Tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents are officially unemployed, and trying to find a job isn’t easy these days. Often, when you’re switching careers, it can be difficult to know where to start, or what resources are available for you. ABCD and MassHire are teaming up to open a brand new career center in Roxbury’s Nubian Square! ABCD’s President and…
Shantell Jeter will receive a Health & Wellness Champion award at this Saturday’s (Oct. 4) 30th anniversary celebration at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center. The “Reggie,” which opened in 1995, is much more than a track facility. For three decades, it’s been a hub for the community and a place of opportunity. But as it’s so often said,…
CANTON, Mass. — Home heating prices are skyrocketing as we approach the winter months. Several groups are working to step up their efforts to help people afford their heating bills. The social workers at the Salvation Army say they are seeing a different type of clientele this year: people who have never asked for help before. Inflation apparently is putting more…
Timothy Edwards uses a power drill to fasten the array frame together as Narkeisha Gilbert and Lhoucine Bouhaddou hold it in place during the solar technician training class. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Instructor Carlos Antunes watched as his students, wielding power drills and socket wrenches, assembled metal racks on the floor, then mounted four large solar panels on them. “Don’t forget your…
Avery Bleichfeld Massachusetts state officials are touting programs that they say will help people of all income levels access bigger-ticket climate actions in a new campaign launched this month. The campaign, from the state’s Energy and Environmental Affairs Department, advertises things like buying electric vehicles, weatherizing a home, installing heat pumps and using solar power as solutions individuals can pursue…
Artic air brought temperatures in the single digits and teens to most of Massachusetts on Tuesday. As people struggle to stay warm during the cold snap with space heaters, fire safety officials and anti-poverty advocates shared advice on how to stay safe. Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said space heater safety should be foremost in people’s minds, especially in…
As an investigation of utility bill cost drivers gets underway, state government has projected that about three-quarters of Massachusetts homes could spend between 4% and 9% less than last year on heating this winter. The combination of a “slightly milder” winter and the expectation of lower fuel costs spells good news for natural gas, heating oil and propane customers at…
Should someone convicted of assault for a schoolyard brawl decades ago be banned from working in child care? What if that person was charged but never convicted? A sea change in state and federal laws governing criminal background checks for child care workers, intended to improve safety in day care, could force out thousands who have a prior offense, even if they’ve…
Millions of children lifted out of poverty once more face harsh conditions The significant and historic Child Tax Credit that this year lifted more than 3.6 million children in America out of poverty must be extended beyond December 2021. “On behalf of the millions of families and children who will be losing this life-saving benefit in January, we beg the…
The 2020 ABCD Annual Report featured a story about Rachel Carle, a Danvers resident who was laid off in the early days of the pandemic. A senior director with a booming Cambridge company, she was 30 years into a satisfying career when suddenly everything changed. “When I lost my job, I didn’t know where to turn. I was panicking, afraid…