Category: News
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Pilot Plan Begins in MA to Rate Addiction-Treatment Centers
Massachusetts will be the first state to participate in a new, national system to rate addiction-treatment programs. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has approved being part of a pilot program developed by Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization. Substance-use treatment programs will work with the health department and other state agencies on the pilot, which…
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EPA Rule Increases Interstate Smog in New England, Lawsuit Says
Groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over their decision to rollback the “Good Neighbor” provisions of the Clean Air Act, which regulates interstate air pollution. In December, the EPA announced that states don’t need to comply with those requirements, saying power plants are already reducing air pollution. But the lawsuit alleges that decision puts…
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East Boston Residents Reject Racists and Rally for Immigrants
When xenophobic flyers appeared over the diverse neighborhood of East Boston, citizens responded by tearing them down, showing support for the local immigrant community that calls Eastie home. Days later, Centro Presente, a local immigrant advocacy group, held a fundraising benefit on Feb. 22 to support a member of the immigrant community affected by strict…
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Champion of the Underdog: An Interview With Dolly Parton
“As a writer, I have to leave my heart open,” Dolly Parton begins. “That’s why I have always said I never could harden my heart, even against hurt or anything. Because as a writer, if you harden your heart, you’re not going to feel all that emotion you need to feel, and you won’t be…
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Trump’s not our only problem
Over the last few weeks I’ve wondered, sometimes out loud, are we too focused on Donald Trump? It certainly seems like it. Ever since he announced that he was running for President, we as a nation have been obsessed with Trump. The media helped a lot with that, and they still do by making him…
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R.I. bill aims to make cars pull over before giving to panhandlers
A Rhode Island state legislator who says she is worried about safety on the roads is again trying to limit how panhandlers can receive money from strangers. Deputy House Speaker Charlene Lima filed a bill that would fine drivers and passengers who pass anything out of their car window while in an active travel lane.…
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Hundreds take to Boston’s street for annual Homeless Census
“Most people walk by them, most people walk over them, and if they could, they’d walk through them,” said Mayor Martin Walsh as he stood in front of over 300 volunteers crammed into City Hall. On the night of January 30, the temperatures dropped into the single digits as volunteers from all over Boston banned…
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This is your brain on homelessness
Before Christmas, a survey found that 74 percent of people were worried about the levels of homelessness in Britain. The survey, commissioned by the charity Crisis, measured attitudes towards the 236,000 people experiencing homelessness across Great Britain today, and its findings seemed positive – 61 percent of people felt “angry, upset or frustrated” about homelessness…
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Winter Walk to benefit the homeless braves the cold
Despite the winter chill, over 1,000 people gathered in Copley Square to walk two miles through the streets of the Boston to raise awareness and funds to help end homelessness. “Fantastic turnout,” said Susan Dooley, member of the board of the Winter Walk. “I think we had almost double of pre-registers than last year.” The…
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Volunteers take to Boston’s street for annual Homeless Census
“Most people walk by them, most people walk over them, and if they could, they’d walk through them,” said Mayor Martin Walsh as he stood in front of over 300 volunteers crammed into City Hall. On the night of January 30, the temperatures dropped into the single digits as volunteers from all over Boston banned…