Happy Earth Day! Ray Brown of the Talkin' Birds show and podcast stops by to discuss what birds he's excited to see and hear this spring and summer. Even as the state starts to re-open, the interest in birding remains strong.

Arun Rath checks back in with Heidemarie Floerke, a German teacher at the Boston Latin School, about teaching language through slam poetry and songwriting.

Arun Rath speaks with Norris Guscott, head of the Lynn Food and Fitness Alliance and Lynn’s food security task force leader, about fighting food insecurity amid the pandemic.

Today is the eighth anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. We'll look back with Jack Fultz, a longtime training advisor for the Dana-Farber Boston Marathon team. He is also the winner of the 1976 Boston Marathon. We'll also talk about what's next for this year's marathon in October.

Arun Rath speaks with Don Cox, head of the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation, about the Food4Vets program and the increased need for food and housing in the veteran community.

Thousands of eviction cases are making their way through Massachusetts courts following the expiration of the state's eviction moratorium last year. We'll hear from the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Greater Boston Legal Services about what rights tenants have in this process and where they can turn for help if they need it.

New Bedford is the country's largest commercial shipping port and has the largest collection of seafood processing plants in the U-S. This creates some unusual circumstances for the city. This past weekend, they held a vaccine clinic specifically geared towards those working in these industries. More are planned for this week, despite the pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Host Arun Rath speaks with New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell about all of this.

The pandemic has highlighted housing problems in and around Boston. Arun Rath speaks with tenants union organizers Jeremy DaCruz and Dan Albright, plus Denise Matthews-Turner from City Life/Vida Urbana, about evictions and their impact on immigrant communities.

We're living a virtual age, but all those zoom meetings keeping us connected may also be wrecking our self image. Host Arun Rath speaks with Dr. Shadi Kourosh, a board certified dermatologist and the director of Community Health at Massachusetts General hospital, about "zoom dysmorphia" and how we can combat it.

Arun Rath speaks with Dr. Matthias Waltz from UMass Memorial Healthcare about efforts to create better outcomes for COVID patients.

On Monday, many elementary school students headed back to school for their first week of full-time, in-person learning. Watertown was one of them. We’ll hear from Superintendent Doctor Dede Galdston about how the first day back went. But some districts - like in Chelsea - needed more time to prepare for the shift back. Superintendent Dr. Almi Abeyta walks us through what school will look like for some elementary students when they head back to classrooms next week.

Arun Rath speaks with Dan Hoffenberg, vice president with Cataldo Ambulance. Hoffenberg is managing vaccine work for Cataldo at the mass vaccination site at Boston's Hyne's Convention Center.

On Monday, thousands of students will be returning to classrooms for full-time, in-person learning. For many of them, it will be their first big step towards a new normal. But with that step comes anxiety all around. We'll hear how parents can help make that transition easier. We'll also hear how one school district is working right now to make their students comfortable with in-person learning. Then, we get the teacher perspective. Many of them are vaccinated - or getting their shots - but...

Throughout this pandemic, nurses, doctors, and staff across hospitals and community health centers have been on the front lines caring for patients and their families. It's been emotionally taxing for many of them. That’s why some here in Massachusetts are now coming together to help their colleagues. Brigham and Women's Hospital has launched a new podcast called Resiliency Roadmap as a way to support nurses on the frontlines. We’ll hear from Maddy Pearson, podcast host and the chief...

Arun Rath speak swith Paul Sacco, head of the Massachusetts Lodging Association, about how the lodging industry has been taken out at the knees by the pandemic, and what recovery might look like, especially for smaller inns and motels.

Outdoor dining starts up on Thursday in the North End. The pandemic has been particularly hard on this Boston neighborhood, which relies heavily on tourists and sports fans for their business. We’ll hear from Phillip Frattaroli, managing partner of the Filmark Hospitality Group, which owns a handful of restaurants in the greater Boston area, including three in the North End. Phillip says he and his family are looking forward to patio season this year after a long winter.

Arun Rath speaks with Cicely Carew, the Cambridge artist behind 'Ambrosia,’ a huge hanging art installation in the atrium of the Prudential Center that’s inspired by the concept of healing amid the pandemic.

Facing another Passover in the pandemic, it seemed like a good time to check in with host Arun Rath’s rabbi, Howard Jaffe, of Temple Isaiah in Lexington. Regular listeners know him well at this point; we first talked on the show last year before our first pandemic Passover. Arun and Rabbi Jaffe talk about the ongoing virtual worship services, keeping the community together, the prospect of actually gathering again, and zoom holiday burnout.

Host Arun Rath speaks with Ambassador Meron Reuben, he's the new Israeli Consul General for New England. They talk about everything from Passover, to vaccination efforts in Israel, to how his office is providing aid locally during this time.

Arun Rath speaks with Kevin Kopchynski, astronomy educator with the Stars Over Springfield program at the Springfield Museums. He shares how the program is continuing to help people learn about space online.

Restaurant and hospitality workers became eligible for the vaccine this week. In the days leading up to then, restaurants began posting guidance directed at workers and staff on social media. This banning together comes after a tough year for the industry and in the midst of a vaccine rollout that's been less than ideal. We’ll hear from Bessie King, co-owner of Boston's Villa Mexico Cafe, about the last year and the work her and her co-owner, her mother Julie, have done to protect and...

Arun Rath speaks with Eva Millona, head of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, MIRA, and co-chair of the Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition. Millona shares her thoughts on why vaccination rates among people of color are lagging behind rates for white residents. And she tells us what she wants to hear from Governor Charlie Baker when it comes to vaccine equity ahead of an oversight hearing set for tomorrow.

Thousands of volunteers have signed up to be members of the state's Vaccine Corps, an effort organized through UMass Medical School. Each day, they assist in everything from scheduling, to wellness checks, to actually administering the vaccines. Chancellor of UMass Medical School Dr. Michael Collins explains the work being done by volunteers of every age and background to help get Massachusetts residents vaccinated safely and efficiently.

Arun Rath checks back in with the head of UMass Memorial Healthcare, Dr. Eric Dickson, to get his thoughts on a year of COVID-19.

Arun Rath speaks with Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey to get her take on vaccine equity, vaccinations for teachers, school reopenings, and the way her job has shifted amid the pandemic.