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July 26, 2024 0

Biden Concludes a Chapter, but Our Future Has Yet to Be Written

Fifty years ago, upon taking the oath of office after the resignation of his predecessor Richard Nixon, President Gerald Ford addressed the nation. Just as he had assumed the role of vice president after the resignation of Spiro Agnew, Ford took the reins of power for the remainder of Nixon’s term only to lose reelection in the 1976 campaign. Halfway through his Inaugural speech on Aug. 9, 1974, Ford uttered a line that seems too presumptuous in retrospect: “My fellow […]

July 26, 2024 0

MBTA Now Offers No-Contact Pay System for Rides

by Sampan Staff

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has introduced a “Tap to Ride” system, allowing passengers to use no-contact payment methods such as credit and debit cards, smartphones, and smartwatches. Starting Aug. 1, these payments will be accepted on buses, Green Line and Mattapan Line trolleys, and at all gated subway stations. This initiative aims to streamline fare collection and enhance convenience for riders. More information at mbta.com/TapToRide.To use Tap to Pay: Step 1. ChooseCredit/debit card: Ensure your card has the contactless […]

July 26, 2024 0

State Program Doles Out $27M for Housing as Many Priced Out

by Esther Wang

The Housing Development Incentive Program on July 9 rolled out the largest funding boost to Massachusetts communities in the program’s history, doling out a total of $27 million to various cities and towns. But the cash infusion for new housing will likely make only a small dent in what many residents see as a crisis of unaffordability. The HDIP funds were awarded to 13 communities across the state to build 547 new units of housing in Barnstable, Brockton, Fall River, […]

July 26, 2024 0

Boston’s Silkroad Workshop Makes Music in Hangzhou

by Yuchen Hong

The Silkroad’s Global Musician Workshop kicks off this August with its first dual Boston-Hangzhou performances, welcoming musicians from around the world to both historic cities. “Hosting it for the first time (in the Chinese city) is challenging, but I’m looking forward to our presentation in Hangzhou this year. I hope to introduce this free and creative motivated music education to China,” Silkroad’s pipa player, Wu Man, told the Sampan in a video call from China this week. Man has been […]

July 26, 2024 0

PEERS Group Aims to Help Autistic People Make Friends

by Yizhen Zhang

When it comes to education and autism spectrum disorder, the focus in recent years has been on early childhood education. There are many services for young children with ASD, such as early intervention programs, preschools or other school-run programs, says Dr. Jenny Chu, who runs the Boston PEERS Social Skills Program in Brookline. But services – especially community-based ones for teens and older people with autism – are much harder to come by. Helping fill a small space in the […]

July 26, 2024 0

Boston Community Pediatrics ‘Starts With the Patient,’: Doc

by Kristen Si

Boston Community Pediatrics (BCP) was recently awarded the 2024 Excellence in Innovation award during the during Massachusetts Nonprofit Network’s 2024 Excellence Awards. BCP is a nonprofit, multilingual private practice aiming to provide high-quality medical care to low-income patients, regardless of their insurance coverage. It’s located on Albany Street in the South End. Sampan had the opportunity to sit down with the founder of BCP, Dr. Robyn Riseberg. SAMPAN: What shortcomings in healthcare do you currently see exist for low-income pediatric […]

July 26, 2024 0

Tyler St. Lot Owner Sues Over Denialof ParkingExemption

by Sampan Staff

The owner of several dozen longtime parking spaces in Chinatown – commonly called the Tyler Street parking lot – filed a lawsuit earlier this month, accusing a city commission of improperly blocking the use of the spaces. The Chinese Christian Church of New England, which owns the spaces, argued in a court filing that the Boston Air Pollution Control Commission acted improperly in a hearing last month when it denied the church an exemption from the city’s parking freeze. Without […]

July 26, 2024 0

Judy Chang to Serve on Federal Energy Commission

by Aurora Hao

Judy W. Chang, a Boston-based energy economist and regulatory policy expert, was confirmed as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on June 3, under President Biden’s nomination. Chang will be the first Asian American woman to serve on the FERC, where she will work alongside four other members serving the commission’s mission to promote reliable, affordable, and modern energy as well as environmental and economic justice. Prior to her confirmation, Chang has a long history of working […]

July 12, 2024 0

‘Louder for Lan’ Gives Voice to Refugee Facing Deportation

by Ryan Lundgren

Lan Le has lived in Massachusetts for over 40 years, after her family came here as refugees in 1981. They fled war-torn Vietnam by boat when she was just 9, and spent time living in a refugee camp in Macau before settling in the United States. She has no real connection to her birthplace and has since raised her nine U.S. citizen children in the U.S., where she holds a green card. But now she, like thousands other immigrants, faces […]

July 12, 2024 0

Supreme Court Ruling Has Links to U.S.’ ‘Racist’ Past, Say Advocates

by Adam Smith

A recent Supreme Court ruling that could influence the lives of thousands of people seeking immigration to the U.S. via consular offices gives renewed life to legal precedents built on anti-Asian discrimination of the 1800s, say advocates and legal experts. The case, decided late last month, was “Department of State v. Muñoz.” It centers on a U.S. citizen’s years’ long attempts to sponsor her husband from El Salvador to live with her and their child. A consular official denied their […]

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