Published June 7, 2010

Every day Bostonians are treated to finely crafted, fact-checked stories from NPR and WBUR journalists. But it can be a long journey from story idea to finished product. I get to witness firsthand the chase — the questions we ask, the people we call, the issues we grapple with before a story makes it to air or Web.

In what I hope becomes a daily Hubbub feature, I’ll share here what our newsroom is cooking up. Sometimes ideas lead to dead ends or altogether different stories. That’s OK. I hope by including you, our readers, in the newsgathering process, the final product is a bit stronger, more transparent and more relevant to you and your communities.

Without further ado, here’s what WBUR is following as of mid-morning Monday:

• Meghna Chakrabarti is preparing for her in-studio interview today with U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, Newton’s gay, left-handed, pugnacious Democrat. He is the leading legislator on financial reform, a fight perhaps no one else is better equipped to handle. Another fight is on the horizon: re-election.
• Adam Ragusea is preparing a piece about yesterday’s intense and destructive weather. What happened? Why such extensive damage? How unusual was it? We will talk to a tree warden in an affected community or folks at the state’s Department of Conservation to get their perspective.
• Fred Thys is following the latest in firefighter contract drama. Mayor Menino said the union’s last-minute concession — which the council received warmly last week — is inadequate.
• Curt Nickisch is producing a series of vignettes on local small businesses that want to hire but can’t get lines of credit. The banks say they’re not lending because there is very little demand for credit; small businesses say banks are cutting off supply.
• Jessica Alpert is producing a Radio Boston segment about the increase in the number of food allergies, which reporter Steve Smith wrote about in today’s Globe. It turns out determining a food allergy is complex, and as a result there are many inaccurate diagnoses and unnecessary avoidance of certain foods.
• Monica Brady-Myerov is working on a story about a “growing hospice choir movement.” Choirs gather in the ICU to sing during a patient’s final moments. It’s powerful, and families say song conveys message they can’t otherwise verbalize. How do you want to go out?
• Our newscast unit is covering a meeting of Anglican officials in Amesbury as they look to establish a more conservative branch of the church there.

What stories are you interested in? What other stories should we be aware of?