Author: Anna Rubenstein

  • Library services threatened by Trump funding cuts

    By

    Anna Rubenstein

    and

    Chloe Jad

    Boston Public Library president David Leonard said he worries about future funding and hopes Congress will act to preserve the Institute of Museums and Library Services. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

    Libraries across Massachusetts are worried about how they’ll provide vital services such as interlibrary loans, e-books and access to databases in the wake of an executive order President Trump signed Monday.

    The state gets $3.6 million in federal funding for library services, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners distributes that money to local libraries to supplement their budgets. This funding pipeline was disrupted this week when Trump ordered the entire staff of the Institute of Museums and Library Services to be placed on paid leave for 90 days, effectively halting the processing of grant dollars.

    Maureen Amyot, director of the state library board, said concern had been building since the Trump administration’s first pause on federal funding in January, but she and her colleagues were still shocked when Monday’s executive order came down.

    Amyot and her board worry they’ll have to cut funding to local libraries if the federal money doesn’t start flowing again soon. Any cuts would disrupt services that libraries must provide to the public under state law, she said.

    Local libraries are primarily funded by local property taxes to operate, but they depend on federal dollars to pay for statewide services, like databases and e-books, that interconnect every library. Without those federal dollars, libraries would not be able to afford those services on their own, and the state would not be able to make up the difference, Amyot said.

    While the order leaves the grants in limbo, Amyot said, the staff also wonders what will come next from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is firing workers across federal agencies.

    “It’s such a fluid situation right now – everything is changing – that we’re just sort of in a holding pattern,” she said.

    Libraries across the state are awaiting word from the Massachusetts library board about funding cuts or delays. Their level of concern varies depending on how much they rely on federal money. In a community like Waltham, the public library is fully funded by the city, while federal funding helps pay for staff salaries in Amherst.

    All libraries rely on federal funding — which is passed through the state board — to finance a host of services. One of the biggest concerns is for the interlibrary loan system, a digital catalog that allows people to request books, DVDs and other materials from other libraries in the state, saving money and shelf space for their home library.

    Libraries can also apply directly for funding through the state library board’s three grant categories — Explore, Impact and Inspire — provided by IMLS’s federal dollars. Before Monday’s executive order, Amyot said the board was set to award 18 libraries with smaller “Explore Grants,” which come in $4,000 and $7,500 checks totaling $93,000 in awards. They allow smaller libraries to implement things like English learning classes, citizenship resources and preservation services.

    Jean Canosa Albano, assistant director at Springfield City Library, said her library is scheduled to receive one of those grants. It would help purchase materials for people who want to gain U.S. citizenship and improve English language skills, highly desirable resources in her community.

    Now, they have to wait.

    “If we did not have [MBLC’s] expertise or the services they help provide, we would not be able to quickly rush in and fill that void that will be left,” Albano said. “We don’t have those funds elsewhere.”

    Another concern is funding for information access. That’s secured through June 30, but librarians worry about how they’ll pay for databases and subscriptions after that date, especially for patrons who can’t afford to subscribe to periodicals they enjoy. The impact is expansive: Last year, Massachusetts residents downloaded over 9 million texts, according to the MLBC, and 60% of database usage comes from schools.

    “These databases are not only for researchers but also for families who are going to buy their next car [looking] up Consumer Reports,” said Sharon Sharry, director of Jones Library in Amherst. “It’s the way people can afford information.”

    The statewide e-book and summer reading programs are also paid for with federal funding, and many libraries say they would not be able to fund them locally.

    Boston Public Library has received several hundred thousand dollars to support things like curriculum development and digitization of resources, such as an online high school program for adults. BPL president David Leonard said he worries about funding for next year and hopes Congress will act to preserve IMLS.

    “Is this something that Congress can act on, because support for libraries and museums nationwide has generally been a very bipartisan act?” Leonard said. “We just don’t know.”

    Librarians hope politicians representing Republican-leaning states will step up to protect funding. In response to Trump’s initial order for IMLS to be “eliminated to the maximum extent,” a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to the administration defending federal funding for both cultural institutions.

    “We are so lucky to live in Massachusetts, where library services are supported by our state officials,” Sharry said. “On the flip side, we are kind of left preaching to the choir … What we really need are people in the red states to advocate.”

    Andrea Fiorillo, head of public services at the Reading Public Library, said her library is using a $20,000 grant for a program called “Rooted in Reading,” which explores community gardening. She pointed out that federal funding for libraries constitutes a miniscule portion of the federal budget.

    “That comes out to about 87 cents per person per year,” said Fiorillo, who co-chairs the Massachusetts Library Association’s intellectual freedom committee. “What libraries turn around for our communities with that little bit of funding is almost miraculous. We take our tiny little bit and we just create these vibrant community centers.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • How Harvard and Allston slowly thawed a chilly relationship

    As Harvard University finds itself at odds with an aggressive Trump administration, it finds another, older relationship improving — one where the school was once seen as the aggressor.

    In March, the school reached an agreement on the latest 10-year development plan in Allston. It’s the latest step in a relationship between the world’s wealthiest university and the neighborhood it owns a third of the land in — one that has evolved from a history of distrust to a growing understanding of each other.

    “We don’t trust them as far as we can throw them, so to speak,” said Tony D’Isidoro, president of the Allston Civic Association. “But I think we work much better, and I think they’re a bit more transparent and accountable, which maybe in the past they weren’t.”

    D’Isidoro is part of the Harvard Allston Task Force, the group of Allston community members who work with Harvard on its development plans. They spent 14 months negotiating Harvard’s second “Institutional Master Plan,” outlining development in the neighborhood through 2035.

    The plan predicts minimal institutional development in Allston over the next decade. Only six projects were approved by the city’s planning department, and calls for funding affordable housing projects and a new community center were left out of the final document, disappointing community leaders.

    But now, some neighborhood residents say their perspective has changed. As they watch Harvard fight Trump over funding cuts, they said they’re grateful for the recent deal and for the resources Harvard has brought to the neighborhood over the years.

    “I’ve worked with a lot of people,” D’Isidoro said. “They’re very jealous of us, because they don’t have a Harvard University.”

    Harvard’s Allston roots

    Harvard’s footprint in Allston, which now totals more than 360 acres, didn’t appear overnight.

    Harvard Stadium and its business school campus have been in the neighborhood for over 100 years, but rapid expansion came late last century in 1989 when Beal Companies, a Boston developer, began buying up land in Allston.

    It turned out Harvard was in the driving seat of the decade-long land grab, a stealthy play that sowed distrust in the community. Mayor Thomas Menino created the Harvard Allston Task Force in 2006 to give community members a say in how Harvard would develop its neighborhood holdings.

    In 2013 the group helped the city negotiate Harvard’s first master plan, an ambitious outline detailing nine projects to expand the university’s campus and provide benefits for Allston residents.

    Not all of that initial master plan panned out: The intersection of Barry’s Corner hasn’t become the “engaging public realm” Harvard laid out, but the Harvard Ed Portal, a educational, cultural and professional development resource for the Allston community, has been a lasting success, community members say.

    Then there’s the commercial real estate, which makes up most of Harvard’s acreage. One of its landmark deals is the Enterprise Research Campus, a project under construction that will transform an industrial rail yard into a mixed-use development center, including a new home for the American Repertory Theater.

    Through the research campus’ approval process, D’Isidoro said, “mutual respect” began building between the task force and Harvard. Cindy Marchando, another member of the task force, said both sides have worked hard to develop a rapport.

    “By understanding each other’s perspective,” she said, “you walk away with beautiful deals like what we’ve done with the ERC.”

    Still, task force members said they’re always pushing for more from the university. They want Harvard to assess some of the land they own outside of major projects to find new space for housing and an arts district.

    Allston has one of the lowest owner occupancy rates in the city and “severely lacks a public realm,” said Tim McHale, a member of the task force who asked for funding to get a new arts district off the ground in bargaining for the new plan.

    “I was disappointed that we couldn’t get more public realm, more big thinking, more commitment from Harvard to play a role in shaping the public side of our neighborhood,” McHale said. “They’re shaping the institutional, corporate and biomedical side. But with that comes great responsibility to take care of its people.”

    Looking forward

    D’Isidoro pointed to a few recent deals as models for future partnerships.

    For example, a 2007 land swap between the owners of Charlesview Apartments and Harvard allowed the university to expand its business school campus. Charlesview used the money to build new apartments and expand services.

    “It was a business deal that worked out well for Harvard but also worked out well for Charlesview and the Allston-Brighton community,” said Charlesview Executive Director Jo-Ann Barbour. “We’ve been able to really fund a lot of services and programs in the community over the last 10 years.”

    In 2021, Harvard donated an acre of land to a developer where 43 affordable condominiums will be built on Seattle Street as part of the Research Campus agreement, and funded the purchase of a 49-unit senior housing complex at North Harvard Street earlier this year.

    “We’re hoping that there are some more sites out there that really they don’t need, and they could easily put it up for bid and get affordable housing,” D’Isidoro said. “It goes a long way to help them in the community.”

    Despite what some saw as an underwhelming institutional plan for the next decade, lots of construction is taking place in Allston right now, said Mark Handley, Harvard’s director of community and government affairs. It includes the affordable housing developments, the American Repertory Theatre and graduate housing he hopes will bring more people to support businesses in once-sparse lower Allston.

    And there’s more to come: the future of the Enterprise Research Campus, including Harvard’s plan to transform the site of an old freight rail depot along the river into a new neighborhood with the Massachusetts Turnpike realignment project.

    As Harvard faces the threat to its federal funding – and possibly its tax-exempt status – several task force members are glad they came to an agreement on the university’s plans, even if it lacks a broader vision community leaders wanted for the next 10 years.

    “I was reluctantly agreeing to it, but it’s hindsight right now,” said task force member Barbara Parameter. “I think it was the right decision.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • As fears persist over students’ visas, Mass. colleges try to offer legal and academic support

    Colleges and universities across Massachusetts moved swiftly to change policies and offer new services to international students affected by the Trump administration’s whiplash actions against their visas.

    From free legal advice to remote study options and emergency financial aid, several schools recently crafted what some educators and lawyers described as “contingency plans” for students whose visa or legal statuses in the U.S. appeared in jeopardy.

    While the government temporarily reversed many of its visa terminations late last week following dozens of lawsuits, uncertainty and fear remains across many campuses.

    As WBUR previously reported, more than 100 of the roughly 80,000 international students studying in Massachusetts lost their visas before the pause.

    The Trump administration “reversed course, because they were sued more than 60 times,” said Sarah Sherman-Stokes, a law professor and associate director of Boston University’s Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic. “The reason fear and uncertainty remains is because we know that the administration throws stuff up against the wall and tries to see what can stick.”

    Though many students received word their visas were restored, some reported this week that they’d yet to see their statuses reversed. At Tufts University, seven out of nine terminated visas were reactivated as of Thursday.

    In the high-profile case of Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts doctoral student from Turkey, her visa has not been restored. She was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in late March and remains in custody at a Louisiana detention center.

    On Monday, the federal government released rules to allow ICE officials to detain students deprived of their visas and begin deportation proceedings. In the past, students who lost their visas could not reenter the U.S. if they left, but were allowed to stay on American campuses to complete their studies.

    Shaking up rules to offer support

    Several college leaders said as staffers and students keep a close eye on visa databases, the schools have expanded choices for international students.

    Harvard College announced to prospective international students that they could create a “backup plan” for their educations by accepting admission to both Harvard and a non-American institution this year, according to the Harvard Crimson.

    Northeastern said in “some cases” students could study remotely, or at one of its international campuses in the United Kingdom or Canada. About 40 students and recent grads had their visas revoked — the most reported by any university in Massachusetts. Each saw their statuses restored.

    The University of Massachusetts Amherst pointed its campus community to an existing emergency grant application program that can offer students “adversely affected by changes in federal immigration” help with “legal, academic, housing, living and counseling needs.” All 13 international students who saw their visas taken away later had their statuses restored.

    UMass is also offering free, confidential legal advice to students, as are Harvard and Boston University. BU’s website also notes the school can provide one-time free legal consultation for “eligible community members.”

    Some schools, like Boston University, adopted new policies after calls from faculty and students. In early April, students rallied outside the Dean of Students office to demand BU establish a “sanctuary campus” by implementing measures like barring ICE entry into private buildings without a judicial warrant. (Boston University owns WBUR’s broadcast license. WBUR is editorially independent.)

    BU spokesperson Colin Riley said BU is not considering remote degrees or studies at this time. It is, however, allowing students to apply for campus summer housing — and financial assistance for it — even if they are not enrolled in classes.

    Sherman-Stokes said while BU’s moves are a start, she wants it and universities across the country to provide students with full legal representation and adopt policies saying they won’t cooperate with ICE. It’s also important to evaluate disciplinary policies, she said, especially regarding protected free speech.

    Many lawyers, politicians, free speech experts and local community members have decried what they argue is a targeted federal crackdown against students, like Öztürk, who have spoken out against Israel’s war in Gaza.

    “There’s a direct line between discipline and detention,” she said. Boston University “needs to be more mindful of that. It’s not inconceivable that those disciplinary records could be demanded by the Trump administration and used to target non-citizen students.”

    In its efforts to ramp up pressure on Harvard, federal officials have asked the university to share disciplinary records of international students. The school did share some records, but did not specify what those documents detailed.

    Sherman-Stokes said BU students have streamed into her office to share travel fears. Some aren’t sure whether to upend plans to study overseas and disrupt their degree paths, she said. Others expressed worry a return home for summer break could prove disastrous when they try to return for the fall semester.

    One BU student, who asked not to be identified because she fears repercussions, landed a “dream” summer internship in her home country — but hasn’t yet decided if it’s worth the risk. She was one of many students who sued the government after her visa was terminated last month.

    Her visa status has since been restored, she said. She added that she’s grateful for the university’s consistent communication and its offer for her to contact university police if ICE comes to campus.

    Still, she said little has been able to alleviate her anxieties over the past month.

    “Getting my [visa] active feels like I can finally breathe again,” she said. “But at the same time, it doesn’t erase the stress and fear that so many of us went through.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • Anxiety grows in Mass. over Social Security staff cuts, errors, long wait times

    President Trump’s promises that Social Security benefits will not be cut are providing little reassurance to Massachusetts residents, advocates and employees who are witnessing changes to the program firsthand.

    The Trump administration has slashed the nearly 90-year-old agency’s workforce as part of an effort to downsize the federal government. Though no cuts have been made to individual benefits, service delays and staffing reductions are creating anxiety for people across the state.

    “They may not be cutting the dollar amount that an individual has earned and is slated to receive, but it’s still a cut if that individual can’t access those funds,” said Betsy Connell, executive director of the Massachusetts Councils on Aging. “If you cut staff, and you cut access to the administration of those services, you’re going to impede people from accessing those benefits.”

    Nearly 1.5 million people in the state — about one in five residents — receive Social Security. The federal program provides retirement benefits and disability income to qualified people and often serves as their primary — or only — source of income, advocates say. Massachusetts is home to the highest percentage of older adults in the country living alone and in poverty, according to the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston.

    In recent weeks, phones have been ringing at local councils on aging, elected officials’ offices and Social Security field offices. Often it’s people expressing concern and confusion, advocates say, but there have also been complaints about delayed benefits, long wait times and unexplained errors.

    Changes at the agency

    The Social Security Administration has cut some 7,000 jobs, including about 3,000 employees who accepted a buyout offer or early retirement. More staff reductions are expected at the agency in the coming weeks.

    Rich Couture, a spokesman for the union representing Social Security workers, said the exodus has damaged the agency, which was already at a 50-year staffing low. He said it has caused rising wait times on the national information hotline and longer approval periods for benefits.

    In Massachusetts, many field offices in and around Boston were not meeting the agency’s goal of processing 83% of claims within two weeks of filing before the cuts.

    Camillie Piñeiro, who works in the Springfield office, said the site is already understaffed by 13 employees, and five more plan to take the early retirement offer.

    “People with the most experience have been incentivized to walk away,” Piñeiro said. “The more understaffed we are, the bigger the burden on those that stay.”

    The smaller workforce could pose an even bigger problem starting April 14, when many people seeking benefits will need in-person appointments to verify their identities. The new policy was scaled back after advocates and lawmakers raised concerns about barriers to service. Still, Piñeiro said half the calls she answers on the general inquiry line are from people worried their benefits will be stopped if they can’t make it into the office.

    Some Social Security beneficiaries don’t live near a field office or lack access to public transportation. In Massachusetts, the Greenfield field office closed over a decade ago, leaving a gap in Franklin County, a largely rural area where 18,925 residents receive Social Security, according to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office.

    Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., joined at right by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, criticizes efforts by President Trump, Elon Musk, and Republicans in Congress to compromise the Social Security program, in Washington, D.C. Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

    Concerns about in-person service have been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s plans to close federal buildings. No Massachusetts sites are on the list of Social Security offices closing this year. But the Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building in Boston, which houses a Social Security office, was on a list of buildings to sell that the Trump administration posted and later took down in March. Union spokesman Couture worries the federal government will again target the O’Neill building for closure.

    “All these federal buildings — well, that’s one avenue for closure,” Couture said. “So the entire system is under attack.”

    Another change causing concern is a new overpayment policy, Piñeiro said. In the past, the agency deducted 10% of a recipient’s monthly benefit if they had received more than they were entitled to. This can result from a mistake on Social Security’s part or a failure to make updates that might impact a person’s benefits.

    Now, the agency is withholding all funds until any overpayment is addressed.

    “That brings people into the office in a state of desperation,” Piñeiro said. “Retirees cannot afford to lose for one month their benefit.”

    Billionaire Elon Musk, who is helming DOGE, the White House’s cost-cutting unit, has repeatedly cited Social Security fraud as a significant problem. But Couture said the fraud rate is far less than 1% of payments a year.

    “One of the ways to mitigate this is to provide the agency with resources,” Couture said. “Overpayments could be avoided with adequate staffing.”

    Delays and confusion

    Some Massachusetts residents have reported long wait times, payment delays and confusing messages in their online account portals.

    Carolyn Villers, executive director of the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, said her organization joined a lawsuit filed last Wednesday alleging DOGE and the Social Security Administration’s actions violate laws protecting the benefit. Villers said her group has received concerning reports in recent weeks that include payment delays.

    Two individuals who were set to receive benefits on March 26 didn’t receive their checks until April 1, leaving one woman unable to pay her rent on time, Villers said, calling it “alarming.”

    “I have worked with Mass Senior Action 20 years this fall, and I have never heard of people getting delayed or late payments, certainly without explanation,” she said.

    She said she has also heard reports of phone wait times exceeding three hours and limited availability for in-person appointments. One woman was told she would have to wait 40 days — more than a month — for an appointment at any of the six offices in her region, Villers said.

    “Until recently, I had not heard of people who called and were told ‘no available appointments,’ ” Villers said. “We have seen and heard from our members and the larger community that there has been a noticeable shift in a lack of access.”

    Error reports also appear to be on the rise, Villers said. Concerns have circulated on social media from people who found notices in their online accounts that said they are no longer receiving benefits.

    Tom and Christine, a Westborough couple who asked WBUR to withhold their last name because they fear retribution for speaking out, received one such notice. They logged in March 31 to check the account of their son Ned, who has autism. He gets Social Security disability benefits that help pay for the group home where he receives 24/7 care.

    The notice on his account caused them to panic, said Chistine. She said she worried that she might have to reapply for her son’s benefits. It turned out to be an error, and the payment arrived on time the following day.

    The family also had to wait three weeks to schedule an appointment for Ned’s Medicare benefits. Christine said these experiences have shaken her confidence in the system.

    “These are not people we need to stress more, and these are not families we need to stress more,” she said.

    Taking action

    Massachusetts’ two U.S. senators, both Democrats, say they’re fighting to preserve Social Security benefits.

    Last week, Sen. Warren and three other Democratic senators launched a “Social Security War Room” to educate the public about cuts and encourage grassroots activism.

    “It is about having a place to bring the stories, so we can have all of the American people privy to what we hear when we’re back home,” Warren told reporters.

    Sen. Ed Markey said his office has contacted Social Security officials about complaints from his constituents.

    “My office is contacted daily by senior citizens who are terrified that they will lose the earned benefits they rely on to eat and to keep a roof over their head,” he told reporters last month.

    Musk and his DOGE team have yet to comment on the lawsuit the Massachusetts Senior Action Council and four other groups filed with seven beneficiaries.

    “We keep hearing the administration and Trump say, ‘We’re not gonna cut Social Security.’ Well, they are,” Villers said. “These delays and disruptions that are creating barriers to people accessing their earned benefits are absolutely a cut.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • Actor and Dorchester native Ayo Edebiri pays a visit to Boston Latin School

    Ayo Edebiri, the Emmy-winning actress, writer and Dorchester native, returned to her alma mater on Thursday — this time, without a rolling backpack in hand.

    “So, a lot’s changed,” Edebiri told an auditorium full of students at Boston Latin School, where she began seventh grade and graduated in 2013. “It gets better!”

    Edebiri spoke in conversation with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to students lucky enough to have the first lunch slot at the Latin School. In a jam-packed auditorium, Wu asked Edebiri about her experience at the country’s oldest public school.

    Seated beside Wu on stage, with a small table holding a floral arrangement separating them, Edebiri shared the pride she’s felt recently in her Boston roots.

    The award-winning actress, who took home an Emmy last year for her supporting role in FX’s “The Bear,” said attending Latin School helped pave the way for her future in more ways than one.

    “It’s such a specific experience going to this school,” she said, before adding as an aside — “the seniors are sort of nodding their heads.” “There’s like a rigor that I have … and a level of care that I think I have that would not be possible without having gone to this school.”

    “There’s like a rigor that I have … and a level of care that I think I have that would not be possible without having gone to this school.”Ayo Edebiri

    Boston Latin School, one of three public exam schools in the district, is well known since its founding for a standard of excellence, including graduating five signers of the Declaration of Independence. On the crown molding of the auditorium, names of notable alums — from philosophers to politicians — are printed in large lettering. One space, however, is left empty, to be filled with the names of future graduates.

    Students are told throughout their time at the school their names might be shown one day.

    At 29, Edebiri has already filled that metaphorical space. On Thursday, Wu named April 10 “Ayo Edebiri Day” in Boston.

    “No presh to you guys, I just vividly remember sitting in these seats, and you see all these names and all these pictures of beautiful, dead and white people, and it felt so far away,” Edebiri told the audience. “It felt kind of impossible.”

    Now, Edebiri said she looks back at her time at the Latin School, where she did improv, played in winter concerts and participated in fashion shows, as an integral part of her success today. Her closest friends are from Latin School, she said, and attending a school that pulls kids from across Boston, from all different backgrounds, made her “ready to meet the world in a way.”

    Boston Latin, which today enrolls roughly 2,400 students in grades 7 to 12, is one of the most academically high-performing and sought-after secondary schools in the city. Admission was once contingent on top grades and test scores citywide, before the policy was modified in 2021 to increase socio-economic diversity among the student body.

    Students laughed and groaned alongside Edebiri as she made references to infamous Latin School traditions like “declamations,” or public speaking performances each student is expected to do throughout their schooling.

    “That changed my life, for real,” she said, recalling a declamation where she read part of a speech from Julius Caesar. “I was so nervous, I was shaking,” Edebiri recalled. “I remember I just had to look into Ms. McDonald’s eyes … I made it to the end, and she was like, ‘That was pretty good.’ And I was like, ‘Ah! Maybe something’s here.’ ”

    After learning a certain “slickness” to survive her days at the Latin School, Edebiri said she’s now proud to be a product of public schools, just as she is to be from Boston — especially these days.

    “I have felt very proud to be from Boston when I see you speak, to be completely honest,” she told Wu, who has publicly defended Boston against the Trump administration’s crackdown on funding and residents.

    “I really think you’re doing such powerful and important work,” she told the mayor. “Never in my life could I imagine a mayor who’s a woman of color.”

    Wu, who is running for reelection, vigorously defended Boston last month before a congressional committee alongside mayors from several other cities. She also recently appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” for a conversation hosted by comedian Ronnie Chieng.

    In a statement after the chat, Wu passed on the compliments. “It was a true delight to speak with award-winning actor, comedian, writer, producer and Dorchester girl Ayo Edebiri about how BPS and our city helped shape her path,” Wu said. “We’re so proud of our BPS alums making a difference in the world, and it was an honor to welcome Ayo back home to Boston to inspire the next generation.”

    Boston Latin School students had a chance to ask Ayo Edebiri questions after the stageside chat. (Anna Rubenstein/WBUR)
    Boston Latin School students had a chance to ask Ayo Edebiri questions after the stageside chat. (Anna Rubenstein/WBUR)

    After the stageside conversation, Edebiri took photos with students and hugged former teachers — including history teacher Cate Arnold. Arnold taught Edebiri as a student in her 8th grade U.S. history class, and will be retiring in June after 25 years with the school.

    “Her meteoric rise was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s my girl, that’s my Ayo!’” Arnold said after the event. “She sort of took all of us with her.”

    Arnold still has videos of Edebiri performing in a “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” spinoff skit she and her classmates put on during an after-school club.

    Arnold said she showed the reel to her students Thursday morning before the actor took the stage.

    “Just saying, look, anything is possible for you, you don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.

    Edebiri told the audience that though she now has received accolades and recognition, what matters is how you treat people.

    “You’re gonna better the world, big or small, just by being yourself, trying to share the things that you’ve learned, the good that’s been put into you,” she said. “Just try to do that for other people, even if it’s something as small as like, lending somebody a pencil even though they’re annoying you.”

    Arnold, the teacher, said this harks back to what she told her students earlier that day.

    “The most important thing is that you be a decent human being,” she said. “I was like, ‘yes Ayo! I was telling them that this morning!’”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism.

  • Mayor Wu proposes $4.8 billion budget, girding for federal cuts

     Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced her $4.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 Wednesday morning, one she said aims to provide stability while preparing for uncertainty in the future of federal funding.

    Boston relies on $300 million in federal funding each fiscal year. Wu said the city has never made a mid-year budget cut to staffing positions, except when it’s had to adjust for cuts at the state level.

    “So far, that has been relatively legally protected, but we know that right now the law is not seen as a boundary either,” Wu said of federal funding at the annual budget breakfast. “And so we need to be preparing for the worst in every case.”

    Wu said given the new federal climate, city layoffs could have to be considered in the future.

    The proposed budget marks a 4.4% increase from last year, adjusting for a one-time Housing Accelerator Program appropriation. It would eliminate nearly 500 city government positions that have been vacant for over a year; it does not call for any new positions and reduces spending on non-personnel items, such as equipment and supplies.

    The City Council must still approve the budget, which would take effect July 1.

    Wu also unveiled a five-year $4.5 billion capital plan to invest in essential services across the city, from roads and sidewalks to school renovations, parks and library buildings. The plan decreases slightly from the last one in size and number of projects; it includes 72 Boston Public Schools projects and aims to improve responsiveness to safety requests on the 311 line.

    Property taxes remain the primary revenue source for all city services. The mayor said her administration continues to “push for relief for residents who’ve had to bear the increased tax burden,” as the commercial tax burden has decreased.

    In comments after the speech, Wu emphasized the risks to local funding under the Trump administration: “We know this will still be a period of uncertainty that will last probably the next 4 years at least,” she said, noting she’s hearing from residents across the city who “really are struggling right now.”

    Josh Kraft, who’s running against Wu in the mayor’s race, has criticized her handling of the budget.  He told WBUR in an interview this week, “Nothing is more core than fiscal responsibility, and a budget that’s grown 20% in three years is something that I don’t think shows a lot of fiscal discipline.”

    City officials say this year’s budget was a more collaborative process between the mayor’s office and the City Council than in the past. City Councilor Brian Worrell said budget conversations began in November and have gone through working sessions and public hearings, which will continue until the council votes on the plan.

    The council’s recommendations include prioritizing housing and food insecurity, protecting diversity and inclusion amidst the Trump administration’s crackdown, and funding quality-of-life issues, including clean streets and better pest control.

    “The mayor’s proposed budget therefore reflects much of the Council’s advocacy, and much of what we’ve heard from community,” council President Ruthzee Louijeune said.

    One beneficiary is a community center in Allston-Brighton. The center is slated to get revitalization funding, Louijeune said, after longtime calls from the community.

    The city’s chief financial officer, Ashley Groffenberger, also highlighted programs such as downtown office conversions to create more dorms and workforce housing, and a partnership with Eversource and National Grid to help residents manage utility bills.

    “This year, we’re focusing on achieving that balance point: preparing for the worst case scenarios, given federal uncertainty and the larger economy,” Wu said, “while not jumping ahead to slash city services that we know are more critical than ever for our residents and businesses.”

    This story is part of a partnership between WBUR and the Boston University Department of Journalism. With additional reporting from WBUR’s Mira Donaldson. 

  • Protesters demand Tufts student’s release following arrest by immigration officials

    More than a thousand people gathered at Powder House Square near the Tufts University campus Wednesday evening to protest the arrest and possible deportation of graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk.

    Ozturk was arrested Tuesday and is now being held in a U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement detention facility in Louisiana. A federal judge had ordered federal officials not to move Ozturk from Massachusetts without notification, but it’s unclear whether she was moved before the order was issued.

    Ozturk is a Turkish national and had a valid F-1 visa to study in the U.S., according to her attorney, Mahsa Khanbabai.

    A senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said a federal investigation found Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization,” but did not provide any evidence to support that claim.

    Protesters in Powder House Square hold signs in support Tufts graduate student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was arrested by immigration officials despite having a valid student visa. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

    Ozturk’s name appeared on the byline of an opinion piece critical of the school’s response to students demanding an end to the university’s relationship with companies tied to Israel. It’s not clear whether that op-ed played a role in the decision to arrest her.

    “They’re literally black bagging people on our streets in our city, and it’s unacceptable,” said Boston University history student Alastair Holman, who attended the rally at Tufts.

    “We’re creating a society of fear, this is completely — it’s illegal,” he said. “These people can’t come into our communities and just arbitrarily arrest people who were here legally, on visas. Like, it’s insanity. I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

    Amitra Dani, a public school teacher in Boston, said the Trump administration was making good on its threats to make an example of pro-Palestinian protesters.

    “[Trump] said it during his campaign, and he’s made it a key part of his platform to attack immigrants and attack immigrant students,” she said. “As a teacher, I’ve seen the way those attacks and those threats really create a climate of fear, even with my students.”

    Fatema Ahmad, executive director of the Muslim Justice League, said people should not be surprised by Ozturk’s arrest.

    “I think it’s really important for people who are surprised by this to know that people are being disappeared every day, like on their way to work, dropping off their kids, trying to go to work and so on,” she said. “It’s been going on for quite some time, too. It’s obviously escalated in this moment, but it has been going on for quite some time.”

    She said that immigration law as written allows for too many “loopholes” that allow officials to deport people based on accusations.

    “We’ve seen with Mahmoud Khalil’s case, in immigration law, Marco Rubio gets to say that this person is somehow a threat to our foreign policy, our national security, and revoke somebody’s status,” she said. “These things have been built in so that government can use it against people in the way that we’re seeing really escalated right now.”