Boston Public Radio

The state's education commissioner announced that schools will use remote learning on days traditionally reserved for snowball fights and hot chocolate.

'The fundamental aspect of what we do is bring people together for this communal experience,' he said.

The systems that protect police are coming under increased scrutiny as activists call for broad reform.

Governor Charlier Baker announced the state is looking to reopen schools for in-person learning this fall.

Top public health officials refuted claims made by the president during a political rally that the country would slow down testing in response to an increase in cases.

The CNN correspondent said Democrats will be taking a risk in shutting the GOP bill down outright, in a vote scheduled for Wednesday.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Boston Globe columnist Shirley Leung discussed Gov. Baker’s reopening plan, and how businesses and health experts are responding to the news. NBC Sports Boston reporter Trenni Kusnierek discussed the slow return of recreational sports to Massachusetts, and the slim likelihood that the Boston Marathon will take place in September. We opened our lines to talk with listeners about eating and shopping out in the open, and whether steps like these would make you feel better about the state reopening its economy. Filmmaker Sasha Joelle Achilli talked about her new FRONTLINE documentary, "Inside Italy’s COVID War.” CNN’s John King went over the latest political news out of D.C., from the debate in Congress over aid spending, to the recent firing of the State Department's inspector general.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We aired live audio of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Monday press conference, where he unveiled his administration’s plan for reopening Massachusetts. We opened our lines to hear your thoughts on the governor’s reopening strategy. Boston Medical Center’s Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett discussed health concerns around COVID-19, and took questions from callers.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened lines to talk with listeners about reopening the streets of Boston to pedestrians, and the upsides of having fewer cars on the road. Tech writer Andy Ihnatko discussed the damaging impact anti-vax conspiracies could have on an eventual coronavirus vaccine, and the memorials people are creating in the video game Animal Crossing. Beat the Press host Emily Rooney discussed concerns over coronavirus misinformation, and read her weekly list of fixations and fulminations. Media maven Sue O’Connell talked about gun-toting, anti-lockdown protesters, and gave her take on teenagers ordering alcohol in quarantine. Basic Black host Callie Crossley discussed the latest news on the death of Amaud Arbery, and the Texas salon owner who garnered media attention for defying lockdown orders while quietly accepting $18,000 in PPP loans. We reopened our lines to talk with listeners about cooking in quarantine.

Food writer Corby Kummer joined Boston Public Radio *on Thursday to speak about his new set of guidelines to help restaurants reopen. Kummer has noticed many different restaurant safety guidelines regarding COVID-19. "I saw those, and thought maybe it would be good if there was one streamlined set of guidelines, and through my Aspen Institute program, I was able to line up funding." Through the Aspen Institute, Kummer has released a set of guidelines this week called "Safety First: Serving Food and Protecting People During Covid-19." "They're focused entirely on worker safety in back of the house and everything in these guidelines is to keep workers safe during COVID-19," he said. "The most important thing is figuring out who is sick, keeping them out of work, and of course having flexible sick time." *Kummer is a *senior editor at The Atlantic*, an award-winning food writer, and a senior lecturer at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition and Policy.

Today on Boston Public Radio: NBC “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd talked about the influence of conspiracy theories and misinformation on the upcoming election, and his thoughts on whether House Republicans are going back Nancy Pelosi’s new coronavirus relief package. Former Suffolk County Sheriff and Secretary of Public Safety Andrea Cabral discussed the latest news around former national security advisor Michael Flynn’s perjury charges, and whether former Trump Campaign manager Paul Manafort deserved to be released from prison over fears he might contract COVID-19. We opened our lines to ask listeners if you’re ready to see local businesses begin to reopen. We aired live audio from Gov. Charlie Baker’s Thursday press conference. We continued the conversation about reopening Massachusetts with listeners. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called in to talk about his plans for how and when to reopen his city. Food writer Corby Kummer broke down his guidelines for reopening restaurants.