Former Brookline firefighter whose legal battle put a spotlight on racial discrimination has died
Gerald Alston, a onetime Brookline firefighter whose yearslong legal battle against the town pulled back the curtain on racial discrimination, has died at age 57. Four years ago, Brookline reached a landmark $11 million settlement with Alston, who was fired after he complained of racial bias in the workplace and reported a supervisor who left a racial slur on his voicemail.
Child Gun Injury Risk Spikes When Children Leave School for the Day
In the United States, child firearm violence prevention focuses largely on school shootings, even though the majority of child gun injuries occur outside of schools. A new study led by School of Public Health researchers provides additional insight into this gun violence threat, showing that children’s risk of being shot rises as soon as the school day ends.
‘We need better communication’: MISI summit tackles climate communication crisis, marks center’s opening
The Center for Media Innovation and Social Impact launched Friday with a conference titled “Communicating Climate,” which aimed to explore efficient methods of conveying messages regarding climate change to a modern audience. Scientists, journalists, artists and activists across Boston gathered at the BU Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences building to discuss topics ranging from local policy and sociology of behavior to the importance of storytelling amid growing skepticism of the media.
43 cancellations reported at Logan Airport on Friday
Friday marked day one of the Federal Aviation Administration’s cuts to air traffic across the country. At Logan Airport, flight screens displayed mostly “on time” departures with a few planes marked in red. Security checkpoint lines did not appear unusually long. Cold comfort, however, for those unlucky passengers booked on the 3 percent of outgoing cancelled flights as of 5 p.m., according to the website FlightAware, which tracks aviation.
After Tuesday, St Paul will shift its city elections to even years. Turnout isn’t the only reason why.
A 2024 ballot question approved by St. Paul voters will shift future municipal elections from odd years to even years, in order to match the cycle of federal elections. That means the next mayor will serve a three-year term and that future mayoral elections will coincide with presidential elections, which tend to garner to to three times the turnout as recent St. Paul city elections.
Many Questions Remain After Judges Order USDA to Fund SNAP During Shutdown
At the eleventh hour on Friday, October 31, two New England federal judges ruled that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use billions of dollars in emergency funds to partially cover Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for 42 million Americans living in every county in the nation.
Santa Fe aims to bring building into digital age with land use office modernization
Thick rolls of paper development plans still circulate in the Santa Fe Planning and Land Use Department, even after many other cities have shifted to the convenience and speed of digital software.
Santa Fe, home to Southwest mountain charm but also stringent aesthetic standards in some corridors and neighbors averse to change, isn’t always an easy place to build housing.
Critics say Boston’s inclusionary zoning hurts construction — does it?
One important piece of addressing the former is inclusionary zoning, which requires new, multifamily housing projects to set aside some of their new homes as affordable housing restricted to residents with low incomes.
But this year, inclusionary zoning has drawn unusual attention, even becoming a hot topic during the Boston mayoral campaign. That’s because one year ago, in October 2024, Boston increased the required percentage of units, decreased the maximum income level, and reduced the minimum number of units in a project that would trigger the rules.
A tiny device is identifying invisible health hazards in Boston schools
The district has deployed a first-of-its-kind network of indoor air pollution sensors that guide efforts to improve air quality — a move that research suggests could boost grades and cut down on sick days. The pandemic put a spotlight on indoor air quality and its role in preventing the spread of viruses. Schools across the country upgraded their HVAC systems, propped open windows, and installed air filters to reduce transmission.
Yves Atchadé and Emily Ryan Named Duan Family Faculty Fellows in CDS
Boston University’s Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) is proud to announce Aguêmon Yves Atchadé and Emily Ryan as 2025 Duan Family Faculty Fellows, recognizing their leadership in applying computing and data science to global challenges in sustainability, energy, and statistical modeling.