Showroom Sticker Shock: Why Are New Cars So Expensive Now?

Looking for a new car? Get ready to pay up. We're seeing record high prices for new vehicles around the country, including here in New England. It's rare to find one that comes in under $30,000, with more luxury vehicles, SUV's, and pickup trucks on the lots than affordable sedans. Why the change, …

"Uplift Salem": The Community Impact of Guaranteed Cash Assistance

Sometimes, for those living paycheck to paycheck, just a couple extra hundred dollars a month can make a major difference when it comes to quality of life and staying afloat. The city of Salem teamed up with UpTogether and Salem State University to run an experiment: what would happen if dozens of …

A Century of Care: The Enduring Work of Worcester's "Friendly House"

Since 1920, when it opened up as a three-room settlement house on Wall Street in Worcester, Friendly House's mission has stayed the same: do everything they can, in any way they can, to ensure residents have the resources they need to not just get by, but thrive. In many ways, the need for Friendly…

"Missing Dogs Massachusetts" Volunteers Reunite Families Against the Odds

It takes just seconds for a dog to escape - an accidentally unlocked door, a slightly-too-loose harness - and it can be absolutely devastating when you realize your beloved pet is gone. Hundreds of volunteers at Missing Dogs Massachusetts are ready and waiting to help, with flyers for social media,…

Buffering No More: The Plan for Universal Broadband Coverage in Massachusetts

High-speed internet is critical for work, school, shopping, and many other ways we engage in everyday life. While most Massachusetts residents utilize broadband internet connections each and every day, there are still thousands of people who don't have access, both in rural and urban areas. New fed…

Empty Wallets and Pantries: The Growing Hunger Crisis in Massachusetts

Prices at the supermarket, gas pump, and on your energy bill are only going up by the day, and a lot of people around New England are starting to feel the pinch. Food insecurity in Massachusetts is reaching levels we haven't seen in a long time, if ever. To get a better idea of just how much assist…

METCO's "Opportunity Ball" Celebrates 60 Years of Educational Equity

For decades, the METCO program has helped to connect students from Boston with their counterparts at schools around Greater Boston, working to bridge the gap of educational inequity. It's a program that grew out of the push to de-segregate Boston schools during the height of the civil rights moveme…

One Love, Big Impact: "Pup and Friends" Unite for Hurricane Melissa Victims

It's been months since Jamaica was devastated by Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms that's ever been recorded in the Atlantic basin. The cleanup and rebuild is expected to take years, if not decades, but as the storm made its way out of the headlines, the much-needed assistance star…

NH's New Wildlife Crossings Hope to Save the Smallest Wildlife Wanderers

If you've ever driven around on a damp, spring night here in New England, you've probably seen some little animals on the move trying to cross the road in front of you. For turtles, salamanders, frogs and other like creatures, this is a crucial migration, because it's tied to breeding, feeding, and…

"Pedal the Necklace" This Spring with Boston's Emerald Necklace Conservancy

Despite the recent snow, spring is here in Massachusetts, and it's a perfect time to get out and explore all the beautiful parks Greater Boston has to offer! Many of them are connected by the more-than-century-old Emerald Necklace, which is stewarded by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy. The Conserv…