Work and Family Mobility Act approved by Transportation Committee
Nicholas Stolte, news correspondent
February 13, 2020
The Massachusetts Transportation Committee favorably reported the Work and Family Mobility Act, which would allow undocumented immigrants to receive driver’s licenses, to the state Senate after a vote Feb. 5. The bill was voted on during a hunger strike organized in support of it by immigrant rights organization Movimiento Cosecha. The strike sta...
One Year of Aging Strong: Boston’s Initiative to Empower the Elderly
Julie Dobkin, news correspondent
February 12, 2020
More than 11 percent of Boston’s population is made up of people over the age of 65. Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Age Strong Commission, launched last January, could affect roughly half a million Bostonians. According to the commission’s official web page, Age Strong provides “meaningful program...
Anti-vaxxers protest bills for required immunization
Kelly Chan and Avery Bleichfeld
February 12, 2020
A crowd of anti-vaxxers stood beneath a banner reading “Medical Freedom is the New Civil Rights Movement” on the State House steps this past Monday, clutching signs and megaphones in protest of three proposed bills that would standardize vaccinations for all children. Bills S2359, H3999 and H4096 all aim to enfo...
Boston shapes new narrative with King Boston memorial, advocacy
Petrina Danardatu, news staff
February 12, 2020
In 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. rallied supporters in Boston Common and called on Bostonians to live by their highest ideals, expressing hope that his legacy would serve as a call to action in the pursuit of justice. Today, the nonprofit organization King Boston hopes to anchor a memorial in the s...
Who is the Boston Public School system leaving behind?
Jayden Khatib, news staff
February 5, 2020
Boston routinely appears on top 10 lists of the most educated cities in the United States, but the city’s high-school and college graduation rates disguise serious disparities in the city’s public school system. In the 2017-2018 school year, Boston Public Schools’ high-school graduation rate rose to 75 percent, an all-time high. However...
Hundreds in Boston protest US involvement in Middle East
Nicholas Stolte, news correspondent
January 29, 2020
Over 400 people rallied in Boston Common Saturday as part of an event to denounce U.S. actions in Iran and Iraq, including an airstrike which killed Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani and sanctions against Iran. Soleimani was "plotting sinister attacks on diplomats and American military personnel," President Donald J. Trump said in a speech following the Jan. 3 airstrike, al...
Residents express concerns over Maverick Square cannabis dispensary
Sarah Olender, news staff
January 29, 2020
“There’s more demand than supply right now,” said Jim Smith, attorney and former Massachusetts state representative, to a small group of East Boston residents. “There are 33 stores open at this moment, 36 [total soon], and I hope 100 by the end of the year.” Between the legalization of medical cannabis...
Boston residents won’t stop Ubering everywhere
Julia Preszler, news correspondent
January 29, 2020
Julianne Subia peered out of her window onto the street where she lives in Back Bay, and counted the rideshare drivers that she could see pulled over alongside the curb. “Two, three, four,” she counted. “Now, I see five.” Since moving to Back Bay a few months ago, Subia has limited her use of ride...
Boston’s initiatives help homeless population bear another frigid winter
Sarah Olender, news staff
December 3, 2019
It’s no secret that all cities face challenges when it comes to homeless populations. Boston is no stranger to the issue. The homeless population in Massachusetts increased by 14 percent, or over 2,000 people, in 2018. With temperatures often dipping below freezing, concerns rise about what will happen to the p...
Local officials and activists put forth plans to combat rising sea levels
Mihiro Shimano, news correspondent
November 22, 2019
The risk of coastal flooding in Boston grows greater every year. The city released Climate Ready Boston in 2016 to prepare for the effects of climate change. Since then, Boston has been addressing the challenges of creating a harbor front resilient to coastal flooding. According to the executive sum...
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...
Work and Family Mobility Act approved by Transportation Committee
February 13, 2020
A first and a last Beanpot: A dream come true for McDonough and Picking
February 13, 2020
At long last, a Beanpot victory for the seniors
February 13, 2020
