Boston Public Radio

Former State Senator Ben Downing criticized Democrats and Republicans alike and called for a more thorough investigation into the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home.

Revs. Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III weighed in on the emergence of the Boston-based parent action group Parents United.

Cabral agrees with cynics but also speaks to challenge of sustaining prison reforms across governors’ tenures.

"Families have been asked to wait too many times by Beacon Hill," she said on Greater Boston.

The group has ties to organizations that date back to the early 1900s.

Peterson also spoke to the critical need for funding to support small and local arts spaces.

Today on Boston Public Radio: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joined for Ask the Mayor, discussing her new rent control proposal and taking listener calls. NBC Sports Boston anchor and reporter Trenni Casey discussed the Super Bowl. Boston Globe advice columnist Meredith Goldstein discussed Valentine's Day and her Love Letters columns and podcast. Attorney General for Massachusetts Andrea Campbell joined for Ask the AG, discussing a new abortion legal hotline which can be reached by calling or texting (833) 309-6301, and taking listener calls.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started the show with listener reactions to the U.S. military shooting down multiple unidentified objects in North American airspace. Michael Curry discussed a new study that finds childbirth is deadlier for Black families even when they’re wealthy; and a 15-year-old in Massachusetts staying in a hospital for 40 days because DCF couldn’t place him. Curry is President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. He’s also a Member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, where he chairs the board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee. Charlie Sennott discussed the string of unidentified objects shot down in US airspace; and the latest with the earthquake on the border of Turkey and Syria. Sennott is the founder and editor-in-chief of The GroundTruth Project. Retired judge Nancy Gertner discusses the Supreme Court weighing an ethics code; and former vice president Mike Pence getting subpoenaed related to the events on January 6, 2021. Gertner is a retired federal judge and a senior lecturer at Harvard Law School. Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett Price discussed the Super Bowl, which made history for both quarterbacks being Black. Reverend Irene Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail. Emmett G. Price III 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. We closed the show with listener comments on whether restaurants should ban children, as one New Jersey establishment has just done.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We asked our listeners their thoughts on everything related to the upcoming Super Bowl, from the first legal bets on the big game in Massachusetts to the price of Super Bowl snacks and beyond. Cara Solomon, founder of the nonprofit Everyday Boston, and Ronnie Elliot, the Transformational Prison Project’s Youthful Offender Coordinator, discussed their fifth annual “Love Your Wicked Awesome Neighbor Challenge,” a chance for Bostonians to connect with those in their community via supportive homemade cards. Under the Radar and Basic Black host Callie Crossley joined the team to talk about Mayor Wu’s Reparations Task Force, and how the city can take inspiration from existing reparations and racial justice programs both here in the Commonwealth—such as that at Harvard—and across the country. Sue O’Connell broke down major headlines ranging from President Biden’s State of the Union address from this past Tuesday to allegations that abuses against LGBTQ+ users have increased since Elon Musk took over the company to Netflix cracking down on password sharing. O’Connell is the co-publisher of Bay Windows and South End News, as well as a reporter for NBC LX and NECN. Boston-based band Mile Twelve discussed and performed tracks from their newest album, “Close Enough to Here,” as part of Live Music Friday. For our final listener call-in segment, we asked our listeners to weigh in on how they’re reacting to and coping with the unseasonably warm winter weather. We ended the show by hearing from Winter Walk executive director Ari Barbanell about this weekend’s event.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We started the show by opening the lines to hear our listeners’ reaction to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. Then Art Caplan discussed the shortage of primary care physicians in Massachusetts. He also talked about Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont’s plan to try to wipe the medical debt of state residents and a proposal in Florida that would require high school athletes to submit menstrual records to schools to prove their sex. Art 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. Then National Security Expert Juliette Kayyem came on to discuss the criminal charges filed against Lindsay Clancy, a Duxbury woman accused of strangling her three children to death. Her lawyer argues she is not guilty because of temporary insanity caused by post-partum psychosis. She also commented on President Biden’s State of the Union Address and how Biden handled the Chinese spy balloon that hovered over the U.S. last week. Juliette Kayyem is the former assistant secretary for homeland security under President Barack Obama, and the faculty chair of the homeland-security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. GBH News Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen discussed “Made in China 2.0” through ArtsEmerson, the El Pasado Mío/Cooper Gallery at Harvard’s Hutchins Center, Re/Framing the View at New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.” Michael Curry of the Mass League of Community Health Centers discussed the police reform elements of President Biden's State of the Union speech. He also talked about Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's reparations task force and the resistance the body faces from the public. Then we ended the show by asking our listeners what their favorite unhealthy food is after we read that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi eats a hotdog every day for lunch.

Today on Boston Public Radio: We opened phone and text lines to ask listeners about their relationship with work commutes, and if they enjoy getting a moment’s rest before and after the workday. Trenni Casey discussed a new study finding evidence of CTE in 92 percent of NFL players, and a story about a Connecticut Whole Foods worker who holds the title of most Mount Everest ascents by a woman. Carol Rose spoke on Massachusetts debuting an abortion resource hotline, as well as a pending lawsuit out of Texas that would ban abortion pills nationwide. Lee Pelton discussed scrutiny of Memphis police in the aftermath of Trye Nichols’ death, and why he’s not concerned with public criticism of the Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King memorial on Boston Common. Corby Kummer reflected on the passing of Bob Born, credited with bringing marshmallow Peeps to the masses. John King gave his two cents on rumors that Labor Secretary and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will become Executive Director of the NHL Players’ Association. He also spoke on President Biden’s coming State of the Union Address. We closed the show by re-opening phone and text lines to discuss listener gripes with America’s transition away from cash.