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Gov. Charlie Baker discusses the planned closures in the Salem area for Halloween and the days leading up to it due to COVID-19, at the Mayor Jean Levesque Community Life Center in Salem, Massachusetts on Oct. 21. (Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via pool)

43 mins ago

Mass., R.I. Governors Urge Residents To Alter Thanksgiving Plans This Year Due To Coronavirus

The Republican governor of Massachusetts said indoor parties and group meals with anyone outside of household members, including family, may not be safe.

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Members of The Paulist Center in Boston consider themselves an intentional community, where Catholics of all backgrounds are welcomed to worship. (Shannon Dooling/WBUR)

Pope Francis Endorses Same-Sex Civil Unions

Plus: a local children's choir collaborates with a Colombian group, and Mass Design Group finds dignity through architecture.

Boston Public Schools Move To Fully Remote Learning

The decision comes as coronavirus positivity rates continue to rise in the city.

'No Matter The Distance, We Can Sing Together': New Voices Children Choir Collaborates With Colombian Group

The choir's September concert was a joint production, with another choir nearly 3,000 miles away, in the conductor's hometown: Popayán, Colombia.

Boston Reverts Back To Fully Remote Learning, Citing Rising Virus Rates

The citywide seven-day average had increased to 5.7% this week, up from 4.5% last week.

WBUR's Morning Edition Broadcast: October 21, 2020

WBUR's Morning Edition broadcast.

Bill Filed To Help 17,000 Mass. Residents With Jobless Benefits

Nearly a month after they asked the Baker administration to explore the change, a group of lawmakers filed a bill that would temporarily increase the minimum unemployment benefits Massachusetts pays...

Oct 21, 2020

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...

Edify

04:02Oct 21, 2020

Boston-based rapper Cakeswagg is out with a new song "Ferb and Phineas." (Courtesy Monette Beau)

Listen: On Her New Single, Cakeswagg Knows What To Do To Be Great

The Boston rapper’s new single, “Ferb and Phineas,” is a message to people in the industry who try to give her unsolicited advice.

The ARTery

Oct 21, 2020

(Courtesy Massachusetts Department of Higher Education)

Public Higher Ed Enrollment Down 7% In Mass.

Education officials say they are fearful that the pandemic may forever throw college education plans off course for some students.

Edify

Oct 20, 2020

Jeff Riley, in a WBUR file photo (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Mass. Education Commissioner: Fears of Super-Spreading Schools 'Somewhat Unfounded'

Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said he expects updates to the state's data collection and stoplight metric will reflect "more nuanced" information about virus cases.

Edify

Oct 20, 2020

Radio Boston

MASS Design Group Head On Achieving Justice And Beauty In Our Cities

Have you ever thought about the relationship between beauty and justice?

Radio Boston

13:20Oct 21, 2020

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

More Boston Headlines

MBTA Green Line train at Boylston Station. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Boston, Somerville Mayors Warn Against MBTA Service Cuts

Cuts will disproportionately affect low-income and nonwhite riders, many of whom rely on transit to get to and from front-line jobs essential to the region's pandemic response, they said.

Oct 19, 2020

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

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

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

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