The Common

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Boston City Council elections: Meet your District 3 candidates Oct 27, 2023

Show notes

Today we bring you the last of our Boston City Council candidate interviews. Today's candidates are running in District 3, which includes parts of Dorchester, the South End and South Boston.

For more than a decade, the district has been represented by councilor Frank Baker. Councilor Baker announced early this year that he would not be seeking reelection this November.

On the ballot to replace him are candidates John FitzGerald and Joel Richards. We met up with each of them in a location of their choosing and gave them six questions to answer in six minutes.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 7 election is this Saturday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. You can check your voter registration status or register to vote through the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website.

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

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

Boston City Council elections: Meet your District 5 candidates Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

It’s day two of our election coverage, checking in with candidates competing for Boston City Council seats in districts 6, 5 and 3, all of which are facing a guaranteed change in leadership come January since no incumbent is running in them.

Today, we’re heading to District 5, which is made up of Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale.

Earlier this year, District 5 incumbent Ricardo Arroyo was eliminated during the preliminary. It was one of two historic upsets (District 6 incumbent City Councilor Kendra Lara was also defeated) in a city where incumbents often maintain power.

Now, voters will choose between candidates Enrique Pepén and José Ruiz to represent them this election day. We met up with each of them in a location of their choosing and gave them six questions to answer in six minutes.

https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

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

Boston City Council Elections: Meet your District 6 candidates Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

Municipal elections take place on November 7 in Boston, and our city council is on the ballot.

For the rest of this week, The Common is checking in with the candidates in three city council races -- District 5, District 6 and District 3, where a change in leadership is guaranteed.

Today, we head to District 6, where earlier this year incumbent City Councilor Kendra Lara was defeated in a preliminary election. It was one of two historic upsets (District 5 incumbent City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo was also defeated) in a city where incumbents often maintain power.

Now, candidates Ben Weber and William King face off to represent District 6, which includes Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury and a small portion of Roslindale. We met the candidates at locations of their choosing and gave them six minutes to answer the same series of questions.

The deadline to register to vote in the November 7 election is this Saturday, October 28 at 5:00 pm. You can check your voter registration status or register to vote through the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/VoterRegistrationSearch/MyVoterRegStatus.aspx

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

The MBTA knew the GLX tracks were too narrow Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

A new report from The Boston Globe shows that MBTA officials were aware of issues with the Green Line Extension's construction long before the line opened to passengers earlier this year.

Previously on The Common, Taylor Dolven, transportation reporter for The Globe, explained that slow zones were imposed on parts of the GLX after it was discovered that the rails on certain portions of the line were dangerously narrow. Today, Taylor tells us that not only are more than half of the rails along the GLX too narrow, they were built that way to begin with.

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

It's hard out here for a beech Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

Beech trees are native to the Northeast and make up about 10% of forests in Massachusetts.

The tree, which is identifiable by its smooth trunk and wide canopy, is a crucial habitat and food source for many animal species in the region. But in recent years, a microscopic worm-caused disease has been targeting beech leaves, causing many trees to starve to death over time. The disease is spreading, and fast.

WBUR climate and environment reporter Paula Moura joins The Common to tell us more about this disease, how to identify it and the race to find a cure to save Massachusetts' beech trees.

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

Federal student loan payments are back, baby Oct 20, 2023

Show notes

Federal student loan payment requirements have resumed after a break that lasted more than three years, which means a big change in monthly financial planning for many Bay Staters.

According to the Education Data Initiative, almost 13% of Massachusetts residents held federal student loan debt in 2022, and the average federal student loan debt total was more than $34,000 per individual.

We at The Common wanted to get an idea of how that kind of debt impacts borrowers’ short and long-term financial goals, and more generally, what it's like to pay such a high cost for an education.

We asked people in-person, across the region and online to share their experiences with student loan debt. Today, we bring you their stories.

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

How to start a hard conversation about the conflict in Gaza Oct 19, 2023

Show notes

The images and stories coming out of the Israel-Hamas war are devastating. As the death toll rises, Team Common has been thinking a lot about how, and where, we should add to the discourse going on worldwide and within our community as this crisis unfolds.

We found ourselves going over just how hard it is to enter conversations that hold so much history and pain and complexity. So that's where we want to start today. Karen Ross is an associate professor with UMass Boston’s Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance. She joins The Common for a discussion about where one may start when entering hard conversations in times of crisis.

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

Massachusetts to stop guaranteeing shelter to families in need Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

On Monday, Gov. Maura Healey announced that the state will soon stop guaranteeing shelter to families in need in Massachusetts. The governor said the system is overwhelmed, and announced a cap on guaranteed placements at 7,500 families. The state expects to hit this cap by the end of the month. The state said that once the cap is hit, qualified households, including those newly arrived from other countries, will be put on a waiting list.

WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common with more on this decision, and what it means for families seeking shelter in Massachusetts.

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

Some scientists want to give the ocean an iron supplement Oct 17, 2023

Show notes

As the climate crisis becomes increasingly dire, a group of scientists are considering a striking technique for carbon sequestration: An iron supplement for the ocean.

The idea's called "iron enrichment," and it involves artificially introducing iron to parts of the ocean that are low on it. The goal is to help plants, especially algae, grow so that they can capture and sequester more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It's a bold approach, that many scientists wouldn't have considered years ago, and some still question today.

WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common with more on the merits and concerns around ocean engineering in a rapidly changing climate.

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

Ten creatives making waves in Boston, and beyond Oct 16, 2023

Show notes

WBUR's Arts and Culture desk spent months pouring over almost 300 public submissions for its annual series celebrating creatives of color in Greater Boston. Now, the 2023 Makers have been announced.

WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray joins The Common to discuss the project and the artists who will be featured online, on the radio and in-person all week long.

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

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