Under the Radar with Callie Crossley

Herbs, supplements, yoga, and massage therapy are some of the ways people use home remedies to improve their health instead of the typical doctor’s prescription. But these holistic health practices have become a popular alternative medicine industry with professionals that promote preventative medicine. These practices are not new and have been around, in some form, for hundreds of years. "I think...

A new report finds Massachusetts storms have grown in frequency and severity since the early 1900s. The number of intense, two-day storms has increased by 74% — and that means many homes are becoming more vulnerable to flooding. "The first thing that comes to my mind is the health implication of this," said Dr. Gaurab Basu, co-director of the Center for Health Equity Education and Advocacy at Camb...

1994 was a notable year in American sports. The New York Rangers took home the Stanley Cup, Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan was violently attacked on the ice (the culprit later identified as an associate of competing skater Tonya Harding), and Major League Baseball’s World Series was canceled. But over with the minor league team, the Asheville Tourists in North Carolina, a young Ryan McGee was livin...

The national COVID-19 public health emergency is coming to an end on May 11, and it’s taking with it access to free COVID tests and vaccines. The emergency has been in place since January 2020 and has been renewed several times over the last three years. Its end is not only symbolic; it also might mean a drastically different level of care for COVID patients within hospitals. "I wouldn't say we ar...

While April may be the cruelest month , it’s an exciting time for poetry. From Jamaica Plain to Cambridge, the Boston area is flush with open mics and poetry slams — and over the last few years, it seems like poetry has been winning the hearts and minds of young and old alike. A study found the amount of young people reading poetry almost doubled from 2012-2017, traffic to sites such as Poets.org...

Language is perhaps our most powerful tool. It has been improved, imposed and modified widely over time. From James Baldwin, to the first settlers in the Plymouth Colony, to beat poets, to hip-hop artists, American English in all its forms has become a global, and imperial language. "Words are never static, they go through changes, and in fact, change is the essential element for any language to t...

As a young girl, Brookline musician Grace Kelly dreamed of being Hollywood actress turned princess of the same name, Grace Kelly . The saxophonist told Under the Radar how movies have long inspired her musically: "Movies have always taken me into this other reality, and I think music is similar in that when you see amazing musicians on stage, working together, creating this amazing moment that giv...

417 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in several state legislatures this year alone, according to data published by the ACLU . That is a record amount, and more than twice the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced last year. And private companies have become entangled in culture wars, including Bud Light as a transgender TikTok influencer and activist was featured in a social media ad promoting t...

When Massachusetts legalized marijuana back in 2016, the new law included a mandate enforcing the industry to offer opportunities to communities disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and consistent over-policing for cannabis. In doing this, Massachusetts became the first state to write social equity for the marijuana industry into law. The state also created the Cannabis Control Commissi...

Ten years ago, tragedy struck Boston. On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and wounding more than 200. It will forever be remembered as a dark day for the city. But the day will also be remembered for the heroic actions that saved victims. "As Captain Bob 'Sarge' Haley said, 'Everybody ran the right way that day.' Meaning everybody ran to...

Boston has often been ranked as having a notoriously poor nightlife. Most clubs have a two a.m. curfew and the trains stop running just after midnight. It's even hard to find a bar that closes after one a.m. despite the city being known as a bar-town. Boston was ranked as the thirteenth best city to travel to by several travel blogs and review websites. That's not a terrible rating, but we are now...

Jazz, one of America’s great art forms, has a decorated history in Boston. Charlie Parker performed here in the early '50s. Clubs from the Hi-Hat to Savoy Café lined the streets. And Miles Davis resuscitated his career here in 1981, playing a string of sold-out shows. Sue Auclair helped coordinate Davis' return. She described the moment she broke the news to Eric Jackson, who spearheaded decades o...

The legacy of the Vietnam War is on their faces. The children of the American GI’s stationed in Vietnam during the war and the local women who bore them – left behind and overwhelmingly rejected. Author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai braids together the stories of a young mother hoping for a life in America, an adult son searching for the father he never knew, and an American Vietnam war veteran looking for...

50 years ago, direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war officially ended as the last remaining combat troops and prisoners of war (POWs) returned to American soil. It was a complex moment for the country as the war was deeply unpopular and ended in defeat. More than 58,000 Americans died in the war, and three million Vietnamese . Fredrik Logevall told Under the Radar that Americans were ready for...

Necco, aka the New England Confectionery Company, was the oldest candy company in the United States at the time of its closure in 2018. Based here in Revere, Massachusetts, the company played a historic role in the world of American candy. Necco manufactured national favorites like Clark Bars, Candy Buttons, Sky Bars and Sweethearts. But their bestseller was without a doubt the Necco wafers, datin...

In a surprise announcement, U.S. Rep. David Cicilline said he is stepping away from politics. Cicilline has represented Rhode Island in Congress for over a decade. During his time in office, he took on Big Tech and served as the House impeachment manager for former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial. He is also openly gay and an advocate for LGBTQ rights . So with all that apparent...

Michelle Miller makes her living telling other people’s stories. But now author Michelle Miller has written her own story, a poignant and captivating heartbreaking chronicle of her quest to find and connect with her mother. “ Belonging: A Daughter’s Search for Identity Through Loss and Love ” is her first book and our March selection for “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.” GUEST Michelle...

For better or worse, the 2024 presidential election season has begun. Candidates from former President Trump to former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley are already making their case in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire. And while long-standing tradition has held the Granite State as the first presidential election primary in the nation, Democrats are pushing to get South Carolina in that...

Almost a year after actor Will Smith jumped onto the stage of the Academy Awards to slap Chris Rock, Rock exacts revenge with a new comedy special . And in the notoriously competitive movie industry, the independent film studio A24 has skyrocketed to success with a multibillion-dollar valuation — and 18 Oscar nominations this year. Plus, did the movement “ #OscarsSoWhite ” lead to this year’s reco...

It's been five years since "Crazy Rich Asians" featuring an all-Asian cast broke global box office records. Its debut kicked off the so-called "Asian August" in 2018, with the release of films like Netflix’s "To All the Boys I've Loved Before" highlighting the work of Asian American and Asian artists, and with that a promise of more opportunities. Now, the movie "Everything, Everywhere, All At Onc...

Even before the pandemic ravaged the country, some Americans struggled to keep their families fed. But a boost from pandemic emergency funding helped make access to food possible for many. Now, as those additional benefits have ended , demand at food banks is expected to balloon. And as some people go to food banks for the first time, the need for culturally diverse foods, ingredients and recipes...

Remember how we used to complain — there’s nothing to watch on TV? Nowadays, there might be too much to watch. From Abbott Elementary to The Last of Us , new shows seem to be cropping up by the day as streaming services boast tens of millions of subscribers. But with the rise of streaming services comes the fall of cable — a recent report reveals fewer than half of American adults now have a cable...

This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossle y: Superman, Wonder Woman, Black Panther — that's probably what most of us picture when we think about comic books. But a local cartoonist argues that comics are much more than just superheroes or Sunday paper comic strips. In his exhibit, “ Comics Is A Medium, Not A Genre ,” Joel Christian Gill includes almost 200 works, ranging from Charles M. Sch...

From the 18th century philosopher, Thomas Paine, to 2020 Presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, the concept of guaranteed income — providing people in need with cash to meet basic needs, essentially — has been floating around for centuries. Critics say no strings attached cash payments are not a long-term solution to uplift the economically fragile. But advocates point to successful pilot programs,...

This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: You may have already sampled sake, perhaps the best-known Japanese alcoholic beverage. But the popularity of Japanese whisky may soon rival Japan's most familiar drink. And, many James Beard Award nominees are restaurants and chefs in Massachusetts featuring Asian cuisine. Plus, from Back Bay to Watertown, local Black-owned restaurants are drawing...