Boston

December 20, 2024 0

Phillips Square Planning Draws Interest, Concern in Chinatown

Phillips Square in Chinatown was buzzing with energy on Dec. 8, as families, city leaders, elders, and curious passers-by gathered around to discuss the plaza’s future. With confetti in the air, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and several city councilors made a festive appearance alongside Santa Claus, celebrating the moment as part of the annual Enchanted Trolley Tour that made stops across the city that weekend. The mayor expressed gratitude to Chinatown and briefly acknowledged the importance of the upcoming Phillips […]

December 20, 2024 0

Kairos Shen Has Big Visions for Chinatown

by Ryan Lundgren

Kairos Shen is a familiar face to anyone who follows development in the city. During his lengthy career, Shen worked from 1993 to 2015 at the city’s development and planning agency, at the time called the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Before leaving the BRA, he rose to the rank of director of planning, wielding influence over development in the city – including for the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the South Boston Waterfront Innovation District, and the renewals of Fenway Park and Nubian […]

October 25, 2024 0

25-Story Hotel Plan Draws Critical Reviews

by Ryan Lundgren

A proposal to raze a vacant and dilapidated building in Chinatown to build a 25-story hotel has sparked a debate over whether the project will further boost housing prices around the neighborhood and exacerbate congestion in the already crowded block. The building’s owner, Sing Ming Chan, claims that the 110-room hotel would bring increased tourism dollars, provide job opportunities, and help revitalize Chinatown. Detractors — including activists and current and former residents of Chinatown — claim that the construction of […]

October 25, 2024 0

Story of New Americans from Haiti Lost Amid Election Rhetoric

by Milourdes Augustin

As immigration has taken center stage in the presidential election, it now feels like all eyes are on Haiti, my home country. That nation in turmoil — like Mexico and Latin America before, and even China in the distant past – has been unfairly singled out as a poster child for all kinds of America’s ills, with immigrants serving as scapegoats. Trump once stated that Haiti was a “shit hole country” and he opposed extending aid to the country as […]

October 25, 2024 0

We Must Guard Our Rights to Free Speech and Dissent

by Adam Smith

This election has been portrayed as critical for the future of our democracy. But a key part of that democracy, our First Amendment rights, will no doubt remain under attack – no matter who wins. Republican candidate and former president, Donald Trump, openly threatens those who do not agree with him. At the same time, vice president and Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris – and Pres. Joe Biden – are guilty of doing little to protect the rights of those who […]

October 25, 2024 0

Sampan Readers Give Their Take on Key Election Issues

by Christopher John Stephens

It’s been over 30 years since famed Democratic strategist James Carville tried to provide a pithy summary to all that concerned the American voting public: “It’s the economy, stupid.” Carville’s way with a slogan helped his candidate Bill Clinton start the first of two terms as president of the United States. Carville remained a feisty political strategist in the decades that followed, and Clinton weathered a notorious sex scandal in his second term that led to his impeachment. By the […]

October 25, 2024 0

Gov’s Emergency Gun Rule Triggers Debate Around Second Amendment Rights in State

by Esther Wang

Gov. Maura Healey signed an emergency preamble early this month that effectively put a new gun law into immediate effect, expanding Massachusetts’ preexisting firearms regulations—already some of the strictest in the country. The move will crack down on private-made “ghost guns”; criminalize possession of “bump stocks” and trigger cranks; require a gun license for live-fire training; prohibit people outside of law enforcement from carrying guns at schools, polling places, and government buildings; ban the possession, transfer, and sale of assault […]

October 25, 2024 0

Warmer World Brings Dengue Close to Home

by Kristen Si

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that after years of climate change, the global incidence of dengue fever has reached a record peak this year – reaching several parts of the U.S.In a recent Health Alert Network Health Advisory, the CDC reported that nearly 9.7 million dengue cases were spotted in the Americas for the first half of 2024, double the number of cases in 2023. According to the Pan American Health Organization, Latin America is experiencing […]

October 11, 2024 0

Filipino Festival Serves Up Flavors,Memories of Home

by Ava Belchez

Mary Crown – who moved from the Philippines to Boston two decades ago – stood amid the chatter of Tagalog and English, the smell of barbecuing pork, and the voice of America’s Got Talent semi-finalist Roland Abante singing “Dynamite.” “I’ve never seen so many Filipinos,” she joked. Crown was among the throngs gathered at the Church Street parking lot in Cambridge for the 3rd Annual Filipino American Festival on Oct. 6. The event was organized by the Harvard Square Philippine […]

October 11, 2024 0

Tribute: Boston Ballet’s DePrince Remembered as ‘Truly Inspiring’

by Kristen Si

Michaela Mabinty DePrince, a former dancer for the prestigious Boston Ballet and a champion for diversity in the arts, passed away at age 29 on Sept. 10. DePrince was an inspiration to countless dancers and artists around the world for her exceptional work both on and off the stage. “I personally felt Michaela was a beautiful dancer and truly inspiring in her ability to break through glass ceilings,” Beth Mochizuki, artistic director at the Asian American Ballet Project, told the […]

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