Boston

April 22, 2023 0

Virtual Public Meeting Scheduled Regarding Cannabis Dispensary Proposal in Chinatown

When it comes to arguments about safety and community safety and the ethics of legalized drugs, sometimes it’s hard to immediately dismiss the financial advantages. Massachusetts legalized adult-use cannabis in November 2018, and since then the state has collected $3.9 billion in total gross sales. Between January 1 and December 18, 2022, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission reported the sale of 1.42 billion dollars’ worth of cannabis and cannabis-related accessories. If we compare this to the other two members in […]

March 10, 2023 0

Chinatown’s Shops, Eateries Show Resiliency Amid COVID, Says Key Business Leader

by DongDong Yang

Despite the obstacles faced over the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinatown’s businesses remained strong, enduring the toughest months of the outbreak. That was a key takeaway from an interview with Chinatown Business Association President Teresa Tsoi. The Sampan recently sat down with Tsoi to discuss the livelihood of the neighborhood’s shops and restaurants. Following is a lightly edited transcript: No one was prepared for the pandemic. In the Chinatown Business Association, about 98 % of the members are businesses in the Chinatown, […]

February 24, 2023 0

Mayor Wu’s Rent Stabilization Effort Draws Praise, Criticism

by Kristen Si

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 […]

January 7, 2023 0

Crossing the Digital Divide: Helping the Elderly Navigate 21st Century Technology

by DongDong Yang

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 […]

January 7, 2023 0

Expanding the Right to Vote to 16-17 year olds in Boston: A Hot Button Topic for Young and Old

by Sasha Lianski

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 […]

January 7, 2023 0

Opinion: New Rowhouse Protection Areas Can Help Stabilize Chinatown

by guest

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 […]

December 12, 2022 0

New Developments in Chinatown

by Sonia Cavazos

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 […]

November 24, 2022 0

Boston Accent is disappearing -“You’re breakin’ my haht!!”

by Aili Liu

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, […]

November 5, 2022 0

Community Groups call for the State to honor its Commitment to Chinatown

by Sampan Staff

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 […]

October 13, 2022 0

Eugene Welch Retiring: The End of an Era for South Cove Community Health Center

by Aili Liu

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 […]

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