It’s a new era for lifestyle pioneer W Hotels

It’s a maximalist and multilayered aesthetic, and a far cry from what the hotel looked like when it opened in 2000. The 256-room hotel’s transformation is the result of a $100 million, four-year renovation following Marriott International’s purchase of the property in 2019. It’s also reflective of the lifestyle brand’s efforts to re-establish its relevance as part of an ongoing, multiyear brand refresh.

Reducing homelessness in the US: A solutions-focused, research-based explainer

In any municipality trying to serve and shelter homeless people in the U.S., journalists are likely to find a patchwork, decentralized support system, along with federal dollars being directed by state officials toward local governments and nonprofit organizations.There is no single model or method for governments to provide services to homeless people, according to the authors of a 2024 analysis published in the Public Administration Review.

Prison oversight office sets course as advocates hope for ‘tangible’ results

It’s been about a year since Andrea Sapone was hired as the state’s first corrections ombudsman, monitoring the Virginia Department of Corrections. The office recently issued its first strategic plan — a two-page document sketching out both short- and long-term goals for the office.

“I don’t have an impression. I haven’t seen enough,” Kenneth Hunter said about the office’s work while sitting at a conference table in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom neighborhood during late September.

New Hampshire’s snowpack is shrinking. Researchers are still uncovering the scope of what it means.

New England residents know that snow is disappearing from our landscape, and scientists have proven that climate change is to blame. But the effects of snowpack decline go far beyond what’s visible, and researchers working in the forests of New Hampshire and the Northeast are learning more about just how far the phenomenon stretches across seasons and landscapes. Their findings reveal how much tracking snow can tell us about the health of our forests and our world, and what is still to learn.

Kaine, Schiff, & Peters Introduce Bill to Protect Veterans and Low-Income Families from Housing Discrimination

Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), a former fair housing attorney, and Adam Schiff (D-CA), alongside U.S. Representative Scott Peters (D-CA-50), introduced the bicameral Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2025 to protect veterans and low-income families from housing discrimination. This legislation would expand protections to all veterans and low-income individuals by adding source of income (SOI) and veteran and military status to the list of protected classes under the Fair Housing Act of 1968, giving more people access to affordable housing.

Healey wants to speed up state review to encourage housing. Will it work?

Gov. Maura Healey unveiled plans last week to slash environmental review requirements for certain developments, a move aimed at accelerating housing construction across Massachusetts. Experts say the proposal is unlikely to immediately ease the state’s deepening housing crisis. But it’s a step in the right direction.

Too hot to learn: Why school heat is a growing problem

Teachers are increasingly trying to educate students in dangerously hot classrooms, often in old school buildings built to withstand cold weather rather than heat. Unicef says hundreds of millions of schoolchildren globally missed out on education in 2024 after heatwaves forced the closure of their schools. Low- and middle-income countries are the worst hit, especially in cities where the urban heat island effect drives temperatures even higher.

New ordinance requires steps to protect workers from extreme heat

For some workers in the city of Boston, a new ordinance passed by the City Council will mean better protection against extreme heat next summer. That local legislation requires the city of Boston and its contractors to develop a heat illness prevention plan that would include providing employees with opportunities to access shade, water and rest as well as to receive training on heat-related illness and develop response plans in case of emergency.