Radio Boston

Arroyo, Lara voted out of Boston's City Council by wide margins

September 13, 2023 16:28 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

Scandal-plagued Boston City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara will lose their seats after preliminary elections Tuesday saw each finish in third place in their respective districts.

Here's why the T is so slow, according to a new report

September 12, 2023 16:46 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MB

A new independent report commissioned by the MBTA finds track staff were underqualified and accumulated a massive backlog as the subway's state of repair deteriorated last winter. We discuss what this means for commuters.

A closer look at the National Guard's involvement at Mass. family shelters

September 12, 2023 16:22 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MB

Gov. Maura Healey has activated up to 250 members of the National Guard to help with homeless families, many of whom are migrants, placed in hotels. We talk with mission commander Lt. Col. Patrick Donnelly about the Guard's preparations, and what it means to serve and protect potentially traumatized families.

A primer on preliminary municipal elections in Boston

September 12, 2023 12:34 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MB

WBUR's Walter Wuthmann and the Dorchester Reporter's Gintautas Dumcius break down the electoral race ahead of voting day.

Elizabeth Warren has no time for 'cheaters'

September 11, 2023 16:18 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MB

In our latest round of chats with the Massachusetts congressional delegation, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren talks about her upbringing, why "cheaters" make her so angry and the pattern of shrinking opportunity for America's middle class.

Poet Robert Pinsky and musician Mino Cinélu on 'Proverbs of Limbo'

September 08, 2023 17:18 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

"Proverbs of Limbo" is the third installment in Robert Pinsky's PoemJazz series, which combines elements of poetry and jazz.

Combatting light pollution on Nantucket

September 08, 2023 17:18 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

We talk with WBUR climate and environment reporter Paula Moura to learn how a Nantucket nonprofit is trying to preserve the night sky.

How Massachusetts schools are beating the heat to start the year

September 08, 2023 17:04 - 16 minutes - 15 MB

Heat indexes of nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit have complicated back-to-school plans across Massachusetts, though some districts— like Boston— are forging ahead.

What does Tom Brady's return to Foxborough mean to New England?

September 07, 2023 18:16 - 14 minutes - 13 MB

Yahoo sports columnist Shalise Manza Young talks about Tom Brady's return to Foxborough for a special celebration.

Chef Tiffani Faison on drag brunches, and the new spiked drinks from Dunkin'

September 07, 2023 16:46 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MB

Celebrity chef Tiffani Faison joins us to try Dunkin's spiked drinks and more.

Rent control is one step closer to the ballot

September 07, 2023 16:18 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MB

There's a long, uncertain road ahead for backers of the controversial petition.

What it means to treat AI like human

September 06, 2023 16:02 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MB

A roundtable of technology experts discuss how artificial intelligence is forcing a reckoning on what it means to be human.

What artificial intelligence could mean for art, content and race

August 31, 2023 15:59 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MB

A panel of local experts joins us to discuss how AI could impact the use and monetization of art and content, as well as the potential challenges it poses for ownership and racial bias.

Exploring the 'beyond normal' New England summers

August 31, 2023 14:40 - 16 minutes - 15 MB

Climate change is impacting summers in New England. We discuss the implications this has for our health and our future.

Boston Public Schools look ahead to a fully staffed bus team

August 31, 2023 14:36 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MB

For the first time since the start of the pandemic, Boston's public schools are fully staffed with bus drivers. How did Boston manage that, while many other school districts remain short on drivers?

What can be done for 'Mass. and Cass' now and in the future

August 29, 2023 18:16 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MB

Boston's City Council is set to take up Mayor Michelle Wu's ordinance that would give police greater ability to remove tents and tarps from the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. We look at what comes next for the area that has become entrenched in homelessness, drug problems and violence.

Mass. Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca is stepping down. What's next for MassDOT?

August 29, 2023 17:35 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

Fiandaca is leaving her post as the top official at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in September. The abrupt resignation comes as the agency wrestles with long-term highway and public transit issues. Brian Kane, executive director of the MBTA Advisory Board, discusses what's next for the transportation agency and its leadership.

A look at the efforts to end human trafficking at 'Mass. and Cass'

August 29, 2023 17:34 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MB

Boston HEAT, or Human Exploitation and Trafficking, has been working at "Mass. and Cass" for years, trying to get women out of exploitation. It's a collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit. We hear more about the efforts from HEAT's clinical director, and a peer advocate.

Framingham students return to class this week. How will it go with the ongoing bus driver shortage?

August 29, 2023 16:06 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MB

Wednesday is the first day of school in Framingham, and they don't have enough school bus drivers to meet demand.

Why Maia Kobabe's book 'Gender Queer' was the most 'challenged' book in the country

August 28, 2023 16:31 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MB

For the last few months, Radio Boston has been talking about banned books as part of our series on the impact of comics on our wider world. Maia Kobabe's "Gender Queer" is the most banned book in the country. We hear directly from Kobabe about the graphic novel.

A local group wants to build a LGBTQ-focused library and community space in Boston

August 28, 2023 16:30 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB

We speak with two founders of a group looking to build a new brick and mortar LGBTQ-focused library and sober community space in Boston.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on what's next for those living at 'Mass. and Cass'

August 25, 2023 16:55 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MB

On Friday morning, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced new protocols for cleaning up the streets around "Mass. and Cass" and helping those living in the area, which has seen increased drug use and violence, access needed social services.

How the T fits into — and threatens — Massachusetts' housing goals

August 24, 2023 16:53 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MB

Greater Boston communities like the North Shore city of Lynn are betting big on dense new housing built around transit stops. What happens when the T underperforms — or disappears?

Boston-based company using airplane wastewater to predict next pandemic

August 24, 2023 16:46 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MB

Radio Boston explores Boston-based Gingko Bioworks' new initiative to track COVID using airplane wastewater treatments.

Local Gen Z politicians pushing to become leaders of today

August 24, 2023 13:59 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MB

Three local Gen Z politicians under age 20 disagree they're too young to run for mayor or city council, and that's exactly what they're doing.

In-state tuition for undocumented students could impact more than just graduation rates

August 24, 2023 13:59 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MB

In-state tuition and financial aid at any of the state's public colleges is now available to undocumented students. A high school senior talks about what that means for her and her future. Plus, more on how this new program fits into the wider picture of immigrant rights in Massachusetts.

Medical abortion care now available on Cape Cod and in parts of southeastern Mass.

August 22, 2023 16:15 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MB

For the first time in 15 years, Cape Cod residents will have access to abortion care in their region. We speak with the agency providing that service, Health Imperatives, about what abortion care could mean for the area, and those who need it.

How Devin McCourty helped the Pats come together around a cause

August 22, 2023 16:15 - 23 minutes - 21.2 MB

The former Patriots' captain shares how the team came out on the side of justice. Plus, he discusses head coach Bill Belichick's commitment to player safety, even if that means losing a game — a streak that took root amid the NFL's controversial approach to resuming regular season games in 2020.

Local chefs throw down to see who has best barbecue in Boston

August 21, 2023 16:19 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MB

Radio Boston hosts its first ever live Chef Throwdown at WBUR's CitySpace.

Standoff over MBTA Communities Law heats up. Plus, public housing progresses in Charlestown

August 18, 2023 16:36 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MB

We go beneath the headlines and recap a busy past few weeks in Boston-area housing news with Boston Globe real estate reporter Catherine Carlock and Marc Draisen of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

Here's what we know about the first women voters in Boston over 100 years later

August 18, 2023 16:12 - 22 minutes - 21 MB

Aug. 18 marks 103 years since women were legally allowed to vote nationwide. In Boston, women lined up from all neighborhoods to exercise that right. Now those records from that 1920 presidential election are being digitized in a searchable database. We learn more about the Mary Eliza Mahoney Project, including about some of the women who cast their ballots.

The data behind Boston's summer learning programs

August 17, 2023 16:11 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MB

In Boston and beyond, summer learning programs aim to help kids hit the ground running when they return to school. Do they work?

Blind and visually impaired students take on summer learning beyond the classroom

August 17, 2023 16:11 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MB

Each summer, Perkins School for the Blind hosts summer programs for children and young adults who are blind and visually impaired. We hear what summer learning means for those students and how it prepares them to live more independently.

Students spend summer days learning to sail a replica of a nearly 100-year-old ship

August 17, 2023 16:11 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MB

This summer, a group of Boston Public Schools students spent two weeks learning how to sail a nearly 100-year-old sword fishing ship. It's all part of an effort in the city to make summer learning count beyond academics.

COVID is spiking again in Boston. Local doctors tell us what that means

August 16, 2023 16:53 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MB

COVID infections are on the rise, but how concerned should we be? Is it just a blip on the radar screen or a sign of things to come?

2 Bruins retirements signal change in Boston hockey. Plus, the Patriots glimpse an exciting future

August 16, 2023 16:53 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MB

Plus, the Patriots, who just played the first preseason game, show glimpses of exciting future.

Mass. group creates spaces for autistic people to be authentic

August 16, 2023 16:53 - 13 minutes - 11.9 MB

Many autistic people say they face societal pressure to adhere to neurotypical standards, but a group in Massachusetts is working to make it safe for them to be themselves.

Community college leaders praise state investment in free education for older, nursing students

August 15, 2023 16:48 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MB

Massachusetts will fund free community college for students 25 or over and nursing students beginning this fall. That's thanks to a $50-million allocation in the state budget recently signed by Gov. Maura Healey. We talk to three community college leaders about the initiative, and what it could mean for their institutions.

Natick couple's eBay nightmare showcases dark side of tech world

August 15, 2023 16:13 - 12 minutes - 11 MB

Boston Globe reporter Aaron Pressman talks AI and a true crime tech story unfolding in Natick.

Could Boston College get caught up in college football's conference churn?

August 15, 2023 16:12 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MB

A flurry of moves — many announced this summer — will shuffle several high-profile college athletics programs out of old conferences, and into new ones.

Free school meals are here to stay in Massachusetts

August 14, 2023 18:17 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MB

The new state budget signed by the Governor locks in funding for free breakfast and lunch for all public school students.

What the new state budget means for the future of transit

August 14, 2023 18:17 - 31 minutes - 28.5 MB

The budget recently signed by Gov. Maura Healey includes hundreds of millions of dollars in transit funding from the so-called millionaire's tax.

On the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, local artists remember Boston's place in the music's history

August 11, 2023 15:19 - 48 minutes - 44 MB

The moment that kicked off hip-hop took place in the Bronx 50 years ago. Less known, however, is the role Boston played in those early years.

Brockton's A.J. Dybantsa on training with Lebron James, and what's next in his basketball career

August 07, 2023 16:13 - 22 minutes - 20.5 MB

At just 16 years old, Brockton's A.J. Dybantsa is attracting the attention of NBA superstars, including LeBron James. He's touted as one of the best prep basketball players in the nation. We speak with A.J. and his father Ace about basketball, and what's next.

Boston Pride hockey captain and local teacher Jillian Dempsey on her passion for hockey and the classroom

August 07, 2023 16:13 - 23 minutes - 21.4 MB

The future of the Boston Pride women's hockey team is uncertain right now, after the team was sold earlier this summer. Jillian Dempsey is the Pride's captain. She's also an elementary school teacher in Winthrop. We hear from her about what's next on and off the ice.

Episodes