Monday, March 18, 2024

Business + Money

Cambridge’s new laws for net-zero construction just make for ‘learning curve,’ say industry pros

Complying with new climate-conscious building codes are an adjustment, people in construction industries say, but the adjustment is underway.

MBTA prepares low fares for income-eligible while figuring the way back from a fiscal cliff

A half-fare program for lower-income riders on the struggling MBTA could roll out this spring and summer if approved in a vote set for the end of this month.

Affordable-housing project Walden Square II wins over Planning Board, many neighbors

It’s been rough going since a plan was unveiled in 2021 for new affordable apartments in North Cambridge, but the latest version has just one more design review stop before it’s time to work out construction funding.

Paid legal notices for Cambridge for March 14-21

Cambridge public notices for a Board of Zoning Appeal agenda and Charles River construction at the Museum of Science.

Court solidifies a three-month rule on evictions after pro bono lawyer steps in to represent family

An Appeals Court decision came the same day Cambridge’s City Council asked the city to include money in the next city budget for legal representation for any lower-income tenant threatened with eviction in Housing Court.

News

Survey paints grim picture of Cambridge schools, but a Monday town hall promises some ‘context’

Perceptions of Cambridge Public Schools among faculty and administrators, families and students are stuck in the doldrums and in some cases quite bad, according to a survey that compares districts nationwide. A town hall will discuss it.

Reports from violent Elbit protest in Cambridge look at limits of city’s policies handling dissent

Cambridge police were outnumbered and almost overwhelmed Oct. 30 as they tried to prevent demonstrators from vandalizing the Central Square office building that houses a unit of Elbit Systems, according to documents the city has tried to keep secret.

Officers’ social media posts shaking public trust can be punished by police department, court says

A police sergeant’s lawsuit against the City of Cambridge and former police commissioner Branville G. Bard Jr. was dismissed in a U.S. District Court. 

Attend meetings in Cambridge from March 14-21 on ‘school climate’ and a greener Kendall Square

Public meetings this week look at how the Cambridge Public Schools community feels about the district; what Massachusetts Avenue will look like in 2040; a way to add green space in a Kendall Square park; and a new unarmed crisis response team.

Attend meetings in Somerville from March 14-21 about Somernova benefits and historical homes

Public meetings this week look at potential community benefits from development at Somernova and a Historic Preservation judgment of three homes on Winter Hill and Spring Hill dating back to 1900 and 1920 and facing demolition.

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Features

Pills, potions and periods: Changing attitudes toward women’s sexual health in Cambridge

The colorful rainbow-themed decor and array of posters and fliers at Hubba Hubba underscores a new reality in which the sexual health and enjoyment women and others is celebrated rather than hidden or pathologized.

Opinion

Graham & Parks School needs a new principal, and our education leaders need to act on it now

Graham & Parks is in crisis. Some School Committee members have been responsive, but all are asked to act with the urgency the moment demands.

Winn plan for Walden Square housing addition remains a bad design that is wrong for the area

if Winn thinks that green-lighting affordable housing projects with 100-plus units in our fair city is an onerous process, try living at Walden Square Road in the coming years.

Cambridge high school’s approach to attendance and relationship-building leaves students adrift

Working with disengaged kids is about relationships, but attendance policies allow for disengagement without prioritizing connections that might turn it around.

Celebrations

Tutoring Plus readies its 60th-year fundraiser, including honoring of educator Khari Milner

The 60th anniversary celebration of Tutoring Plus has Bar Enza food, themed tables and honors for local educator Khari Milner to help a nonprofit teaching and mentoring children for free since its start in 1964.

Food + Drink

Farmers Market favorite Mahalab Bakery opens with flavors of fusion in April near Porter Square

Owner Ayham Haddad aims to combine his native Jordanian flavors with Western baking methods in a bricks-and-mortar shop near Porter Square.

Read

Gerald Peary’s ‘Mavericks’ captures film legends from behind the camera, often beyond the grave

Gerald Peary’s interviews with directors in “Mavericks” include John Waters, Senegal’s Ousmane Sembène and Iran’s Samira Makhmalbaf.

Behold

‘Heavy Holidays’ at New Alliance: All is not calm, but plenty is bright

Just as we say a tentative goodbye to winter weather, New Alliance Gallery’s “Heavy Holidays” exhibition holds its closing reception Friday.

Wild Things

Ravens are plotters and alliance-buildings among birds, able to outwit traps and plan

Despite having a brain about the size of a walnut, a raven’s cognitive ability is comparable to a great ape’s. Some even refer to ravens as “feathered apes.”

What We're Having

Pho and duck at The Eaves

The Eaves at Bow Market may be the hottest ticket in town, and entering its warm, red glow is like stepping into elegant and intimate cinema.