Monthly Archives: April 2011

Monday Morning: Be Careful On The Esplanade

Published April 11, 2011

Though the tree-lined walkway is the one of the most beautiful strolls in the city, the Esplanade is more dangerous than you think. Authorities are asking Bostonians to be wary of the Charles River pathway after a college student told Boston police she was sexually assaulted Saturday night while sitting on an Esplanade bench.

The BSO is searching for a new conductor after James Levine announced last month that he is stepping down because of his deteriorating health. Ever wondered what makes a good conductor? Check out WBUR’s awesome coverage of the BSO conductor hunt.

Gov. Deval Patrick will spend the day in Boston today. It’s not usually news, but the governor had been slated for a Today Show appearance this morning, but was bumped thanks to a glut of recent headline news. Patrick launches a book tour promoting his memoir “A Reason to Believe” this week. We’ll speak with the governor on Radio Boston next week.

Voters overwhelmingly support the authorization of three resort casinos in the state, according to a poll conducted by UMass Dartmouth’s Center for Policy Analysis. The poll follows last summer’s legislative fight over gambling.

If you’re hoping to end it all — and hopefully you’re not — don’t jump off the Tobin Bridge. Four boaters near the Chelsea Yacht Club saved a man who had jumped off the Tobin when they pulled him from the water. The kicker is this quote at the end of the Herald article:

“We get a few a year…Usually around the holidays or tax time. … It’s sad. I don’t know what it comes to that someone decides to do that. He was very fortunate.”

Red Sox starter Josh Beckett returned to his 2007 form in dismantling the Yankees and leading the team to a 4-0 victory. Beckett threw eight fantastic innings and notched 10 strikeouts. The season looks a lot rosier today than it did Friday, after the team won a series against the Pinstripes.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on scandal in the Boston Veterans’ Services Department, the Deval Patrick memoir and the trial for an accused Springfield arsonist. Radio Boston will speak with Marine Biologist Carl Safina about his new PBS series “Saving the Ocean.”

Friday Morning: Fenway Faithful Freaking Out

Published April 8, 2011

Winter is over, Spring is here, Fenway Park will be full again. And if ever the Olde Towne Team(e) needed the re-birth of Spring, it’s today.

The Sox, win-less in six tries this season, will look to garner their first win when the team takes on the archrival Yankees this afternoon at Fenway Park. John Lackey takes the mound in the 99th Opening Day for Fenway Park.

The Sox will look to put up some big numbers on the Green Monster scoreboard. But did you know that scoreboard isn’t the original — and we’re not sure where the original is? In another great Opening Day story, WBUR’s Bob Oakes and Kathleen McNerney visited a baseball glove manufacturer in Worcester.

As lawmakers in Washington continue to bicker over the federal budget, federal employees in Massachusetts are bracing for rough times ahead.

Starting in July 2013, students at UMass Amherst looking for a cigarette break may have to plan for quite a trip. The UMass faculty senate approved a measure banning the use of any tobacco product on the Amherst campus.

Attorney General Martha Coakley filed emergency legislation yesterday banning illegal gambling at Internet cafes and corner stores. The computerized casinos had been operating in a legally gray area.

The Kennedy family will oversee the groundbreaking of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate today. The institute named for the senator will sit next to the JFK Library in South Boston.

What we’re following: WBUR’s Steve Brown drew the brutal assignment of spending this beautiful Spring day at Fenway Park, so we’re sure to hear from him. We’ll also continue to report on the trial of a Pakistani man accused of lying to federal agents and the Kennedy Institute groundbreaking.

Meningitis Goes Back To School

Published April 7, 2011

This post was written by Meena Ganesan.

____

A health issue that hasn’t faded since its rise in college dorm rooms 10 years ago is back in the news: meningitis.

A 21-year-old college student at Franklin Pierce University died Tuesday night from bacterial meningitis at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, according to a report in the Telegram & Gazette.

Sophomore Benjamin Plante was a commuter student at the New Hampshire college. He had come home Friday with a sore throat. His father Steven Plante said he had complained of achy, flu-like symptoms over the weekend.

The Centers for Disease Control describes bacterial meningitis as an “infection in the membranes that covers the brain and spinal cord.” The disease is different than the less serious viral meningitis, which can generally be cleared up by treatment. In cases that don’t result in death, bacterial meningitis can cause brain damage or hearing loss.

The CDC’s symptoms for bacterial meningitis are similar to those of viral meningitis and include:

  • High fever
  • Sensitivity to bright light
  • Nausea, vomiting
  • Stiff neck
  • Pressure-related rash

WBUR spoke with Dr. Jodie Dionne-Odom, New Hampshire’s deputy state epidemiologist. She said there’s one vaccine available for the strain of meningitis called Neisseria meningitidis. Since 2006, according to Odom, the vaccine has decreased the fatality rate of meningitis.

The CDC says college students are at an increased risk for meningitis because of their close-quarter living situations. But Odom says different colleges different have entrance requirements for immunizations. Some require the vaccine, while some only recommend it.

Thursday Morning: Cape Cod Camp In Controversy

Published April 7, 2011

The story of a Cape Cod summer camp embroiled in sexual assault allegations continues to deepen. A camp employee apparently committed suicide yesterday on camp grounds. His mother said she suspected years ago that her son was a pedophile and alerted camp officials.

Camp Good News in Sandwich first came under scrutiny in February when Sen. Scott Brown released a book saying he was abused at a christian summer camp on the Cape.

After meetings on Beacon Hill yesterday, Gov. Deval Patrick and state lawmakers are asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to delay re-licensing the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth as they try to make sure the state is prepared for a nuclear disaster like the one unfolding in Japan.

Construction at the Government Center T stop could close the commuting hub for three years. Starting in November 2012, the more than 21,000 commuters that use the stop each day may need to alter their commutes thanks to an effort to complete planned renovations on time and under budget.

Colleagues, friends and family members gathered yesterday to remember Rev. Peter Gomes, the longtime Harvard Divinity School professor. Gomes, the beloved head of the school’s Memorial Church, was a black, openly gay, Republican theologian. Judging by the line to get in to his memorial service, he will be missed.

Ever wondered whose hands are cradling the iPod in the latest Apple ad? It could be “one-half of what is known as the hottest couple in hand modeling,” according to the Globe. Please, stifle your chuckles and clamp down your Zoolander references, because they’re so hot right now.

What we’re following: We’ll have a reporter in Sandwich following the Camp Good News story and reporters at the State House covering pension plan discussions.

Harvard Remembers Peter Gomes

Published April 6, 2011

The memorial service for the late Rev. Peter Gomes (Courtesy of Kris Snibbe/Harvard)

The memorial service for the late Rev. Peter Gomes (Courtesy of Kris Snibbe/Harvard)

Hundreds of Harvard University graduates, professors and community members gathered at the school’s Memorial Church Wednesday to remember their longtime spiritual leader, Rev. Peter Gomes, who died last month.

Harvard luminaries stood in line for more than an hour to make sure they would have a seat in the church Gomes served since 1970.

Former Harvard President Derek Bok was among the speakers at the memorial service. Bok recalled the many qualities that made Gomes truly individual.

“His sheer uniqueness — a Republican in a sea of Democrats, a gay man in a straight society, a Puritan from Plymouth descended from slaves,” Bok said.

Gov. Deval Patrick spoke on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Kris Snibbe/Harvard)

Gov. Deval Patrick spoke on Wednesday. (Courtesy of Kris Snibbe/Harvard)

Current Harvard President Drew Faust also cited Gomes’ originality.

“An African-American from Plymouth, a Baptist in Memorial Church, a Republican in Cambridge, out-of-the-closet and out-of-the-box,” Faust said. “I always sensed that he prized these… Peter would simply say he was who he was and it always made sense to him.”

Faust recalled listening to an interview with Gomes the night he died, simply because she wanted to hear her friend’s voice. She described Wednesday how Gomes discussed what, for him, is the Bible’s most difficult command.

“‘To love others.’ Peter said with a smile, ‘It’s so hard to love other people, they are so unlovely, so unlovable.’ But of course Peter loved so freely and he was so loved in return.”

Gov. Deval Patrick met Gomes as an undergrad at Harvard and developed a lasting friendship with him. He told mourners that Gomes’ ability to follow his own unique compass drew others to him and gave him strength.

“By refusing to be put in anybody else’s box, Peter Gomes may have been the freest man I have ever known,” Patrick said.

Patrick remembered Gomes saying that he was not an optimist, but that he held onto hope.

“‘Faith,’ he said, ‘is the conviction that hope works.’ For Peter’s sake, and the sake of our dear preacher and teacher and friend, may we all continue to listen.”

Patrick joked that Harvard alums don’t die, they just turn into buildings. Then, becoming serious, Patrick said Gomes will be remembered for all the graduates whose contact with him has made them better people.

With additional reporting from WBUR’s Sacha Pfeiffer.

Obituary:

Wednesday Morning: Lawmakers Look At Nuclear Options

Published April 6, 2011

With the world focused on the nuclear catastrophe in Japan, lawmakers on Beacon Hill hope to ensure that Massachusetts is prepared for its own nuclear emergency. Four joint legislative committees will hear today from public safety and environmental officials, energy leaders and anti-nuclear groups in order to study the state’s preparedness.

Grab that big flat-screen from Amazon today, the days of tax-free Internet shopping may soon be over. The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is pushing a bill that would force a tax on e-commerce sites.

Amidst bleary-eyed undergrads and the leaders of tomorrow, a Harvard program is also educating the leaders of today. The university’s Advanced Leadership Initiative is a year long fellowship for people with more than 20 years of leadership experience who want to start socially conscious ventures instead of retiring.

A longtime business and civic leader is in line to take over the reins of the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Boston Mayor Tom Menino nominated Peter Meade to head the BRA yesterday.

Man the bridges and tall buildings around New England, the Red Sox are still looking for that ever-illusive first win. The team fell to 0-4 last night — this time it was their bats that let them down — after losing in Cleveland, 3-1.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on some Harvard professors’ ties to Libya, the push for an e-commerce sales tax and the memorial for Rev. Peter Gomes. Radio Boston will look at advances in men’s health.

Tuesday Morning: Cape Cod Camp Under Scrutiny

Published April 5, 2011

The Cape Cod district attorney has opened an investigation into the summer camp on Cape Cod where Sen. Scott Brown was allegedly sexually abused as a child. The investigation follows allegations from another former camper who recently claimed that he, too, was sexually abused at Camp Good News.

A new report finds health care costs for municipal workers like teachers, police and firefighters are much higher than what the state or private sector employers pay. Many cities and towns are finding that their health care costs are draining their budgets. You can read the full report.

Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday nominated Barbara Lenk to the state’s highest court. Lenk would be the first openly gay Supreme Judicial Court justice.

Don’t illegally download music or the Boogie Man will get you. Sure, laugh. A B.U. graduate student probably would have laughed until he was ordered by a judge to pay the music industry $67,500 for illegally downloading 30 songs. Gulp.

They’re celebrating from…Hartford to Storrs? The UConn Huskies beat Butler last night to take home their third men’s basketball national title.

What we’re following: We’ll continue to report on state home sales numbers, the Peace Abbey facing foreclosure and the FAA plane inspections.

Claims Of McCarthyism Over Professor Email Requests

Published April 4, 2011

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, seated, after signing into law the controversial bill that eliminates most union rights for public employees in Madison, Wis., on March 11 (AP)

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, seated, after signing into law the controversial bill that eliminates most union rights for public employees in Madison, Wis., on March 11 (AP)

Should the emails of professors at public universities be subject to open records requests?

That’s the latest subplot emerging from ongoing union turmoil in the Midwest, as heard on Morning Edition today. After a noted University of Wisconsin professor questioned the GOP agenda, the state Republican party submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking the professor’s emails that contain the words “union,” “recall” and [Gov.] “Scott Walker.”

A few days later, a conservative think tank in Michigan filed a request for emails pertaining to the Wisconsin debate from labor studies faculty and staff at three state universities.

“I think that politicians are trying to intimidate academics from speaking out on issues, especially those who are in state-related institutions,” said University of Kansas Prof. Randal Jenks.

Cary Nelson, the president of the American Association of University Professors, took his criticism further.

“These email requests, for me, were the first time I was willing to say this was a contemporary version of McCarthyism,” he said.

But Lucy Dalgish, of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, said professors don’t have statutory protection. And the Wisconsin GOP, in a statement, said taxpayers have a right to know if public employees are conducting themselves in an ethical manner.

We’ve got a vibrant public university system here in Massachusetts — what do you think of the email records requests? Are claims of new McCarthyism legitimate, or hyperbolic? Have your say in the comments section.