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The Common — Daily News
The Common

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Copyright: © Copyright Trustees of Boston University

Latest Episodes:

A very Common birthday Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

This week marked one whole year of The Common. It has been an absolute blast bringing you the best of Boston news and culture over the past year. So to celebrate our birthday, Team Common producers Katelyn Harrop and Frannie Monahan join Darry C. Murphy to reflect on some of their favorite episodes from the last year.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Progressives hold on to Boston City Council Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

This week's municipal elections brought home big wins for progressives on Boston City Council, and Mayor Wu, who saw all of her endorsements sail to victory.

WBUR reporter Walter Wuthmann was at the polls on Tuesday. He joins The Common to review the night's results and discuss what lies ahead for City Council's returning — and brand-new — members.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Harvard, its donors and the war in Gaza Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

For the past month, Harvard University has been in the international media spotlight as the campus community contends with the Israel-Hamas conflict and concerns about antisemitism and anti-Palestinian sentiments at home.

In recent weeks, some donors have signed an open letter to Harvard's administration, putting pressure on the university to ramp up its response to antisemitism on campus. WBUR Education Reporter Max Larkin joins The Common to discuss the relationship between Harvard and its donors, and the influence it yields over the university's academic freedom and responsibilities to students from all backgrounds.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Councilor Frank Baker makes his exit Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Today is municipal election day in Boston, and voters have a number of decisions to make about who will represent them on City Council for the next two years. As we wait for votes to be counted, one thing is for certain: Councilor Frank Baker will not be returning to City Hall in January.

Baker, who announced he would not be seeking reelection earlier this year, has held the District 3 seat for 12 years. He’s known for being one of the few moderate voices on a majority left council, and for his work with constituents across his district, which includes parts of Dorchester, the South End and South Boston.

WBUR Reporter Simón Rios joins The Common to take a look back at Frank Baker's career, and what his departure means for Boston City Council.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

BPS's contentious strategy for English learners Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Nine out of 13 members of Boston Public Schools’ English Learners task force have resigned over the district’s proposed plan to overhaul its treatment of students who are still learning English — a subset of learners equalling nearly a third of all students in the district.

Deanna Pan is a reporter with The Boston Globe's Great Divide team, which reports on inequality in Boston area schools. She joins The Common to lay out the details of BPS's new inclusion plan and the ELL task forces' criticisms of it.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

What to do this month: Queens of comedy and a Pee-Wee tribute Nov 03, 2023

Show notes

Don't let the chilly weather get you down! WBUR CitySpace Assistant Director Candice Springer is back on The Common with a piping hot list of events to get you out of your house and out on the town this November.

Candice recommends...

- Freakonomics Radio Live - Nov. 9, WBUR CitySpace - Atsuko Okatsuka: Full Grown Tour, Nov. 10, The Wilbur - Field Trip: Arts and Crafts - Nov. 13, WBUR CitySpace - Ziwe: The Black Friend Tour - Nov. 29, The Wilbur - We "R" All Pee-Wee: A Tribute to Pee-Wee Herman - Nov. 26, Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre - Dance with The Glitter Boys - Every Friday, The Sinclair

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

MBTA's South Coast Rail chugs closer to completion Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

A train line connecting Boston, New Bedford, Taunton and Fall River has been in the works for three decades. Now, the project, South Coast Rail, is closer to completion -- after several false starts and pushed deadlines.

WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common with more on the expected timeline for this MBTA project, and how it's being received in the city of New Bedford.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Heavy rains could lead to sewage in your local waterways Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

One pipe for the stuff you flush down the toilet, and another for stormwater runoff. That's how modern sewer systems do it. In this two-pipe system, the wastewater from our homes and businesses run into a treatment plant, and the stormwater – into nearby waterways.

But Massachusetts is old, and in some parts of the state, wastewater and stormwater flow through the same pipe. On most days, these so-called combined sewer systems work fine, with all the water ending up at a treatment facility. But on rainy days, the volume of water entering the system can overwhelm the pipes and overflow -- sewage and all -- into rivers, streams and other water bodies. These so-called "combined sewer overflow" events, or CSOs, aren't new, but as climate change fuels more frequent and intense rain events in the Northeast, we're likely to see a whole lot more of them.

Today, WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser joins The Common with more on CSOs and some of the ways our cities can rethink sewage systems to decrease their impact on our waterways.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

City to start clearing tents at "Mass and Cass" mid-week Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Last week, the Boston City Council passed an ordinance banning tent encampments in the city. The ordinance focuses on the area around Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard known as "Mass and Cass," which has become a center for homelessness and drug use in Boston.

Under the ordinance, which was originally proposed by Mayor Michelle Wu and passed by the council with some changes, the city can not clear a tent until the people living there have been offered alternative shelter. The rule is set to go into effect this Wednesday, November 1.

WBUR Reporter Deborah Becker joins The Common with more on what's expected to happen at "Mass and Cass" this week, and what's next for those who currently live in the area.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Field Guide: A piece of home in Dorchester's Little Saigon Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Boston Little Saigon is one of the city’s four official cultural districts as designated by the state. Located in Fields Corner in Dorchester, the district was officially designated in 2021, but to its residents, Little Saigon has been an anchor for Vietnamese culture in the region for decades.

To learn more about the district's food and experiences, and its place in the New England Vietnamese community, The Common toured Little Saigon with Annie Le, board president of Boston Little Saigon. This episode is part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston, a station-wide effort to help you connect with the city's communities.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

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