the MIT Corporation’s annual meeting. The rally was organized by the MIT Justice Solidarity and Transf...
MBTA fare hikes sparks commuter unrest
Marisa Lijoi, news correspondent
October 9, 2019
The MBTA fare hike implemented July 1 has affected many commuters and sparked city-wide protest on the matter. The fare increase, approved by the Fiscal and Management Control Board in March, brought a 6.3 percent increase in price, leading commuters to pay an extra 15 cents per one-way trip and $5.50 more per monthly pass. Alm...
