Category: Local
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They don’t care about us
By the time this issue of Spare Change hits the streets, this country will have voted, the mid-terms will have passed, and we will know whether checks and balances have been somewhat restored in Washington, or if a runaway congress led by a tyrannical racist buffoon will continue to be the order of the day.…
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Homeless children program hosts women’s breakfast
Nine-year-old Christian and 12-year-old Miguel received a standing ovation from 1,200 people after performing a moving cello and violin piece at the 20th Annual Women’s Breakfast at Boston Marriott Copley Place. They are both alumni of Horizons for Homeless Children early education program, a non-profit serving more than 1,600 homeless children in Massachusetts each week.…
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Mayor Walsh speaks at national poverty conference
On Friday, Nov. 2, Mayor Marty Walsh spoke to a crowd at the Disrupting The Poverty Cycle Conference, hosted this year at the University of Massachusetts-Boston Campus Center. The conference, held biennially by Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath), attracts researchers, community organizers, policymakers, and lower-income families to connect and discuss over two days new and innovative…
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Boston law firm sues gas company over death of Lawrence resident
On October 25, a Boston law firm announced their plan to sue Columbia Gas for the death of a teenger during the fires and explosions that rocked the Merrimack Valley in September. The Sheff Law firm will represent the estate of Leonel Rondon, an 18-year-old Lawrence high schooler who was crushed by debris when visiting…
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Fenway area fires displace 100 residents
On Oct. 27 at 3:15 p.m., a seven-alarm fire broke out at a five-story apartment building on 104 and 108 Hemenway Street due to an electrical issue. The fire displaced up to 100 residents, many of whom were Northeastern University and Berklee College of Music students. The day the fire , an estimated 10 residents…
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Stagnant Wages and Rising Rents Squeeze the Middle Class Out of Boston
Boston, and Massachusetts overall, have been outpacing the country on low unemployment numbers and providing housing for the poor, but a new report suggests that this growth is largely limited to the wealthy, and that upward mobility is on the decline. A new poverty report from the Boston Foundation’s research center titled “Boston’s Booming…But for…
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Parting Ways at the Crossroads
There has been a sadness around me lately. As many of you know, we lost a family member, our long time vendor Fred Boykin. And as I sit here writing this column I’m thinking of his positive spirit despite all the obstacles in his way. I wish I could be more like he was, now…
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Ayanna Pressley Urges People to Vote and Pine Street Inn Registration Drive
Ayanna Pressley. File Photo Boston City Councilor and Democratic Congressional Candidate Ayanna Pressley spoke at a Pine Street Inn voter registration forum on Oct. 10, to encourage homeless people to vote. Pine Street Inn, an organization which provides housing, food and job training for people experiencing homelessness, addressed misconceptions about voting rights and helped people…
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Boston Pushes for Long Island Bridge’s Reconstruction, and Quincy Pushes Back
Boston city officials are pushing forward with plans to build a new bridge to Long Island and re-establish an addiction recovery facility there. The Boston City Council expressed widespread support for the project, calling it a needed expansion in treatment for the thousands of people affected by the opioid crisis in the area. At…