We suggest turning all and even a part of Widett Circle right into a restored wetland; our 2017 evaluation discovered {that a} 300-acre wetland within the Fort Level Channel space might additionally retailer runoff from a 10-inch storm from greater than 1,000 acres of the encompassing developed space, defending companies and houses, together with these of many low-income residents within the South Finish, Dorchester, and Roxbury.
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Rising seas are coming. Excessive storms are coming. Let’s plan with nature for a future that prioritizes public well being, public security, and local weather resilience.
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Dira Johanif
City resilience advocate
Charles River Watershed Affiliation
Boston
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A historical past of racist coverage decisions is unfortunately on show in Boston’s faculties
Boston’s Inexperienced Ribbon Fee and the racial justice nonprofit Embrace Boston have referred to as for climate-friendly investments to undo centuries of racial inequity within the metropolis. The teams’ report cited redlining in housing amongst a historical past of racist coverage decisions which have left Bostonians of coloration disproportionately susceptible to local weather change impacts. That is seen much more severely in training, with faculties extra segregated now than in 1965.
Not solely that, however disinvestment in training and local weather resilience has left greater than 90 faculty buildings with growing older fossil-fuel heating methods and missing enough air flow methods. In line with Boston Public Colleges, about three-quarters of its faculties depend on operable home windows as their main supply of air flow. These situations contribute to poor indoor air high quality that ends in decreased studying; the unfold of COVID-19, RSV, flu, and different respiratory ailments; and elevated bronchial asthma.
Mayor Michelle Wu’s formidable Inexperienced New Deal will begin renovating Boston public faculties subsequent 12 months. This might begin repairing our shameful historical past of segregation and inequity however provided that the town incorporates racial fairness into the planning course of. Colleges with probably the most college students of coloration — and faculties in neighborhoods with probably the most college students of coloration — needs to be first in line for upgrades.
Suleika Soto
South Boston
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Sarah Horsley
Jamaica Plain
The writers are every Boston Public Colleges dad and mom and cofounders of BPS Households for COVID Security. Soto is the mother or father organizer for the Boston Training Justice Alliance.
Fairness in local weather mitigation efforts is a statewide concern
Dharna Noor’s article describes a report that recommends that Boston direct local weather resilience and mitigation funds to low-income individuals and communities of coloration.
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What’s true for the town is true for the state. All through Massachusetts, as in Boston, individuals of coloration and low-income individuals are almost certainly to stay in neighborhoods with extreme warmth and air pollution. They’re almost certainly to stay in rental housing and to pay a disproportionate share of their revenue for vitality and housing prices.
Consultant Andres X. Vargas of Haverhill and Senator Adam Gomez of Springfield have launched An Act Establishing a Zero Carbon Renovation Fund. This invoice would allocate $300 million to renovate present buildings together with reasonably priced housing, public housing, properties rented or owned by low- or moderate-income households, and municipal buildings, together with faculties.
The invoice prioritizes buildings which are bodily positioned in environmental justice communities, Gateway Cities, and communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
Cash for the fund is already out there, within the type of federal COVID aid and infrastructure funds which were allotted to Massachusetts and never but spent.
Massachusetts legislators ought to act rapidly to go this measure — $300 million could be a down fee on the type of equitable local weather imaginative and prescient that will get plenty of dialogue in studies however wants rather more precise funding to turn into a actuality.
A huge fourth quarter by Camryn Tade helped the Army West Point Black Knights women’s basketball team rally from a deficit to defeat Boston U, 59-52, on Saturday in Boston.
The Black Knights (13-3, 5-1 Patriot) have won two straight games since they fell to Lehigh a weekend ago and dropped from the ranks of the undefeated teams in the league.
Now, Army is tied for first place with both Navy and Holy Cross at 5-1 going into next week’s games. Lehigh is a half-game back at 4-1.
The Black Knights started the fourth quarter down 46-38. Tade came to the rescue, as she scored 11 of her 18 points in the final 10 minutes.
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She got to work 40 seconds into the quarter with a 3-pointer that cut the lead to five points.
After several empty possessions, Tade struck again with another 3-pointer to push the Black Knights within two points, 46-44, with 7:30 left.
The Terriers remained in the lead as they and the Black Knights traded free throws before Army took the lead, thanks against to Tade. Her lay-up with 5:25 left put Army in the lead, 48-47.
From there, the Black Knights remained ahead. A Fiona Hastick lay-up pushed the lead to three points, followed by a 3-pointer by Tade with 3:32 left that made it 53-47 Army.
Boston (7-10, 1-5) never got any closer.
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The Terriers controlled the game in the first half, as they took a 10-9 lead after the first quarter and then pushed that lead to 25-15 at halftime. Army surged to 23 points in the third quarter, but Boston hung in there by scoring 21 points before the Black Knights outscored the Terriers, 21-6, in the final stanza.
Tade made four 3-pointers for the game, three of which came in the fourth quarter. She also had seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Trinity Hardy led Army with 21 points, along with eight rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
Reese Ericson hit some key free throws down the stretch, as she went 6-fot-6 from the line for the game and finished with nine points. She also had four assists.
Inés Monteagudo led Boston with 12 points, while Allison Schwertner added 11 points.
Next week is critical for Army’s Patriot League Tournament seeding as it will face Holy Cross on Wednesday and Navy on Sunday. The Black Knights already have a loss to Lehigh, so they can ill-afford a loss to either the Crusaders or their rivals, the Midshipmen.
A prominent Boston-area doctor accused in several lawsuits of sexually assaulting more than 200 former patients was indicted by a grand jury on rape charges.
Dr. Derrick Todd allegedly assaulted two women during examinations in December 2022 and June 2023 at the Charles River Medical Associates in Framingham, Mass., the Middlesex County District Attorney announced Thursday.
Todd, a rheumatologist, appeared in Middlesex Superior Court Friday after he handed himself over to police the previous night.
Dr. Derrick Todd is arraigned in Middlesex County Superior Court after he was indicted on rape charges on Jan. 17, 2025. AP
The two women had either a pelvic exam or pap smear with the doctor when the alleged assault occurred, NBC Boston reported.
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The patients alleged the exams went beyond “normal.”
One of the women endured enough pain for her to scream at Todd to stop but the doctor didn’t listen and continued the exam.
The second patient alleged she didn’t give Todd consent to perform the specific examination but the doctor went ahead despite the rejection, the outlet reported.
Todd pleaded not guilty to the two rape charges.
He was held on a $10,000 bail.
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Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston, where Todd worked for 14 years. Google Maps
A judge ordered Todd to surrender his passport, not have any contact with his alleged victims, and give up all medical licenses.
Claims of abuse from Todd date back to 2010 but only surfaced in 2023 after Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital received anonymous complaints.
Todd is the former chief of clinical rheumatology at the Boston hospital but resigned after 14 years in 2023 when two other physicians questioned the appropriateness of pelvis exams for his rheumatology patients, the Boston Globe reported.
Over 200 of Todd’s former patients accused him of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations, and rectal examinations.
The accusers include over 200 women and several men between teenagers and 60-year-olds.
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Attorneys for 180 of the former patients say the two rape charges are just the start of the doctor’s legal battle.
“It’s just the beginning of the criminal case against Dr. Todd, but it does help validate the civil claims that Lubin & Meyer is pursuing on behalf of so many of his former patients,” Attorney William Thompson said. “Fundamentally, it’s about a doctor abusing his position. And taking advantage of patients who put their trust in him for his own personal sexual gratification.”
Over 200 of Todd’s former patients accused him of performing unnecessary pelvic floor therapy, breast examinations, testicular examinations, and rectal examinations. LinkedIn
Todd voluntarily ceased his medical practice in Massachusetts in September 2023.
The announcement was made in a letter to the Board of Registration in Medicine.
The class-action lawsuit against Todd also listed the hospital as a defendant for allegedly knowing about the abuse and failing to stop it.
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