Boston Public Radio

A former hospital aide has filed a discrimination lawsuit over the n-word being scratched into an elevator at his prior place of work.

The mayoral candidate also spoke about the state of her mayoral race, saying she's anticipating a 'very exciting year' for the city of Boston.

The city counselor and Roxbury native said she believes that, with the right leadership, Boston has the resources and expertise to become an international leader on issues of racial equity.

DeMaria's defense concerned a Jan. 25 comment where he said he'd "love to be able to shut some pictures off with some people" on Zoom, in reference to Everett Councilor-at-Large Gerly Adrien.

Travel expert Rick Steves discusses why traveling may soon require passengers to show a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

A recent surge of anti-Asian violence in the San Francisco Bay area has left many badly injured.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Chuck Todd reacts to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress yesterday and other political news. Todd is the moderator of “Meet The Press” on NBC, host of “Meet The Press Daily” on MSNBC and the political director for NBC News. Then, we ask listeners whether they think the 9-5 schedule should end as the pandemic forces shifts in the future of work. Andrea Cabral weighs in on fraud charges against the Violence in Boston Founder and CEO Monica Cannon Grant and a federal investigation into former Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon. Cabral is the former Suffolk County sheriff and Massachusetts secretary of public safety. She’s currently the CEO of the cannabis company Ascend. Jared Bowen previews the newest in the arts, including the work of South African artist Zanele Muholi and photography by painter Barkley H. Hendricks at the Rose Art Museum in Waltham. Bowen is GBH’s executive arts editor and the host of Open Studio. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse discusses dark-money issues in the Supreme Court and what he expects for the confirmation hearings next week for Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Whitehouse is a Senator from Rhode Island and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Brooke Harrington explains the world of oligarchy, and the role the mega-rich play in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Brooke is a sociology professor at Dartmouth College, and an expert on oligarchs. She’s also the author of “Pop Finance and Capital Without Borders: Wealth Management and the One Percent.” We end the show by asking listeners for their takes on the Irish Goodbye.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Congressman Seth Moulton calls on the U.S. to do more to support Ukraine, short of a U.S. enforced no-fly zone, and shares other reactions to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress this morning. Moulton represents Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional district. Then, we ask listeners their thoughts on Zelensky’s speech and U.S. actions in Ukraine. Art Caplan weighs in on the ethics of the West refraining from direct involvement in Ukraine and the 988 mental health crisis helpline. Caplan is the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor and founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine in New York City. Juliette Kayyem talks about the Russian anti-war protester who waved a sign on Russian TV and UPS failing to make ferry reservations for its trucks on Nantucket. Kayyem was formerly an assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, now the faculty chair of the homeland security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Her forthcoming book is “The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.” Superintendent Brenda Cassellius updates listeners on the status of the two people shot outside TechBoston in Dorchester, calls for more measures to promote school staffing growth and retention and gives advice to those thinking of applying for her job as she leaves the role of Superintendent in June. Cassellius is the Superintendent of Boston Public Schools. Jonathan Van Ness previews their newest Netflix show “Getting Curious,” as well as their upcoming comedy performances in Boston. Van Ness is best known for their role as Expert of Grooming on Netflix’s reboot of Queer Eye. They also host the Getting Curious podcast, and is performing at the Chevalier Theatre this week as part of their comedy tour: “Imaginary Living Room Olympian” Sy Montgomery dissuades fears about the Joro Spider coming to the Northeast and talks about the creatures found on the recently discovered 1915 shipwreck of “Endurance.” Montgomery is a journalist, naturalist and a Boston Public Radio contributor. Her latest book is “The Hummingbirds’ Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings.” We end the show by asking listeners whether they’re afraid of spiders, and other fears they have.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on whether they support a no-fly zone over Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. Trenni Kusnierek discusses Naomi Osaka battling hecklers at Indian Wells last weekend and the latest on basketball player Brittney Griner detained in Russia. Kusnierek is an anchor and reporter for NBC Sports Boston. She's also a Boston Public Radio contributor. Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett answers listener calls on the threat of long COVID, the difference between natural immunity and vaccine immunity to the virus and the 988 mental health hotline. Gergen Barnett teaches in the family medicine department at Boston Medical Center and Boston University Medical School. Mayor Michelle Wu takes audience questions on her climate change agenda, the state of Boston Public Schools, the need for mental health resources and funding and more. Wu is Mayor of Boston.

The seaweed and kelp farm industry could become one of the largest sustainable maritime food industries — provided that enough people buy in. Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio on Monday to weigh in on the future of seaweed and kelp farms. “There are so many advocates for it who say you don't need any additional resources,” Kummer said. “It doesn’t cause pollution like fish farms in the open water do, from excrement from fish that are all penned up. You can farm seaweed [and] kelp.” Kummer noted that Alaska already has “a strong cultural tradition of eating” seaweed. The Alaska Sea Grant, a federal-state program that funds marine and coastal research at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, has recipes for bull kelp salsa and kelp seasoning. But it might be harder to convince the rest of the nation to make seaweed and kelp a regular part of their diet. “The question is getting people to buy it and need it,” Kummer noted. “It's going to take a lot longer for the U.S. to want to have seaweed or seaweed burgers in their Impossible Burger — which is actually not impossible. It's a good texture builder and it can be incorporated.” Corby Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We begin the show by talking to listeners about the jobs they’ve regretted quitting, following Tom Brady’s announcement that he would be returning to football. Jim Aloisi and Monica Tibbits-Nutt discuss the state of the T, as the MBTA heads towards an impending fiscal cliff. Aloisi is former transportation secretary, a member of the Transit Matters Board, and contributor to Commonwealth Magazine. Tibbits-Nutt is executive director of the 128 Business Council, and formerly served on the MBTA’s fiscal control board and the MassDOT board of directors. Corby Kummer explains how seaweed farming could be the future of sustainable farming – if regulatory hurdles decrease. He also talks about the legacy of meat in America. Kummer is executive director of the Food and Society policy program at the Aspen Institute, a senior editor at The Atlantic and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Brian O’Donovan and Keith Murphy preview the St. Patrick's Day Celtic Sojourn series of shows, which runs from March 16-20. O’Donovan hosts A Celtic Sojourn on GBH, and Keith Murphy is music director for the St. Patricks Day program. Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III discuss the disproportionate impact of two years of the pandemic on families of color in Mass. Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Price is founding pastor of Community of Love Christian Fellowship in Allston, the Inaugural Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music. Together they host the “All Rev’d Up” podcast. Sen. Ed Markey shares his thoughts on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and his push to make Daylight Saving Time last year-round. We end the show by asking listeners for their thoughts on making Daylight Saving Time permanent.