The Common

In a section of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, residents have a life expectancy of nearly 92. Travel just two miles away to Roxbury's Nubian Square, and the life expectancy for area Bostonians drops below 69. That's a stark, 23 year difference. These findings come from a new Boston Public Health Commission report. Today, WBUR Reporter Martha Bebinger joins The Common to walk through some of the s...

Boston is known as a runner's city. But last month, running groups with predominantly Black membership, including Pioneers Run Crew and TrailblazHers, reported being targeted by police while spectating the Boston Marathon. In light of this event, and as the weather warms up and brings runners outside, Jeff Davis, founder of another running group for Black runners, Black Men Run Boston, joins The C...

Some families in Cambridge will soon be eligible to receive $500, each month, for 18 months, no strings attached. It's the product of a new program called Rise Up Cambridge, which seeks to partially address poverty through direct income payments.  WBUR Senior Business Reporter Zeninjor Enwemeka joins The Common to walk us through this program, and where it fits into a broader, national movement in...

It's been more than three years since the coronavirus state of emergency was first put in place. It finally ends on May 11th. WBUR Senior Health Reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey joins The Common to help us understand this new phase of the pandemic and what this change means for remaining COVID measures. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

No, the government is not coming for your gas stove. At least not this second. But your stove could have implications for the health of your household (gas stoves are the top trigger for pediatric asthma in the state, for example), as well as our environment. WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common to discuss alternatives, as well as safety tips, for cooking with...

Have you ever had someone knock on your door, ask to see your electric bill and then promise you a better deal? There's a good chance this was a competitive energy supplier, and this so-called "deal" may cost you in the long run. Today, WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser joins The Common to take us through the first piece in her three-part series looking into competitive el...

It's May, which, according to assistant director for WBUR CitySpace Candice Springer, is the perfect time to catch a musical. Today on The Common, Candice joins the show with some of her top theatrical picks for the month of May. Candice recommends... Bettlejuice: Citizen Bank Opera House, May 2nd - May 14 The Prom: Speakeasy Stage Company at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, May 5th - June 10th E...

Three years ago, the coronavirus pandemic brought Boston's theater scene to a screeching halt. Venues are now welcoming back audiences for performances, but as WBUR Arts and Culture Reporter Amelia Mason reports, business is far from usual. Amelia joins The Common to discuss how COVID-19 has changed Boston's theater scene as a part of WBUR Arts' four part series on arts after the pandemic. Greater...

People in their twenties make up one-fifth of Boston's population, but some of these young people are struggling to make it in the city as the cost of living soars. Boston Globe Reporter Diti Kohli talked to more than two dozen Gen Z residents living in Boston to learn what financial concerns are making them question their future in the city. Today, she joins The Common to walk through the impact...

A study from Common Good Labs, a data science firm based out of Pittsburg, and the Brookings Institution has identified nearly 200 neighborhoods across the country that have done the seemingly impossible: Increase neighborhood wealth, without pushing out the original residents. One of those neighborhoods is Boston's very own Upham's Corner in Dorchester. Common Good Labs partner Rohit Acharya join...

The MBTA is facing yet another financial challenge, this time in the form of its pension program. According to an arbitration document obtained by WBUR, at its current trajectory, pension expenses could make the agency 'insolvent' by 2038. WBUR Transportation Reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins The Common explore how the MBTA got to this point, and what this could mean for its financial future...

Boston police received 116 reports of drink spiking in Boston last year. The alarming uptick in reports has continued into 2023, with BPD publishing a community alert on the issue last week. Casey Corcoran, senior director of prevention outreach and education at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC), joins The Common to share tips on how to prevent drink spiking in bars and other establishmen...

Nearly half of all students in Brockton Public Schools speak a language other than English at home. The district's Multilingual Parent Communication Center is working to make translation and interpretation services more accessible to families who don't speak English as a first language by centralizing services, and offering support both within and beyond the school system. WBUR Senior Education Re...

Boston's rent control proposal needs approval from the Massachusetts State Legislature in order to become local law. A new report from The Boston Globe looks into the property holdings of the lawmakers who will be responsible for making this decision, in both the house and the senate, to gain an understanding of how many legislators rent, versus own their home, and how many are landlords. The Glob...

Former employees of establishments owned by local celebrity chef Barbara Lynch are stepping forward, accusing Lynch of creating a toxic workplace. The allegations against Lynch, who owns businesses including No. 9 Park, The Butcher Shop and Seaport-based bar, Drink, include lashing out at staff and guests, unwanted touching and threats of violence. Boston Globe Business Enterprise Reporter Janelle...

The Common team is taking the day to rest and rejuvenate after a very busy few weeks (did you catch our special climate series last week? If not, listen back!) so today, we bring you a feature from the WBUR newsroom. It’s from reporter Arielle Gray and it’s about the work of renowned artist Simone Leigh, who explores Black womanhood through the use of clay, bronze and ceramics. Last year, Leigh be...

It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Greater Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now. Today we wrap up our week-long series with some ways you can get involved and give back to our planet this Earth Day, and beyond, with Sara Winslow, ed...

It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Greater Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now. Today's destination: Boston's South End The entire city of Boston is a heat island, but some parts of the city, including the South End, can get partic...

It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Greater Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now. Today's destination: Crane Ledge Woods Today, The Common heads to Hyde Park in Boston, where a coalition of residents are fighting to preserve a proper...

Perhaps you've seen some of the 30 Boston Harbor Islands from an airplane window, descending into Logan Airport. Or maybe you've visited one of the more popular islands on a weekend day trip from downtown Boston. This archipelago is made up of piles of deposited material, sculpted by melting and retreating glaciers, known as drumlins, and is one of the few drowned drumlin fields in the world. It's...

It's Earth Week on The Common. And in honor of our home planet, we're bringing you a special series. Every day this week, we're exploring what climate change looks and feels like in Boston, and how it's impacting our communities, right now. Today's destination: Chinatown. In Boston's Chinatown, you don’t have to look far to see how climate change is already affecting the lives of residents. The ne...

Medical professionals volunteering at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 found themselves tending not only to tired runners, but also to victims of the two bombs that exploded that day. For the first time since that tragic event, those first responders are talking openly about their experiences, the strong bonds that were forged there a decade ago, and the healing that's happened since. As we r...

Nearly a decade has passed since the Boston Marathon bombings. This year, many will pause to reflect on the three lives lost that day and the dozens of others who were physically injured. But the trauma didn't not stop there. As runners prepare to hit the road on Monday, The Common speaks with WBUR senior correspondent Deborah Becker about the psychological damage left in the wake of the attacks,...

Massachusetts is taking steps to ensure continued access to mifepristone, a common abortion medication following a ruling from a federal judge in Texas, which aims to block access to the drug. The Justice Department has appealed this order. Earlier this week, Gov. Maura Healey announced that the University of Massachusetts Amherst has secured roughly 15,000 doses of the drug, at the request of the...

Nearly 9 out of 10 teachers in Massachusetts public schools are white, despite students of color making up roughly 44% of the student population. In Lowell, the state's sixth largest school district, the disparity is even more stark. A new program aims to change this, by encouraging students of color to pursue careers in teaching through a partnership between Lowell Public Schools and the Universi...