The Common

Online sports betting was legalized in Massachusetts just over a year ago. Since then, Bay State gamblers have wagered almost $5 billion dollars. Additionally, while it's illegal for people under the age of 21 to gamble in Massachusetts, mental health and addiction workers have noted an uptick in teens and young adults seeking help for compulsive gambling. Today on The Common, Boston Globe Addicti...

Through June of this year, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts is displaying 27 images taken by Stephen Shames of the women at the heart of the Black Panther Party. WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray set out to review the exhibit, titled Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party, and was struck by one photo in particular -- it shows a group of five unnamed teenage Black Panther volunteers, four girls and...

The Cape has a dirty water problem. The main culprit? Pee. Over the years, waterways around Cape Cod have been increasingly impacted by peoples' septic tanks, which leach nitrogen and phosphorus -- from urine -- into the Cape's ground water. This, in turn, leads to unhealthy water quality and toxic algae blooms that are dangerous for humans and wildlife alike. Municipalities around the Cape are no...

Massachusetts’ strained shelter system has been struggling to keep up with an influx of families who are in need of housing. But where are these families coming from? Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emmanuel set out to answer that question in a new story for WBUR. She found that roughly half of the families seeking help through the state family shelter system are newly arrived migrant...

This one's for all you last-minute romantics out there. While Boston is famously a reservation-first dining city, there are no shortage of walk-in-friendly restaurants available to accommodate your procrastinated Valentine's Day plans -- no matter what kind of vibe you're going for. Today, Erika Adams, editor of Eater Boston joins The Common to walk us through six of her top reservation-free dinin...

As the devastating war in Gaza continues, dozens of cities across the U.S. have passed resolutions in support of a ceasefire. Those cities include Chicago, Seattle, and our very own Somerville, Cambridge and, as of this week, Medford.  Leila Farsakh, professor of political science at UMass Boston, joins The Common to discuss what can be drawn from the successes of these resolutions, and what they...

After two full weeks of canceled school, the Newton Teachers Association and Newton School Committee reached a deal on a new four-year teacher contract late last week. The final contract includes increased pay for paraprofessionals, a promise to staff additional social workers in the district and longer parental leave, among other measures. WBUR Senior Education Reporter Carrie Jung joins The Comm...

Have you ever dreamed of putting on your swimsuit, zipping up your winter coat, and heading downtown for a free sauna experience with friends and previously-unknown neighbors? If so, we've got the story for you. Through March 3, Winter City Sauna, a free pop-up sauna, is posting up on Boston's City Hall Plaza and offering visitors the opportunity to warm up in community (up to six people at a time...

For those opening full-service restaurants, a liquor license can be a key part of creating a sustainable business. But in the city of Boston, getting your hands on such a license can cost anywhere from $400,000 to $600,000 on a private market. One that exists due to a shortage of licenses available through the city. Today, Boston Globe Magazine contributor Erick Trickey joins The Common for a deep...

We can all take a collective sigh of relief that we survived January. Next up: Valentine's Day. Whether you and your boo are looking for a cozy day at the movies, or you're looking to impress a new date with a wild night of Saltburn-inspired hijinks, or just for an opportunity to sing your heart out to Broadway tunes and revel in your own self-love, WBUR Assistant Director of City Space, Candice S...

If you pay attention to the news, you've probably heard a lot about Steward Health Care System in the past couple weeks. It recently came to light that the for-profit company, which operates nine hospitals in Massachusetts, is in deep financial distress. Long story short, it's a situation that could further exasperate health care access issues for the primarily low-income communities the company's...

The pilot program that allowed rides to be free on MBTA buses 23, 28 and 29 for the past two years ends on March 1. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has pledged to find more money to keep those routes free. Meanwhile, the MBTA and the state are marching forward with a plan to create a subsidized fare system for low-income riders. The effort to continue the pilot program is a flashpoint in the debate in Ma...

The Massachusetts Department of Correction announced last week that it will close the MCI-Concord, a medium-security facility that opened in 1878. The planned closure of MCI-Concord is expected to save $16 million every year and avoid spending $190 million on improving the facility. This decision aligns with the ongoing decline in state incarceration rates, marking MCI-Concord as the second prison...

Vouchers intended for homeless youth are underutilized in Mass. In 2019, the federal government launched a housing program to help young people, aged 18 to 24 who have lived in foster care or other residential placement, pay for housing through the use of vouchers. But while Massachusetts likely has more than 1,000 young people currently living in homelessness who would be eligible for the voucher...

Nearly 70 different books were challenged in Massachusetts public schools by parents, residents and others over the last five years, according to reporting from Boston Globe. Frequently challenged books mostly involved gender, sexuality and race. Restrictions included removing books from the classroom curriculum, re-shelving books to sections of the library toward uppergraders and requiring parent...

Hospitals and health insurance companies in Mass. have agreed to stop asking doctors about their addiction and mental health history. Instead, focus will be put on current, untreated medical issues. The goal is to reduce stigmas and barriers that may keep some physicians from seeking mental health and substance abuse treatment. WBUR senior health reporter Priyanka Dayal McCluskey joins The Common...

In November, Gov. Maura Healey announced that the state family shelter system had reached capacity and instituted a waitlist. There are currently three state-run overflow shelter sites in operation, which aim to provide temporary shelter to those waiting. Advocates say, it's not nearly enough. Today, WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common with an update on the s...

More than a dozen Black churches have left Boston, or shuttered completely over the last ten years, according to reporting from the Boston Globe. Issues including gentrification, the cost of real estate and declining membership are among the factors contributing to the migration of these churches from Boston proper to nearby municipalities including Brockton, Abington and Randolph. Today, Boston G...

Tomorrow is the New Hampshire primary, and developments have not slowed down in the last few days. Just this weekend, Republican primary candidate Ron DeSantis decided to end his campaign, putting his endorsement behind the apparent frontrunner Donald Trump. This leaves New Hampshire Republican voters with two major options going into Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary: Trump and Nikki Haley. T...

Last fall, MassReconnect, a state program that helps Massachusetts residents 25 and older who do not already have a college degree attend community college for free, went into effect. The program has been popular, and all 15 state community colleges saw enrollment increase since the program started. While community colleges report being pleased with the influx of students attending their instituti...

Gov. Maura Healey gave her first State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night. She reflected on her time in office so far and outlined her ambitious, and costly, agenda for the year to come. In the background though, the state has had to make a number of cuts to its budget because of a loss in tax income. WBUR State House Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common to recap Healey's address and...

Body, Stone and Soul is a recently-opened Black and family-owned business in Jamaica Plain, selling crystals, candles, sage and other spiritual items. Spiritual practices like crystal healing and tarot have become increasingly popular in the last few years, particularly among the Black community.  Today on The Common, WBUR Reporter Arielle Gray tells us more about Body, Stone and Soul, its mother...

In December, Roxbury residents learned the Walgreens location on Warren Street would close its doors in January. It's the fourth Boston Walgreens to close in just over a year, all of which have been in predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods. For customers in those communities, the closures mean more than just losing a pharmacy -- it may also mean decreased access to groceries, hygiene produc...

Chances are you've lived in one, and if not you've definitely seen them all over the Greater Boston area: the iconic New England triple-decker (or three-decker) building. So you might be surprised to learn that in late 2023, Somerville City Council voted to fully re-legalize the iconic housing stock that is almost ubiquitous to our local urban landscape. CommonWealth Beacon Reporter and podcast ho...

Last week, Chris Christie suspended his campaign to become the Republican nominee for president. Christie's exit comes just weeks before the influential New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23. Today, we bring you the second part of our bonus series in collaboration with the Boston Globe, talking with undecided Republican voters in New Hampshire to see what their priorities are ahead of their state's fir...