In a city synonymous with high housing costs, residents of Boston have long dealt with the soaring cost of rent. In fact, for the past several years, Zillow has listed Boston as one of the top 5 most expensive rental markets in the nation. A recent 2022 report by the Greater Boston Association of Realtors’ showed that between 2019 and 2022, is the same time for the median cost of a single-family home rose by 26%. In the face of […]
For many of us, it seems like only yesterday that we faced the fears of a Y2K society. What would happen when all the ones and zeroes of our devices flipped over into a new century? Would our worst fears be realized? Would we find ourselves catapulted into a world where computers crashed and all data that comprised our lives vanished forever? Nothing so drastic happened, but those of us who came of age without the current ease of […]
From the beginning of America, voting has been a fundamental right which many Americans have fought for and some have died for. It’s what establishes America as a “true” democratic country. Our right to vote is given to us by the 26th amendment of the constitution. However, in the past, there have been many discussions about whether constitutional amendments could be changed, and if cities and states had the power to bring these changes. The answers to these questions keep […]
Over the last 60 years, the buildings in Chinatown and the people who live and work there, have undergone massive changes. The Boston Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) relaunched its lapsed PLAN: Downtown in November with an added focus on post-pandemic revitalization and stands to bring yet another wave of changes. The plan will culminate in new zoning guidelines governing land use, allowable heights, and density, and will encourage mixed use development and a more predictable system of trading larger […]
Chinatown and downtown Boston will be going through massive changes as the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) moves forward with preparing for construction in and around the area. Some plans are currently under review and others have been approved and are slated to be underway, with the overall project set to end in the summer of 2023. Assistant Director of Communications for BPDA Brittany Comak, along with the Interim Director of Planning Kennan Rhyne, met with this reporter to […]
Along with Boston’s history, sports, education, and baked beans, the “Bawston” accent has long been a unique and fun distinction for Boston. For example, a survey run by the travel company, Big 7, showed that the Boston accent was ranked as the second sexiest in the country. Americans around the country became familiar with the Boston accent through Hollywood movies and from listening to famous Boston figures like President John F Kennedy. The accent is distinguished by dropping the r’s, […]
Chinatown and Leather District residents, volleyball players, skate boarders and park enthusiasts gathered in October at the Reggie Wong Memorial Park in Boston’s Chinatown to celebrate what they hope will be a turning point in a long struggle to protect and gain community control of this urban playground and encourage the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to make good on its commitment to lease it to the community for $1 a year. At the event, Lydia Lowe, Chinatown Community Land Trust director, announced that […]
After 23 years of service at South Cove Community Health Center (SCCHC), the current CEO, Eugene Welch, will be stepping down from his position at the end of 2022. Started by a group of community activists in 1972 in response to the inadequate health care services for the local residents in Boston Chinatown, SCCHC now operates in five locations in the greater Boston area and serves more than 32,000 patients annually. SCCHC aims to improve the health and wellbeing of […]
As the rate of reported hate crimes increases across the country, a bill to require Massachusetts law enforcement agencies and communities to report Hate Crime incidents is currently under study by the state legislature. The Massachusetts Hate Crimes Reporting Act was originally introduced in late March of 2021 to advance and change the current hate crime reporting practices which are informal and unevenly enforced. The proposed bill is currently being put on a study order for further review by the […]
This reporter attended a September 12, 2022 virtual media roundtable for the immigrant-serving community during which MOIA (The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement), BPHC (Boston Public Health Commission), the Streets Cabinet and the MBTA made themselves available for questions. As public transit commuters know, the entire Orange line and parts of the Green and Blue lines are currently not operating because of long needed emergency repairs to address structural issues, track issues and signaling issues. This shutdown has been impacting […]
