January 3, 2025 | Vol. 54, Issue 1

The only bilingual Chinese-English Newspaper in New England

Boston

Students graduate from school

14 families filed lawsuit against BPS “Zip Code Quota Admissions”

(請點這裡閱讀中文版。) Boston is home to three elite exam schools: Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School, and the John D. O’Bryant School. These schools, although public, are different from their counterparts as they require excellence in academic grades and high scores on a standardized test in order for students to attend. They have also long been contested as adding to the inequities of disadvantaged students of color, who are largely disproportionately represented at these elite schools, especially at Boston Latin Academy. […]

Planned development in Leather District sparks controversy among residents

(請點這裡閱讀中文版。) Oxford Properties Group, a Canadian real estate and development company, plans to build a 225 feet tall “research and development” property on 125 Lincoln Street. The project, which is currently under review, according to the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s website, is controversial among some local residents. Oxford Properties Group’s most recently accessible public commenting period for residents to voice their concerns was from June 7, 2019 to July 30, 2019. During that period, a majority of the concerns […]

Increased linkage fees supports affordable housing and workforce development in Boston

(請點這裡閱讀中文版。) In February, Mayor Martin Walsh announced the official increase of linkage fees by 42%. Now, for any commercial development over 100,000 square feet in Boston, $15.39 per square foot will be collected as linkage fees, of which $13.00 will contribute to supporting affordable housing and $2.39 will go towards workforce development programs in the city.  Originally created in 1986, the Boston Linkage Program was established to leverage funding for the community from large-scale commercial real-estate development. For years, the […]

Preventing violence against Asian Americans in Boston

The growing problem of anti-Asian violence has finally come to the attention of media and government officials nationwide. In the period from March 2020 to December 2020, a national coalition, Stop AAPI Hate (https://stopaapihate.org/) received over 2,800 first-hand reports of acts of aggression or hate speech, 126 of them against Asians over 60 years old.  Reports from across the country, from Indiana to North Carolina, small towns and big cities like San Francisco and New York, show that everyday bias […]

Tufts Medical Center talks COVID-19 vaccine efficacy & roll-out

About a year since the first outbreak of the coronavirus, vaccines countering the virus have finally begun rolling out. However, there has been a lot of confusion and concern about the efficacy of the vaccine and the method in which it is available to the public.  Sampan had the opportunity to interview Dr. Helen Boucher, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center (TMC) to address some of these concerns. Dr. Boucher has been at the frontlines in managing responses […]

Tora Japanese Restaurant, unagi don

Boston’s first Kaisen don restaurant: TORA Japanese restaurant review

Tora Japanese Restaurant in Chinatown is Boston’s first Kaisen don restaurant. Four years ago, Tora (Japanese for tiger) was opened by owners Kenix Wong and Patrick Zhong after three years of research around Japan and training in Hong Kong. The restaurant space is simply decorated in hues of grey, white and black with minimal decor. COVID protocols were strictly adhered to with hand sanitizers, spaced out tables to provide a safe dining experience. Kaisen don means seafood on rice, unlike […]

Thank You, Boston

By Mayor Martin J. Walsh On January 12, I held my final State of the City, which was broadcast live from Boston’s newest civic treasure, the completely rebuilt Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library in Nubian Square.  2020 was a tough year. 2021 is a year for healing as we keep each other safe; get through this final stretch of the pandemic; and build a recovery that moves all our neighborhoods forward.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we have […]

Chinese duck sauce

A Boston origin of… duck sauce?

If you dine at local Chinese restaurants, you’ve probably been served a container of duck sauce, a versatile sweet and sour sauce that is commonly used for dipping fried foods, from eggrolls to chicken fingers, fried wontons to crab rangoons. It has become such a familiar sauce that you can find it at non-Chinese restaurants too, especially with an order of chicken fingers.  What is the origin of this curious sauce? Theories abound about its origin, most believing it acquired its name […]

A purple train, like the commuter rail trains that will experience MBTA service cuts

First of MBTA service cuts, reduced weekend train service, to start Jan. 23

Weekend train service will be slashed for all but five commuter rail lines as part of the first MBTA service cuts to go into effect next week.  Beginning Jan. 23, the commuter rail will only offer weekend service on the Newburyport/Rockport, Framingham/Worcester, Fairmount, Providence, and Middleborough lines. Trains will be added to the Middleborough, Fairmount, and Newburyport/Rockport lines to fill in previous service gaps and maintain more consistent train intervals. The service cuts were approved last month by the MBTA’s […]

In March, this is what your new electricity bill from Eversource might look like, with graphs that show your usage history

Boston launches Community Choice Electricity program

As a step working towards Boston Mayor Walsh’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, Boston is set to launch the Community Choice Electricity program (CCE). All Boston residents will be automatically enrolled in the program in February 2021, unless they choose to opt-out.  “Through the program, the city of Boston can pull the collective buying power of Boston’s residents and businesses to negotiate favorable electric contracts with electricity suppliers,” said Aidan Smith, CCE Outreach Coordinator on the Dec. 21 […]

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