Local

Change to Medford trash pickup draws widespread backlash, national attention

By Julian Glickman | December 5

The announcement of a plan to move Medford’s trash pickup from weekly to every other week has sparked strong pushback from residents and officials, many of whom are demanding greater transparency from Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn.

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University

Tufts students’ civic engagement decreased as young voters played a decisive role in 2025 elections

By Katherine Kelton | December 4

JumboVote and Tufts’ Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement recently reported on trends in participation in this year’s elections, both here in Medford and Somerville, as well as around the country in state and local elections. With Tufts students, participation greatly varies by year. Last year, JumboVote had an influx of attention due to the presidential election, but engagement this year was lower, according to junior Teagan Mustone, co-president of JumboVote.

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University

Chemistry department chair Yu-Shan Lin to become an academic dean for the School of Arts and Sciences

By Neveah Joseph and June Myint | December 4

Professor Yu-Shan Lin, former chair of the Department of Chemistry, will become an academic dean for the School of Arts and Sciences in January 2026 following the departure of Dean Sam Thomas, who will assume a new role at the University of Rochester.

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News

TCU to host town hall on tuition transparency

By Hannah Rajalingam | December 3

The Tufts Community Union Senate will host a town hall early next semester to explain how tuition and fees are spent across the university as the overall cost of attendance continues to rise. TCU Senate President Dhruv Sampat, a senior, argued that annual tuition hikes have made Tufts one of the most expensive schools in the country. For the 2025–26 academic year, the sticker price rose to $96,078, nearly $4,000 higher than the year prior.

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University

Tufts Political Science professors publish new book on American political participation

By Alex Boyle and Dariush Raissi | December 3

Tufts’ current and former political science professors Jeffrey M. Berry, James M. Glaser and Deborah J. Schildkraut published their new book, “Everyday Democracy: Liberals, Conservatives, and Their Routine Political Lives,” on Tuesday. 

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Local

Somerville faces SNAP delays as households and local food providers brace for more instability

By Alexandra Tse | December 2

Many in Somerville found themselves among the roughly 1.1 million Massachusetts residents who were left in limbo when a federal government shutdown delayed the distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. The federal program provides monthly assistance to low-income individuals and families to help them purchase groceries. 

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Local

Somerville celebrates the unveiling of public art installation ‘Letters Rewoven’

By Amaani Jetley | December 2

Somerville celebrated the unveiling of “Letters Rewoven” on Nov. 8, a new public artwork by local artist Anna Fubini at Lou Ann David Park. The piece was created through the combined efforts of community members, who wrote messages on scraps of paper that were turned into a pulp mixed with wildflower seeds. The mixture was then plastered onto the sculpture’s panels and will eventually grow into flowers. The installation was supported by the Somerville Arts Council and will remain on display until spring 2026.

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News

Three Tufts-owned storefronts sit empty, community pushes for local tenants

By Emily O'Hearn | November 25

Within the next few years, Tufts is poised to own three retail spaces along the 700-yard stretch of Boston Avenue between College Avenue and Winthrop Street. Two existing properties — the recently vacated Starbucks location in the Joyce Cummings Center and a property by the intersection of Winthrop Street and Boston Avenue — are currently empty. The third upcoming retail space will be located on the ground floor of the new Boston Avenue dorm.

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Local

Medford to launch the second round of Project: Pop-Up Medford

By Sophie Herron | November 24

The second round of Project: Pop-Up Medford will transform 348 Boston Ave. into a shared retail space for three small businesses from November 2025 to January 2026. The project — a collaboration between the City of Medford, Tufts University and retail incubator consulting firm UpNext — provides microenterprises with the opportunity to promote their work, try new business models and learn how to operate a retail storefront.

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University

Office of Public Safety issues advisory against Somerville massage therapist due to inappropriate conduct by owner

By Julian Glickman | November 21

The Tufts Office of Public Safety has advised members of the Tufts community to avoid Soarbody Therapeutics, a sports massage therapy business in Somerville, due to inappropriate behavior by its owner, Sam Peck.

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University

Students, faculty raise issue with lack of professional cleaning services in on-campus houses

By Zach Halverstam and Josh Litvak | November 21

The Office of Residential Life & Learning ended its use of professional cleaning services in on-campus apartments and woodframe houses over the summer, requiring students and theme house managers to clean the residences themselves. The change, which was announced to students living in these houses in an August email, has led some students and faculty advisors to raise concerns about the burden on residents.

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University

Tufts to create Women’s Health and Menopause Initiative following $4 million donation

By Julian Glickman | November 21

Chair of the Tufts Board of Trustees Jeffrey Moslow (A’86) and his wife, Linda Moslow, made a $4 million donation to establish a Women’s Health and Menopause Initiative at the university, aiming to promote a more holistic approach to medical care for women and advance the under researched field.

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Local

Tensions grow between Medford City Council, Mayor as Salem Street zoning vote again postponed

By Jones Millstone-Rivo | November 21

The Medford City Council again postponed a final decision on a proposed amendment to the city’s rezoning plan regarding the intersection of Salem and Park Streets in its Tuesday meeting. The amendment, supported by Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, would reclassify the area as lower-density MX-1 rather than the current MX-2 designation.

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Local

Kamala Harris visits Medford on ‘107 Days’ book tour

By Julian Glickman | November 20

Former Vice President Kamala Harris held a talk in Medford’s Chevalier Theatre on Saturday as part of her “107 Days” book tour. 

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University

TEDxTufts introduces new ‘Spotlight’ format for fall event with community health department

By Amelia Sammons and Arinze Ezem-Osakwe | November 20

TEDxTufts, in collaboration with the Tufts Department of Community Health, hosted its first-ever Spotlight event on Sunday. The new format, which TEDxTufts hopes to make annual, featured brief lectures by 10 students followed by a panel discussion with three community health experts.

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Local

Report highlights systemic gaps in Somerville special education

By Carly Cohen | November 20

The Somerville Special Education Parent Advisory Council released a report in September outlining significant concerns within Somerville Public Schools’ special education programming.

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Local

Somerville City Council passes resolution supporting statewide investment in public colleges, universities

By Estelle Anderson and Niki Wang | November 20

The Somerville City Council unanimously passed a resolution on Oct. 23 in support of the DRIVE Act, a statewide initiative that would allocate $200 million in funding for public colleges and universities throughout Massachusetts. 

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