City approves BioMed lab project with alterations to how nonprofits will be apportioned its benefits
City councillors voted 8-1 on Monday to approve an East Cambridge lab project and, with it, funding for nonprofits citywide.
My Work
Chinanu Okoli
![A rectangular brick building on a narrow street with cars parked on either side. There are trees, waste bins, & power lines in front of the building. It’s a partly cloudy day.]( "A rectangular brick building on a narrow street with cars parked on either side. There are trees, waste bins, & power lines in front of the building. It’s a partly cloudy day.")
East Cambridge team agrees to $5M compromise in BioMed construction community benefits deal
The East Cambridge Planning Team, which has led negotiations with life sciences developer BioMed Realty for seven months, has agreed to amend an unprecedented upzoning payout proposal that would’ve given $20 million in mitigation funds to East End House.
Advocates push legislation to permanently stop electric shock on disabled people
The Judge Rotenberg Center is the only U.S. school that uses the aversive therapy to change people's behavior. A reproposed bill this legislative session could change that.
'All of us as individuals have power’: how one Massachusetts school is educating its students on genocide
Several years after the state's Genocide Education Act was signed into law, one local teacher hopes her lessons on genocides and conflicts will empower her students.
DOT’s inspector general lost 11 percent of its workforce to ‘Fork’ offers
The DOT’s inspector general’s office has shed 42 employees since DOT began asking people to consider
participating in its “deferred resignation” program — about 11 percent of the IG’s workforce.
participating in its “deferred resignation” program — about 11 percent of the IG’s workforce.
Farmers eye ‘forever chemical’ legislation
Some local farmers hope bills to mitigate PFAS contamination in Massachusetts could safeguard their work and protect their lives.
Advocates in Brookline push to save school district’s Office of Educational Equity
Advocates have raised over $188,000 in an attempt to save Brookline's Office of Educational Equity for next school year. But whether money will be taken in by the town's school committee is still up in the air.
What students, teachers and parents think about banning phones in Mass. schools
A legislative committee is reviewing several proposals to limit or ban personal phone usage in schools, including the so-called STUDY bill, backed by AG Andrea Campbell earlier this year. We asked local students, parents and teachers about their thoughts on student access to phones in schools.
New provision allowing beer sales at farmers markets sees mixed reactions
Local brewers and farmers market owners range from enthusiastic to disappointed to indifferent to the state’s new provision allowing brewers to sell beer and other craft beverages at farmers markets, fairs and other agricultural events.
Embrace Boston plans to commemorate 60 years since the 1965 Freedom Rally
60 years after 20,000 people protested racial imbalance in the city, organizers with Embrace Boston commemorated the work of the civil rights leaders of the past with a rally of their own. Embrace Boston’s Digital Strategy and Production Director Greg Ball joined us to discuss the commemoration.
State education officials one step closer to naming new DESE commissioner
As education officials narrowed down their three finalists for the state's new Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioner, I made a voicer breaking down the search process and what's next.
Sudan accuses UAE of committing genocide; how to help Sudanese families experiencing hunger
Sudan's military government accused the UAE of directly supporting paramilitary forces in Darfur since fighting began in 2023. As reports of displacement and starvation reached alarming levels, BU senior Raheeq Ibrahim joined us to talk about her family's direct aid campaign, Abna alSudan, and how to help.
Biotech leaders champion life sciences apprenticeships
Local biotechnology leaders want employers, training providers, and industry hopefuls to take advantage of the opportunities available in life sciences apprenticeships.
'The organizing that's happening now has needed to happen a long time ago' - L Austin Spooner on anti-trans violence
With the current wave of anti-trans rhetoric and violence, public health advocate L Austin Spooner joins us to discuss the need to recognize the struggle Black trans folks have experienced and what's most challenging in this current moment
Advocates increase pressure to keep Boston schools from closing ahead of vote
Parents and school advocates were angry about a proposal to close several Boston area schools, including Dever Elementary and Mary Lyon Pilot High, next school year. I report on their push for more justification from the school district ahead of a school committee vote.
How BU's National Society of Black Engineers hopes to invigorate BU's Black STEM community
Students from BU's chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers attended the 50th annual convention in Chicago this year. Karrington Riley, BU NSBE's treasurer, joined us to speak about the group's experience in Chicago and the culture of the group.
UMOJA embarks on a 'March Madness' campaign to bolster career readiness
Our Black student union hosted a series of “March Madness” events but instead of flexing their athletic agility, students sharpened their professional development skills. UMOJA’s inaugural month-long campaign was designed to bring students one step closer to achieving their dreams. Events Chair Arize Nwike joined us to speak about what students are taking away from the events.
Boston School Committee votes to close Dever Elementary, despite pressure from advocates
District officials identified four schools to close by the end of next school year due to underutilization, but advocates contend the decision-making process excluded their voices.
Afro fusion-jazz project aims to honor victims of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade
A new audio-visual project hopes to recognize the legacy of one of the most traumatic instances of oppression in global history. TransAtlantic Journey is the new 12-track album and graphic set by musician, theologian, and psychologist Dr. Jerome Crichton. The project is the culmination of four and a half years of sociological research into the TransAtlantic Slave Trade.
Rev. Dr. Brandon Thomas Crowley speaks on his relationship with God as a Black, queer pastor
Brandon Thomas Crowley is believed to be the first out Black queer pastor in Massachusetts. Crowley joined our 2025 Black History Month special to speak about the intersections of Blackness and queerness as it relates to liberation. I asked Crowley about reconciling his faith as a queer person, the principles that drive his work, and what he hopes to still accomplish.
Quincy school committee votes against making Lunar New Year a school holiday
Many Quincy parents who testified at the recent school committee meeting voiced hope the holiday's recognition would strengthen Asian American representation in the city.
State’s new ‘Farm-Pass’ program hopes to ease farm succession planning
Applications are rolling in for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ new Farm Transfer Planning Assistance initiative that connects aging farmers and their successors with experienced planners to set retirement goals and figure out how management and assets will be transferred.
Boston Public Schools prepares for city-wide competition for teens to address social issues
High schoolers across Boston took part in a city-wide competition designed to engage teens in addressing key social issues in their communities. The so-called Aspen Challenge gives students a chance to learn leadership and team-building skills. I made a spot explaining the competition and previewing what's to come.
Chinanu Okoli
![Patrick Tutwiler speaks to a room of students in the library.]( "Patrick Tutwiler speaks to a room of students in the library.")
State education leaders promote free college and influx of state aid to Mass. high schoolers
Massachusetts' education officials are meeting with high schoolers at several schools over the next month to help demystify the financial aid process as they prepare to start their college applications.
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