Published March 25, 2011

Jurors in the grisly New Hampshire home invasion case begin their first full day of deliberations this morning, after the trial wrapped up yesterday. Christopher Gribble, who has admitted to killing Kimberly Cates and seriously injuring her 11-year-old daughter, is using the insanity defense in the trial. For more coverage of the Mont Vernon, N.H., home invasion case, check out the WBUR timeline.

Former Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner is headed to federal prison in West Virginia today, to begin serving a three-year sentence for taking a $1,000 bribe.

The number of Mass. residents with high-deductible health insurance plans skyrocketed last year as families and businesses looked to lower health care costs. A new report says people enrolled in the lower-cost higher-deductible plans spent significantly less in medical expenses, but cut back on preventative health care like cancer screenings.

Israeli-Palestinian relations lies in the lava-hot department of hot-button issues. A group comprised of Boston-area Muslims and Jews, however, has spent months talking about their cultures. As WBUR’s Martha Bebinger reports, the group decided it was time to approach this difficult issue.

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, the famed boxer-turned-Civil-Rights-crusader immortalized in the Bob Dylan song “Hurricane,” railed against the prison system in a speech at Bunker Hill Community College yesterday.

A local band is taking the idea of performing “unplugged” to new heights. With the help of technology called Sustainable Sound, they’re performing concerts powered completely by bike pedaling.

What we’re following: We’ll report on the Boston mobster who’d been hiding out in rural Idaho and New England’s nuclear disaster preparedness. Radio Boston will visit an exhibit showcasing women in pop art.

Published March 24, 2011

Turn to the Wall Street Journal’s op-ed page today and you’ll find a byline you’re normally used to hearing, not reading, with your morning coffee. NPR’s Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep penned an opinion piece defending the network’s journalistic credibility — under fire after recent personnel upheaval.

On assignment in Egypt on the day ex-NPR CEO Vivian Schiller resigned from her post, Inskeep says he felt a disconnect between his work and his bosses. Inskeep writes:

When I had time to think about it, I noticed a contrast between the news that NPR reports from the Arab world and the news NPR has lately made at home.

Inskeep defends the network against accusations of liberal bias in its reporting. Citing surveys by media-watcher Gfk MRI, Inskeep said that most NPR listeners identify themselves politically as “middle of the road” or “conservative.”

At the time of Schiller’s departure, WBUR General Manager Charlie Kravetz spoke with Radio Boston about the leadership changes’ effect on NPR member stations and about the popular perception of the network.

WBUR has an extraordinarily broad-based support system within our community, for which we are enormously grateful. I think that ‘BUR is in a healthy position, but we’re yet to see whether or not there is an impact from what’s going on at NPR on our overall financial health. I’m optimistic, we’ll leave it at that.

As the resolution to strip NPR of federal funding continues to be debated in Congress, the scrutiny on NPR will only increase. Journalists like Inskeep believe that the network can withstand the increased pressure.

Published March 24, 2011

Embroiled in a scandal over faulty light fixtures in Big Dig tunnels, the state’s top transportation official admitted that he didn’t know about the issue for a month.

State Transportation Secretary Jeffrey B. Mullan says that he was not informed until March 8, a week before he informed the governor, about the 110-pound light fixture that fell from a tunnel ceiling onto a roadway in early February.

The tables were turned yesterday on a prominent Boston criminal defense attorney when he was arrested on federal money laundering charges. Robert George was released on $50,000 bond after an initial court appearance. George’s arrest shocked many in the city’s legal community.

After two years without maintenance, veterans worry that the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans memorial in Worcester could fall into disrepair. State budget cuts last year eliminated the memorial’s $25,000 in funding.

The Boston School Committee unanimously approved a budget last night that closes a projected $63 million shortfall by cutting over 200 positions, closes nine schools and merges eight others. The plan does not include any teacher layoffs.

Conceived at Harvard, Facebook jetted Boston for the open arms of Silicon Valley before hitting it big. As WBUR’s Curt Nickisch reports, Boston has lost another burgeoning online social network — this time for scientists.

Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez will be in Washington today for the unveiling of his portrait at Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. The former Sox ace, and eight-time All-Star, won the World Series with the team in 2004.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on the Big Dig tunnel lighting controversy and developments in the Robert George case. Radio Boston will speak to experts on hospice care, including a state lawmaker that wants to help fund end-of-life health care with public money.

Published March 23, 2011

Now that the results of the Massachusetts Census have been announced, politicians all over the state are set to battle. The state will lose a seat in Congress, which means someone’s job is at stake. Cape Cod and the Berkshires both lost population, Worcester County and the islands grew. And, please, just don’t ask about Boston’s numbers.

In an effort to attract immigrants, first-generation college students and other under-represented groups, UMass Amherst is offering free tuition for graduates of the state’s two-year community colleges that have GPAs of 3.0 or better. Students with a 2.5GPA or higher will be guaranteed at least admission.

The Massachusetts Board of Education is revamping the way the state evaluates teachers. A task force recommended making student test scores, and the MCAS, a significant part of the process.

Labor leaders in Massachusetts are stepping up efforts to defeat Sen. Scott Brown in the 2012 election. Brown had major success tapping into the labor vote, as a Republican, in the 2010 special election.

The man known as Professor Golf, and a real-life BU math professor, passed away yesterday. He’s responsible for completely revamping golf’s handicapping system. In other professorial news, Paul Farmer — the founder of Partners In Health — will serve as the commencement speaker for this year’s class at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on the political future of the state in relation to the census report and the education news flowing in to the station. Radio Boston will look into the development of a Viagra-like drug for women and the new documentary “Orgasm, Inc.”

Published March 22, 2011

Secretary of State William Galvin today released detailed Massachusetts population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition to providing a snapshot as to how the state changed from 2000-2010, legislators will use the data to determine how to best eliminate one congressional district.

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Highlights:

• The state is more diverse. Asian and Hispanic populations increased nearly 50 percent from 2000-2010. The state’s black population increased 26 percent. The white population decreased 1.9 percent — to just over 80 percent of the state’s total.
• Worcester County saw the biggest gains; Cape Cod and the Berkshires the biggest losses.
• Boston’s population grew by nearly 5 percent. At first, Galvin erroneously reported that Boston had the state’s biggest total population loss.
• Here’s all the Massachusetts data.

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Full Live Blog Details:

5:38 p.m. Why the population declines in Cape Cod and the Berkshires? Here’s WBUR’s Fred Thys:

According to the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, people can’t afford to live there and there are few jobs. But Galvin says people have second homes on Cape Cod that they might not be registering as their primary residence. Same with the Berkshires. It could be a summer residency issue.

5:32 p.m. Here’s how some other outlets across the state are reporting today’s figures:

• Census reveals that Springfield’s population rises over past decade — (Springfield Republican)
• Census: Worcester sees 10-year increase in population — (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
• Barnstable County population down 2.9% — (Cape Cod Times)

5:15 p.m. Confirmed his city grew nearly 5 percent, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said this:

I am proud to see Boston’s population continue to grow. Our City continues to be a vibrant and attractive place live, work and raise a family. As we continue to innovate and bring new jobs to our City and work to provide opportunities for families, I am confident Boston will continue to grow and thrive.

At 617,594 residents, the mayor says it’s the first time since the 1970s that Boston’s population is over 600,000. It also maintained its “majority-minority” status, with 53 percent nonwhite or Hispanic.
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Published March 22, 2011

School food has a bad rep, but sometimes it’s warranted.

Out-of-date food has cost the long-time director of Boston public schools’ food and nutrition her job. School officials found almost 300 cases of expired food in 40 cafeterias across the system.

A black baby born in Boston today is four times more likely than a white infant to die before the first birthday, according to the Boston Public Health Commission. WBUR’s Martha Bebinger reports on an often overlooked endemic problem.

We might have a White Sox fan in the White House, but we might soon find a Red Sox fan as prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile. Lobsang Sangay, a research fellow at Harvard Law School, and Medford resident, is the favorite to win a three-way election for the post.

What we’re following: We’ll report on the census data crucial to the redistricting process that will be made public this afternoon, the Boston school food issues and the possible appointment of a Parole Board member. Former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky will join Radio Boston to speak about his newest collection of poems.