Civic parley examines mounting mental health challenges
Members in a day-long summit at Northeastern University (NU) last week took a deep dive into the challenges facing Bostonians confronting mental health issues while also juggling the many stressors of city life. The event, convened by the Boston Public Health Commission and NU’s Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, included candid discussions about the connections between “social determinants” like poverty, housing stress, and systemic racism.
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.
At Health Commission summit, housing, economic stability are key to addressing mental health
When the Boston Public Health Commission hosted its mental health summit at Northeastern University on Oct. 21, the event drew mental health researchers and clinicians. It also brought together housing officials, economic development advocates and community members focused on decreasing inequity across the board.
Communicating Climate Is the Focus of Inaugural Boston University Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact Summit
Boston University’s College of Communication opened its Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact (MISI) in spring 2025 with a bold mission: to rebuild trust in science, democracy, and community. “This center was born out of ambitions to help society unlock its potential through amazing communication,” says COM Dean Mariette DiChristina (COM’86).
Street vendors are struggling with rising temperatures
When a person is exposed to extreme heat, their body increases blood flow to the skin as it desperately tries to cool down. This attempt to cool creates more strain on internal organs and, if exposure is prolonged, serious organ failure is a possible outcome.
“The effects are particularly severe on the brain, although organs such as the heart and kidneys are where we have recorded chronic failures,” says Jonathan Lee, a researcher in environmental health who works on heat at Boston University in the United States.
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.
BU faculty uncover what is little known about the production and destruction of solar technology
Dunlap, a Boston University postdoctoral research scientist, and Sovacool, a BU earth and environment professor, titled their project “Transformational Energy Justice Across the Supply Chain,” which aimed to explore the hidden impacts of the solar energy industry, Sovacool said.