The Common

When a 2022 Supreme Court ruling ended nationwide protection for abortion access, Massachusetts abortion rights advocates predicted an influx of people from out of state seeking abortions. Now, WBUR's Martha Bebinger found the number of people who obtained abortion care from Massachusetts providers was up at least 37% in 2023 . The increase was mostly driven by patients from outside the state. Tod...

It's been a little over a week since President-elect Donald Trump won a second term in office over Vice President Kamala Harris. Regardless of how you feel about it, another Trump presidency is almost certain to leave a lasting impression on our political reality, including here in deep-blue Massachusetts. Today on  The Common , WBUR Senior Politics Reporter, Anthony Brooks, and WBUR State House R...

In August, Mayor Michelle Wu introduced Boston's first Office of Climate Resilience. She appointed Chris Osgood, previously Chief of Staff and Chief of Streets, as the office's director. Osgood joined us in September to discuss what Bostonians can expect from the Office of Climate Resilience in the coming years. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Happy Halloween! We wish you safe and spooky celebrations this week. That said, Tuesday, November 5th is the 2024 general election . And there is nothing scarier than getting to the polls unprepared. Five statewide ballot questions are before voters this November, and frighteningly, there are quite a few misconceptions about them. Evan Horowitz, director of The Center for State Policy Analysis at...

Offshore wind projects like Vineyard Wind are set to be a huge part of our state’s energy future. But for such a huge infrastructure project, it’s not that easy to get out and see for yourself. For one thing, you need to charter a boat to take you out to look at the Vineyard Wind turbines located miles offshore.  This is exactly what a group of New England reporters did in September – including WB...

Boston's theater-goers are overwhelmingly white: 89%, according to a report by the nonprofit ArtsBoston . At the same time, more than half of the city's residents are people of color. Some theater companies are fostering inclusion with Black Out nights . Performances are taken off sale to the general public and made accessible with a code distributed to Black organizations and social media groups....

Each year, WBUR highlights a group of artists of color in Greater Boston. These "Makers" are spreading joy and building community while practicing their craft. We meet three of the artists from this year's cohort . Dancer Beth Mochizuki is helping dancers bring more of themselves to the stage with her company, the Asian American Ballet Project. Saxophonist Jonathan Suazo is combining his Puerto Ri...

Experts say climate change is increasing the risk of a “double disaster” — a large-scale chemical spill caused by extreme weather. Massachusetts is especially vulnerable, as a coastal state with industrial ports. WBUR's senior investigative reporter Patrick Madden  took a closer look at this risk  in New Bedford, a city with a high concentration of warehouses that use chemicals for cold storage in...

On this episode of  The Common, Boston Globe Reporter Diti Kohli breaks down the evolution of Stop and Shop, and where the grocery store is headed. Then, listen to an excerpt from host Darryl C. Murphy's WBUR CitySpace interview with Chef and TikTok influencer Jon Kung. ____ Stop and Shop opened a swanky upgraded location in Allston Yards this summer. A couple of weeks later, the company announced...

Last spring, the City of Boston welcomed its inaugural Director of Nightlife Economy, Corean Reynolds. You might have heard some people refer to her as the “night czar,” though that’s not her official title. Now that she’s been in her position for a year, we wanted to catch up with her about some of the initiatives her office is working on, as well as challenges to improving nightlife in the city....

On September 12, 1974, Boston Public Schools bused the first students across town as a part of a highly controversial school integration program. The program was a result of Judge W. Arthur Garrity's federal court order that mandated that both black and white students be bused to schools outside of their neighborhoods. What followed was a series of protests and riots that helped cement Boston's re...

On this episode of  The Common , WBUR Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins the show to discuss what impacts the presidential candidates would have on Massachusetts' climate goals if they get elected. Then, we get suggestions for how to spend the month of September in Greater Boston. -------- Classes might be back in session now that it's September, but that doesn't mean you ca...

On this episode of  The Common , tenant association leader and volunteer with City Life/Vida Urbana Selena Eutsay joins the show to discuss renters rights ahead of Boston's unofficial move-in day on the first of September. Then, producer Frannie Monahan hits the streets to talk to Boston residents about their greatest challenges renting in the city.  ____ Sept. 1 is fast approaching. On that day,...

On this episode of  The Common , Boston Globe Climate Reporter Erin Douglas joins the show to discuss how many Boston neighborhoods are built on artificial land, putting them at risk of flooding due climate change .  Then, Team Common takes over the WBUR kitchen with senior correspondent Deborah Becker. ____ If you listen to WBUR, you are probably familiar with Deb Becker’s voice. You might have h...

On this episode of  The Common , WBUR associate producer for digital Katie Cole joins the show to discuss Massachusetts' various shark species and the important role they play in our ocean ecosystem. Then, we sit down with author and podcast host Mark Cecil to talk about the value of deep conversations among men and why it is difficult for some men to open up with one another. ____ Sharks get a ba...

On this episode of  The Common , WBUR State House reporter Walter Wuthmann joins host Darryl C. Murphy to recap the end of the state's legislative session . He tells us about the few bills that did get passed, and more importantly all the ones that didn't, and why. Then, Team Common hikes the Boston Walking City Trail with with founder, Boston-based journalist and trail builder Miles Howard . List...

The Common is back. Thank you to the listeners who stuck around while we planned for our new weekly format, and if you're new here, welcome to the party! Today, WBUR transportation reporter Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez joins host Darryl C. Murphy to give us the full download on the MBTA's new contactless fare system. Then, to kick off August, WBUR CitySpace assistant director Candice Springer gives us...

Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly , a podcast from Scientific American. The past two days we’ve been sharing Barb’s in-depth reporting on Cape Cod’s water, and the pollution that has been increasingly threaten...

Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly , a podcast from Scientific American. In today's episode, Barb looks at some of the big-ticket solutions that could help solve the Cape’s water problems — for a price.  Greate...

Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly , a podcast from Scientific American. If you’re a regular listener of The Common, you might remember our episode with Barb on something taking place on Cape Cod called pee-cyc...

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Seniors are healthier, better educated and living longer than in generations past. In his series  "The Third Act,"  WBUR Senior Political Reporter  Anthony Brooks  tells the stories of people who have embraced these years of late and mid-l...

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Boston Little Saigon  is one of the city’s four official cultural districts as designated by the state. Located in Fields Corner in Dorchester, the district was officially designated in 2021, but to its residents, Little Saigon has been an...

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Boston is known for its host of historic landmarks, such as the Boston Tea Party and the USS Constitution, but there are also many historical stories and sites in the city that too often go  unheard and unseen.  Researcher and educator Joe...

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Massachusetts is one of only two states where it's illegal for landlords to charge an application fee to perspective renters. Even so, advocates say that  these fees are on the rise  as rental options in the region remain tight. WBUR Senio...

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. America was, and continues to be, forged by the gun industry.  The Gun Machine , a new podcast from WBUR and  The Trace  looks at this intertwined history — from the founding of the nation, to the gun industry's roots here in Massachusetts...