Local

The Boston Pops bring cheer to the holiday season

By Ethan M. Steinberg | December 12

Symphony Hall was buzzing on Dec. 9 as the Boston Pops took the stage for the eighth time in as many days, in a tradition that now dates back nearly half a century. The Boston Symphony Orchestra offshoot, performing in a string of holiday concerts now through Christmas Eve, showed no signs of fatigue in their first of two concerts on Friday, as they played through the two hour show with gusto and holiday glee.

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Local

Residents will decide how Somerville spends $1 million of its budget next year

By Chloe Courtney Bohl | December 8

For the first time in the city’s history, Somerville will let its residents decide how to spend a portion of the city budget next year. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne has set aside $1 million of the city’s $293-million fiscal year 2023 budget for participatory budgeting, a method designed to fund small-scale community improvement projects while engaging locals — particularly those from historically marginalized communities — in the political process. 

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Local

Gov. Baker vetoes funds for education campaign about crisis pregnancy centers, disappoints reproductive rights advocates 

By Estelle Anderson | December 8

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed funds for a public education campaign aimed at crisis pregnancy centers, or anti-abortion clinics that pose as authentic medical centers in order to deceive pregnant people into taking their advice, on Nov. 11. The funding had been part of a significant economic development bill passed unanimously by the state House of Representatives and the Senate on Nov. 3, much of which was devoted to supporting access to reproductive care.

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Local

Half a century since the lawsuit that shook the city: Reexamining Boston school desegregation

By Sam Berman and David Van Riper | December 8

“Boston made me feel that I didn’t have a chance, and that’s what racism does to you,” Beverly Crockett-Taylor said as a Black woman who grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood in Boston amid the tumultuous events preceding and during the desegregation of the Boston public school system that began in 1974.

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Viewpoint

Royals celebrate climate progress in Boston, but Earthshot is still out of reach

By Maxwell Shoustal | December 8

Boston was recently honored with a royal visit from Prince William and Princess Catherine for the purpose of announcing the winners of their Earthshot Prize Awards, which go to individuals across the globe who are working on solutions to repair the planet by 2030. The awards were presented in partnership with the Boston-based John. F Kennedy Foundation, which is how the city was chosen as the host of this year’s awards. The concept of “Earthshot” is reminiscent Kennedy’s “Moonshot,” the commitment he made during a speech at Rice University in 1962 to put a man on the moon. Earthshot emphasizes the urgent need for global climate action. 

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Local

The importance of art education in the Greater Boston area: Artisans Asylum

By Jack Clohisy | December 8

Art education: a topic of contention in the American education system. Why is it that art education fell by the wayside when it came to institutional priorities in school programs nationwide? An emphasis on STEM? An emphasis on 'conventional' careers? The cuts to funding for art programs across the country is why some organizations and companies are pioneering new paths to provide an education to students that encompasses a broader scope of disciplines outside of the conventional academic setting. In relation to Tufts, there are many local groups who are committed to fostering a meaningful art education to anyone of any age interested.

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Local

Jumbo Giving Tree highlights Tufts Athletics’ civic outreach initiatives

By Arielle Weinstein | December 8

A large part of being a student at Tufts is making the effort to engage with the surrounding community. The Tufts student-athlete mission statement embodies these values and the athletics department instills them through community outreach. The statement reads: “Jumbo athletes strive for excellence on and off the field. They experience the joy and personal growth inherent in high-level competition while cultivating lifelong connections with teammates, the Tufts community and the world around us.” 

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Local

Boston highways: A bridge or a divide?

By Jillian Collins | December 8

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the interstate highway system into existence — forever changing the country’s built environment and social infrastructure. Wealthy white families could now live in suburbs and commute to cities. While highways bridged suburbs and cities, they built straight through urban communities of color.

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Local

Keeping up with the 617: Spend, spend, spend

By Matt Goguen | December 8

In an offseason that began with a frustrated fanbase due to a lack of spending from ownership, Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox have officially begun their addition phase. With the poor performance of the team in the 2022 season, fans are pleading to this ownership to spend the exorbitant amounts of money from John Henry’s bank account on valuable players that can vault the Red Sox back into postseason contention. Although naysayers believe this is easier said than done, the organization has been proving this fanbase wrong these past few weeks.

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Local

Life In STEM: Kyrielle Lord on environmental science and social justice

By Ian Lau | December 8

The Daily sat down with environmental engineering major Kyrielle Lord, a junior, for a conversation about environmental activism and Lord’s Tisch Summer Fellowship with the Mystic River Watershed Association.

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Local

Somerville named a leading global city for climate action

By Daniel Vos | December 7

Somerville has made the 2022 Carbon Disclosure Project’s cities A-List, an award for leadership on environmental action and transparency. Only 12% of the 1,002 cities evaluated worldwide received this designation based on commitment to long-term climate action plans, fossil fuel emission reduction targets and local climate risk assessments. 

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Local

Tufts and local community members react to impending Davis Square renovation project

By Maya Katz | December 7

Due to its close proximity to campus, Davis Square has been a place for many Tufts students to spend time and enjoy a variety of local businesses in the area. But according to recent local news reports, Scape Development plans to construct a four-story lab building that would displace beloved businesses including When Pigs Fly bakery, McKinnon’s Meat Market, Sligo Pub, Kung Fu Tea, Martsa on Elm Tibetan Cuisine and Dragon Pizza. On Sept. 22, the City of Somerville’s Planning Board officially approved the renovation plan. 

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University

Tufts Medical Center relaunches liver transplant program after 15 years

By Ariana Phillips | December 6

Tufts Medical Center will relaunch its liver transplant program in 2023 through its newly established Abdominal Transplant Institute. The institute, which will be led by clinical co-directors Dr. Fred Gordon and Dr. Martin Hertl, aims to build an effective and patient-focused liver transplant program. 

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Local

A conversation on reproductive justice and sexual education with Saniya Ghanoui, program director of Our Bodies Ourselves Today

By Grace Nelson | December 5

Sex. For many college students, the subject is unavoidable, and yet there still remains a sense of stigma shrouding the topic. Finding answers to our sexual health questions can be a daunting task with differing advice and misinformation littered across the internet.

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Local

Tales from the T: These are a few of my favorite things

By Kevin Zhang | December 5

Another semester of sleep deprivation, missed deadlines and existential dread about the future later, I am yet again writing my last column. So for this column, I’ll talk about my favorite station on the T. Today, we’re talking about … Ruggles?

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Local

Tales from the T: Amtrak doesn’t have to suck

By Kevin Zhang | December 2

In today’s column I’m going to stretch the limits of what can be considered Boston transit by talking about intercity trains. That’s right. Today we’re talking about the national passenger rail operator, Amtrak. 

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Multimedia

Video: Tufts students share perspectives on Green Line Extension

By Sam Dieringer , Lily St. Amant and Daniel Cui | November 30

On Nov. 17, MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announced that the Medford branch of the Green Line Extension is officially scheduled to open on Monday, Dec. 12, following a series of previous delays.

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