Category: News
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Panera Cares is closing in Boston
The last remaining cafe in Panera’s experiment to help feed people dealing with food insecurity is set to close. Panera Cares in a non-profit organization that operates on a pay-what-you-can model. Panera Cares cafes provide suggested donation amounts for all menu items to help customers understand the cost of “paying it forward” and helping people…
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Elizabeth Warren kicks off campaign in Lawrence
Elizabeth Warren made her presidential campaign official in Lawrence, at a Saturday morning kick-off event that alluded to the mill city’s history of labor strikes and long lineage of immigrant communities. The Massachusetts senator’s speech was full of talking points on issues ranging from corruption in Washington, D.C. to the racial wealth gap. But it…
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How renting could affect your health
Due to its central role in our lives, it is not surprising that researchers have found a number of important relationships between the homes we live in and our health. An in-depth paper by two academics showed a more direct link – that the private rental market, in comparison to affordable and social housing, can…
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As MBTA fares increase, so do state house salaries
As news broke this week about the MBTA proposing another fare hike, I found myself thinking about the salary increase over at the State House. Yes, folks, in a move that has went largely ignored by local media and a few others, the State Legislators have once again voted to give themselves pay raises. Gov.…
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Poppy: A novel about the opioid crisis
Poppy hopped off the bus at Burrard and Davie and walked the half-block back to St. Paul’s, where a gathering of some 30 black-clad youth stood outside the main entrance. He dodged a few on the sidewalk on the wide walkway from sidewalk to door and noticed a “Speedball Dreams” badge sewn on the sleeve…
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Local groups call to end Southeast Asian Deportation
Photo by author. About 50 protestors gathered outside the Bristol County Jail and House of Corrections in North Dartmouth, Mass. on the evening of January 23, to raise awareness on the deportation of Southeast Asians and to demand that the Sheriff’s office end its partnership with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “It’s important for us…
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How can the homeless apply for Mass ID?
After my Mass ID expired, I researched online and found out that I needed a birth certificate to renew my ID. This took me to my hometown of New York City, where I visited the Department of Health’s Vital Records Office. It was there that I received help to complete an online application. I received…
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Activists lobby state house for sexual health issues, education
On January 17, at 10 a.m., people of all ages and gender, donned in formal attire, gathered at the Great Hall of Massachusetts State House to lobby their district representatives for greater access to reproductive rights and sexual education for youth. Calling January 17 ‘Sexual Health Lobby Day,’ 70 organizations – including NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts,…
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Mass. Gov’s Proposed Education Budget Draws Mixed Reactions
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday unveiled his proposed budget with a focus on education spending along with a companion bill. But school activists are pushing for significantly more funding. The 2020 fiscal budget includes more than $200 million in new state aid to education, with more than $1 billion over seven years going toward…
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Boston Immigrant Community Speaks Out On Government Shutdown, Trump’s Border Wall Proposal
On January 25, the United States federal government reopened after a 35-day-long shutdown without any concrete deal regarding a budget for the fiscal year of 2019. The reopening is temporary, however; if Congress does not reach a deal by February 15 — presumably, one that includes $5.7 billion in allocated funds for a new border…