It’s been an extraordinary week for me and for us at Radio Boston. We’ve been collecting stories about remembrance, sacrifice and, the wounds of war carried by a very few in a country that seems largely untouched and uninvolved in that war seemingly so far away.
If you want to get a glimpse into how the war in Iraq has come home to small town America in ways that are largely unseen and unappreciated, check out what we heard this week in west central Massachusetts…
At left: Athol Memorial Hall
(Click on image to englarge. Click on post to read more)
It’s not exactly news that circulation and staff are down at Massachusetts newspapers. The Boston Globe has made its fourth buyout offer to employees since 2001. Circulation is down again at the Boston Herald. Will there be breaking news that nobody knows about? Where do you go to get your news and information?
Listen to the full show:
Plus, in our web specials: Meet the Blogfather…. and, some of the best media criticism out there at MediaNation.
The No Bully Zone
Tewksbury, MA
At the John W. Wynn Middle School, the core curriculum includes a comprehensive anti-bullying program called Rachel’s Challenge.
Rachel Scott was the first victim in the 1999 Columbine shootings. She was shot while eating lunch on the lawn with a friend.
Following her death, her family launched Rachel’s Challenge. Based on a school assembly given by members of the Scott family and Columbine survivors, the program promotes five goals:
- Eliminate prejudice by looking for the best in others
- Dare to dream. Set goals. Keep a journal.
- Choose your influences. Input determines output.
- Kind words, small acts of kindness = Huge impact
- Start a chain reaction with family and friends.
These goals are at the center of education at the Wynn middle school. Radio Boston’s Meghna Chakrabarti spent a day at the school to get a taste of life in the "no bully zone"…
Senator Barack Obama is gaining momentum across the country, running on a platform of hope and change. Sound familiar? Here in Massachusetts voters responded to those same campaign slogans and promises when they elected Governor Deval Patrick.
They both have political ties in Chicago, are alumni of the same law school and both are breaking race barriers in America.
We’ll look into how similar their campaigns and backgrounds really are. What do you think? Did you vote for Patrick? Will you also vote for Obama? Or will you need more than a message of hope to cast your vote?
Listen to the full show:
Plus, a web special: Listen to a song about Barack Obama by Black Eyed Peas artist will.i.am.
The Radio Boston webchat with Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong drew spirited questions from people across the Commonwealth. Schools, crimes, jobs, the environment, the challenges of rebuilding a major Massachusetts mill city… click on this webpost to read the full transcript.
claudine
Welcome Mayor Wong to Radio Boston
10:37 meghna157
Hello! This is Meghna from radio boston. I work with Claudine. Thank you to the Mayor for joining us
10:37 Ken Jones
Hi meg,
10:39 meghna157
Hello moderator
Mayor Lisa Wong inherited a big job when she won Fitchburg’s mayoral election last year. An old mill town with closed factories, a crime problem and a record number of foreclosures are just some of her worries.
The 28-year old Wong has a plan and Radio Boston heads to Fitchburg to find out what it is.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdavF62bmvY[/youtube]
Listen to the full show:
Plus, in our web specials:Read studies about revitalizing old mill cities, see videos from Fitchburg and Lowell.
Doctors reflect on medical errors and their profession
In 1927, Harvard physician Francis W. Peabody wrote, “The secret to the care of the patient is in the caring for the patient.”
This is the art of medicine. But is it the culture of medicine? …
Some patients who have been harmed during medical procedures are opting not to sue, but to talk with the medical team responsible for the harm. Health care professionals are being trained to apologize when things go wrong. Who benefits from a doctor’s mea culpa?
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Plus, in our web specials:Sit in on "disclosure training"for doctors, learn more about MITTS,and the three questions you should ask your doctorto help her avoid mistakes…
Home foreclosures continue to be a problem in most Massachusetts communities in 2008 and many economists expect that it’s only going to get worse. We visit one city where foreclosures are blamed for destabilizing neighborhoods and harming the local economy. Is it (as one analyst says) a "perfect storm" situation where the housing market slump, the credit crunch and predatory lending have combined to create a wave of debt and abandoned buildings?
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As the poster says, Boston Rocks. But how hard?
Radio Boston goes on location at the Flophouse,and takes you inside the modern Boston music scene. We profile three bands: Township, The Mmoss, and The Jody Grind. We hear from a Boston superstar, Greg Hawkes of the Cars. And, we talk with music critic Brett Milano on how the scene has changed and if a band like the Cars could make it in Boston today.
Listen to the full show:
Plus, check out our box set of web specials,including videos and mp3s of a one-time only live performance by Greg Hawkes strumming a Cars classic on his ukulele…
