The Common

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What To Do This Month in Greater Boston: Save your cash and hit the town Jul 07, 2023

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It's that time of the month again! Assistant director for WBUR CitySpace, Candice Springer, is back with a list of things to get you out of the house this month. And, guess what? They're all free.

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

More bad news for would-be homebuyers Jul 06, 2023

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The median price for a single family home in Boston is now $900,000. The record-breaking figure is driven by a shortage of housing inventory, as well as a reduction in home turnover thanks to high interest rates.

WBUR Senior Business Reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka joins The Common to discuss how we got here, and what is at stake for communities when home ownership strays farther and farther out of reach for the average family.

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

What we're reading this summer Jul 05, 2023

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Whether you're jet-setting, hitting your local beach, or just lounging in your backyard, summer is the perfect time to pick up a book. WBUR Associate Producer for Newsletters, and coauthor of the "Beach Books" newsletter Hanna Ali joins The Common with some of her top summer reads.

Hanna recommends...

"The Acrobat" by Edward J. Delaney "My First Popsicle: An Anthology of Food and Feelings" edited by Zosia Mamet "Little Weirds" by Jenny Slate

Looking for more summer reading recs? Subscribe to WBUR's Beach Books newsletter to get reading recommendations straight to your inbox, every week through Labor Day.

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

The Common wishes you a happy July Fourth Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

Hey listeners,

Team Common is taking the holiday off to rest and recharge. But don’t worry – we’ll be back tomorrow with our regular show.

In the meantime, we hope you're having a good one. Also, our listener survey closes this week July 7. So if you haven't had the chance, please consider taking a few minutes to fill it out.

We want to know what you’re liking about the show so far and what you think could be better. This podcast is just as much yours as it is ours, so your feedback is an important part of making it the best it can be.

Happy Fourth and be safe.

Love,

Your friends at The Common

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

From the newsroom: Reflections on a "normal" school year Jul 03, 2023

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We’re back with another piece from our friends in the WBUR newsroom while we at The Common work on some bigger projects we think you’ll enjoy.

Today’s story comes from WBUR Education Reporter Carrie Jung.

School is out for the summer but the 2022-2023 school year was much closer to normal than the last few during COVID. Carrie caught up with students and teachers from across the state to get their reflections on the past year.

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

A license to drive for Mass. immigrants Jun 30, 2023

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Starting July 1, Massachusetts immigrants can apply for a driver's license regardless of immigration status under the The Work and Family Mobility Act. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center estimates that up to 85,000 people could receive a drivers license under the new law by 2026.

WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common to break down the The Work and Family Mobility Act and the impact it will have on the day-to-day lives of drivers across the state.

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

The bees and butterflies need our help Jun 29, 2023

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Insects are disappearing at a concerning rate -- from 1% to 2% in many places, and up to 10% in others. Some of those insects are pollinators, which are key players in supporting 35% of our food supply. Today, those pollinators, like bees and butterflies, need our help.

WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common with more on the importance of pollinators, and a guide to what you can do to support pollinators in your own yard, garden, or even from your apartment fire escape.

Can you take a few minutes and fill out our survey? It would go a long way in helping us make the kind of show you want to hear. Take the survey here.

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

A reckoning in restaurants, continued... Jun 28, 2023

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For the last several months The Common has been talking about the lack of accountability for harmful behavior from local chefs and restaurateurs, such as the allegations against Barbara Lynch, as well as comments made by Ming Tsai on WBUR's CitySpace stage.

Last month, CitySpace continued that conversation with a panel discussion called “A Reckoning in Restaurants: Combating Toxic Restaurant Culture.”

During the event, audience members submitted questions for the panel, which included Hassel Aviles, Co-founder and executive director of Not 9 to 5 (a non-profit in mental health advocacy for the foodservice sector); Irene Li, Co-founder of Mei Mei Dumplings and James Beard Leadership Award winner; Janelle Nanos, Business Enterprise Reporter at the Boston Globe; and Hannah Selinger, James Beard Award-nominated writer.

There were so many questions, that there just wasn’t enough time to answer them all. So, we figured we’d continue the event here on the show with Irene and Hannah to answer some of the questions they couldn’t get to that night.

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

A night out at the Roxbury International Film Festival Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

The Roxbury International Film Festival is celebrating its 25th year with a 10 day festival featuring over 80 films. The festival is designed around celebrating people of color, and creating an environment for filmmakers and film lovers to meet and experience one another's work.

Today on The Common, we take you on a trip to the Museum of Fine Art in Boston for an evening of screenings. We also speak with Lisa Simmons, the artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Festival, which runs in-person through June 28th, and online from June 27th through July 2nd.

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

From the newsroom: the queer history of Boston's suffragettes Jun 26, 2023

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We’re back with another piece from our friends in the WBUR newsroom while we at The Common work on some bigger projects we think you’ll enjoy.

Today’s story comes from Rupa Shenoy and Laney Ruckstuhl at Morning Edition.

In honor of Pride Month (happy Pride) Rupa and Laney wanted to remember some of the queer people in Massachusetts history who have been overlooked. So, Rupa sat down with author Wendy Rouse, who wrote "Public Spaces, Secret Lives: A Queer History of the Suffrage Movement, which shares the stories of local queer suffragettes.

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

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