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Proposed One-Year Pause In Exam-School Tests Sparks Hope — And Hostility

The prospect of a test-free admissions cycle has spurred families, alumni and staff to discuss the exam schools' reputations for exclusion as well as excellence, and to debate the role they should play in a changing city.

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A voter deposits his ballot into the box at Fenway Park on Saturday, the first day of early voting in this year's presidential election. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

17% Of Registered Voters In Mass. Have Already Cast Ballots In Presidential Election

"The number of ballots cast right now is equal to 24% of all ballots cast in the 2016 election," said Secretary of State spokesperson Deb O'Malley in an email.

Oct 19, 2020

Cars driving along Storrow Drive in Boston. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

A Renewed Debate Over The Right To Repair In Massachusetts

Plus, a new Boston Globe investigation finds nearly one in every five state troopers on the current roster has at least one sustained misconduct charge.

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47:57Oct 19, 2020

First Church Shelter director Jim Stewart enters one of the showers in a mobile shower unit parked in the Church Street parking lot in Harvard Square, Cambridge. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Cambridge Opens Public Showers As Housing Instability Grows

The city of Cambridge has installed 10 public showers for people who are homeless to use in Harvard Square.

CommonHealth

Oct 19, 2020

Investigation Finds State Troopers Rarely Fired For Breaking The Rules

The Boston Globe finds only a handful of troopers with sustained charges have been fired in the last ten years.

Radio Boston

08:23Oct 19, 2020

The Debate Over Right To Repair In Massachusetts

We unpack Massachusetts Ballot Question 1, the new Right to Repair.

Radio Boston

39:34Oct 19, 2020

Dr. Kevin Churchwell. (Courtesy of Boston Children's Hospital)

Boston Children's Hospital Names New CEO Amid Pandemic

Running one of Boston's top hospitals would be difficult in the best of times, but Dr. Kevin Churchwell will also face a few unique challenges when he takes over as...

CommonHealth

04:22Oct 19, 2020

President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden participated in the first presidential debate at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University on Sept. 29 in Cleveland. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Chaotic Campaign Tests Presidential Debate Director Janet Brown, Who Has Mass. Roots

Brown grew up summering in Nonquitt and holds degrees from Williams and Harvard. She has led the Commission on Presidential Debates since its inception, in 1987, and this year may...

03:54Oct 19, 2020

Maxine DeJesus, wearing an adapted mask, gets her clarinet ready at the start of band practice. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

A Calculated Risk: High School Students Return To New Bedford Classrooms

High school students in New Bedford return to the classroom this week. A look at the excitement -- and anxiety -- facing one student's family.

Edify

03:40Oct 19, 2020

A car mechanic fixing a vehicle. (Kurt Wittman/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Question 1 Is About Much More Than Car Repair. It’s A Civil And Consumer Rights Issue

The right to repair our cars, appliances, phones and other stuff is essential, writes Paul Roberts, who writes in favor of Question 1. We shouldn’t consign ourselves to a future...

Cognoscenti

Oct 19, 2020

Joe Kennedy III: Senate Campaign Improperly Spent $1.5M

Kennedy said in a statement to The Boston Globe that he did not know about the improper spending before the Sept. 1 primary election, and has since reimbursed the campaign...

Oct 16, 2020

Radio Boston

Early Voting Rolls Out In Massachusetts

Early voting began Saturday. And with exactly two weeks to go until the November election, the pace of early ballots -- in person and by...

Radio Boston

11:38Oct 20, 2020

Living Through Corona: Skip Dylen, Salem Haunted House Owner

We caught up with Skip, the president of Wicked Amusements and the Chambers of Terror in Salem, as part of our ongoing series, "Living through...

Radio Boston

12:25Oct 20, 2020

An ambulance rolls pass a sign alerting drivers, that due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, no visitors are allowed at Essex County's Beverly Hospital in Beverly, Mass., Thursday, April 23, 2020. (Charles Krupa/AP)

'Great Barrington' And 'John Snow:' Controversy Grows Over How To Move Forward In The Pandemic

Radio Boston

48:10Oct 20, 2020

A Chelsea resident inserts a swab up his nose during free COVID-19 testing offered by the state in Chelsea Square. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Week In Review: Pandemic, Politics And Policing

Radio Boston

46:15Oct 16, 2020

More Boston Headlines

Clients of St. Francis House wait for the shelter to open in the early morning. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

'We're Not Going Back To Crowded Shelters': The Scramble For Space To Shelter Homeless In Pandemic Winter

Boston says it's secured four additional sites to shelter people during the upcoming winter, as coronavirus precautions have reduced capacity at existing shelters and the population of people staying on...

08:10Oct 16, 2020

Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling (Steven Senne/AP)

Massachusetts Law Enforcement Readies For Contentious Election

That coordination includes a centrally located command center that will gather intelligence from around the state about potential disruptions to the election or possible violence following the election results.

Oct 16, 2020

Attorney General Maura Healey as pictured at a rally in front of the State House on July 13, 2020. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

AG Healey Calls For Baker To Extend Eviction Ban Day Before It Expires

"We need the time to do this right. That means extending the moratorium until the safety net created under this plan is up and running and resources are fully available...

Oct 16, 2020

Massachusetts Foster Parents Could Be First To Unionize

Union officials say that while foster parents provide nurturing and compassion, they also require the critical skills needed to guide a child who has experienced abuse and neglect.

Oct 16, 2020

Housing activists erect a sign in front of Gov. Charlie Baker's house, Oct. 14, 2020, in Swampscott, Mass. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

Housing Activists March To Gov. Baker’s Home To Push Bill

Protesters said the Republican governor and Democratic leaders in the Massachusetts Legislature need to back a comprehensive eviction prevention measure intended to help stabilize renters, homeowners and small landlords for...

Oct 15, 2020

Dozens braved rain and high winds to march through Chelsea on Oct. 7 to urge state lawmakers to pass legislation to extend the moratorium on evictions. (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

How Evictions Work In Mass.

Find out what you need to know about eviction in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oct 15, 2020

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. (Steven Senne/AP)

Healey, 4 Mass. DAs Pledge To Decline Abortion-Related Prosecutions If Roe Is Weakened

The letter said laws across the country are challenging the protections enumerated in the Roe decision, and that changes to that legal precedent would put women, healthcare workers and others...

Oct 14, 2020

Jake (left) and Sparky Kennedy, Christmas in the City founders, with their son Zack Kennedy, a post-doctoral researcher at UMass Medical School. (Robin Young/WBUR)

Christmas In The City Founder Jake Kennedy Dies After Battle With ALS

Jake Kennedy, who founded Christmas in the City in 1989 with his wife Sparky, has died at the age of 65. He was diagnosed with ALS last November.

05:09Oct 14, 2020

Reading police officer Erik Drauschke (center) pleaded not guilty to a charge of manslaughter after killing a man while on duty in 2018. (Ally Jarmanning/WBUR)

Reading Police Officer Charged With Manslaughter Pleads Not Guilty

Officer Erik Drauschke shot and killed a man within 12 seconds of approaching him, Middlesex County prosecutors said in court Wednesday.

Oct 14, 2020

Mayor Marty Walsh spoke at a press conference flanked by members of the Boston Police Reform Task Force as he announced a plan for a slate of reforms to the Boston Police Department. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff/Pool)

Walsh Says He'll Adopt All Boston Police Reform Recommendations, Including New Oversight Office

Other recommendations include creating a diversity and inclusion unit, changing the hiring rules to give preference to graduates of Boston high schools, expanding the body camera program and creating an...

05:14Oct 13, 2020