Boston City Council weighs potential for a rat-focused city department

Team Common announced a few weeks back that the show will transition to a once-a-week podcast this summer as part of some larger changes happening at WBUR. We are hard at work on this transition now. So, for the next few weeks we will be featuring some episodes from The Common's archive, while we focus on bringing the newest iteration of the show into the world and your podcast feeds very soon. With allergy season's vengful return, we take a look back at our discussion with Dr. Gaurab Basu, a primary care physician and director of education and policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment. We talked with Dr. Basu about the connection between climate change and allergies, and what you can do to mitigate your symptoms as the season continues. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Last week, the Boston City Council met to discuss one of the top, pressing issues facing our city: The rat population causing a nuisance to residents citywide. For the second year in a row, Councilor Ed Flynn has proposed a measure to create a city department solely devoted to pest-related concerns, arguing that a specialized department would streamline efforts to tackle rat issues and allow for more coordinated innovation. Today, Boston Globe City Hall Reporter Niki Griswold joins The Common for more on Councilor Flynn's proposal, and other potential solutions discussed at last week's meeting. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Have you ever dreamed of putting on your swimsuit, zipping up your winter coat, and heading downtown for a free sauna experience with friends and previously-unknown neighbors? If so, we've got the story for you. Through March 3, Winter City Sauna, a free pop-up sauna, is posting up on Boston's City Hall Plaza and offering visitors the opportunity to warm up in community (up to six people at a time!) just steps away from City Hall. When we saw this headline, we knew we had to check it out - so Common Producer Katelyn Harrop hopped on the T, towel in hand, to learn more about this place-making effort lead by Somerville-based community organization CultureHouse in partnership with the city of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Arts & Culture. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Chances are you've lived in one, and if not you've definitely seen them all over the Greater Boston area: the iconic New England triple-decker (or three-decker) building. So you might be surprised to learn that in late 2023, Somerville City Council voted to fully re-legalize the iconic housing stock that is almost ubiquitous to our local urban landscape. CommonWealth Beacon Reporter and podcast host (and certified three-decker fanatic) Jennifer Smith joins The Common to talk about our favorite type of multifamily housing, why it was illegal in the first place and what its re-legalization could mean for the housing market. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common has been off this week, so in place of our regular show, we’re bringing you a special re-drop of our Earth Week series: Climate Now. Today’s episode published on April 20th, and brings us to Boston’s South End, where residents have already been feeling the intensifying effects of urban heat for years.  Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is off today, but we’ve still got a great show in store for you. It’s the third episode of our Climate Now series from Earth Week 2023. It published on April 19th, and takes us to Hyde Park, where community members are fighting to protect a parcel of land called Crane Ledge Woods.  Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Last week, the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association approved a new contract with the City of Boston after 18 months of negotiations. The new contract makes it harder for officers involved in certain crimes to keep their jobs, provides some reforms to overtime pay and increases the base salary for officers over a five year period, among other measures. WBUR State Politics Reporter Walter Wuthmann joins The Common with more on what's in the contract and what it means for policing in the city. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is taking the day to relax and recharge. So we’re bringing you a feature from our friends in the WBUR newsroom. Today’s story comes from climate and environment reporter, Paula Moura. According to state data, most people who have taken advantage of the electric vehicle rebates in Massachusetts live in wealthier communities. But the state is working on ways to make EV access more equitable, including by funding one project that is bringing electric vehicle chargers to Black communities. The project also aims to boost jobs and highlight local landmarks. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Darryl C. Murphy here, Team Common is off today, but we just wanted to pop in your feed real quick to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. We really hope you're eating good out there. We are so thankful for all of you who choose to spend your time with us.  We love making this show for you. Thanks as always for listening to The Common. We’ll talk to you soon. Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Enbridge, a Canadian energy company, wants to expand one of its pipelines in the Northeast in order to increase the supply of natural gas to states like Massachusetts. This comes as Massachusetts and surrounding states are actively trying to reduce dependence on fossil fuels in order to combat the impacts of climate change. However, pipeline expansion projects like this one fall under the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), rather than individual state governments. Miriam Wasser is a senior climate and environment reporter at WBUR. She joins The Common to explain what the pipeline expansion project entails and why there's debate over whether the extra gas is needed. She also breaks down the role state officials and climate advocates will play as the project advances Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.