Boston Public Radio

A music festival on City Hall Plaza celebrates the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Slow zones have been a big complaint among riders.

Harvard Alpaca Ranch boasts certified therapy alpacas like Sir Erik, who brings calm and smiles to nursing homes, libraries and even radio studios.

The state auditor is starting a ballot initiative to let voters decide whether the office has the power to audit the Legislature.

Actors are left without work opportunities, as they demand better pay and AI regulation.

The Massachusetts senator supports expanding the number of justices.

Juliette Kayyem debriefed the attack in New Orleans that killed 15, and the Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.Margaret McKenna reflected on her time working under President Jimmy Carter as a White House deputy counsel in the 70’sWe replayed Jim & Margery’s 2014 interview with Jimmy Carter about his book “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power.”Andrea Cabral on the downward trend for violent crime in BostonCorby Kummer talked about the craft beer breweries celebrating Pres. Carter’s legacy

Today: Boston Globe Love Letters columnist Meredith Goldstein discusses the region's newest romance-specific brick-and-mortar bookstore, Lovestruck Books, in Harvard Square.And, the team from the Urban Nutcracker joins Jim and Margery at the BPL for Live Music Friday.

BPR Full Show 12/20: The 2024 Finale

We start the show by asking people how they maintain a "no crap for Christmas" policy.Ashish Jha was Biden’s COVID-19 response coordinator, now he’s the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health. He joins to talk about RFK Jr. at the helm of HHS and whether the U.S. is ready for another pandemic.Former secretary of public safety Andrea Cabral reacts to a Georgie appeals court disqualifying Fani Willis, GOP officials targeting Liz Cheney for prosecution in 2025 and the third guilty plea in the Cambridge/Watertown brothel case.Former secretary of education Paul Reville discusses how Linda McMahon will impact the Department of Education, skill gaps at Massachusetts community colleges, a lawsuit alleging price-fixing at major universities, and pushback to Newton’s multilevel teaching model. Vulture podcast critic Nick Quah talks about this year's best shows. Then it's "Am I the A-Hole" day. At issue is an early Christmas dinner time.

Today:Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University school of public health, and former COVID-19 coordinator under President Biden joins Jim and Margery in Studio 3 -- He reflects on mistakes made around school closures and vaccine mandates.And, our final Am I The A-Hole segment of the year: Is one family member the jerk for wanting to hold the big Christmas meal later in the afternoon than 1:00 p.m., so he can enjoy time with his own young children and family before meeting up with the big group?