Bob Seay

Mayoral Candidate John Connolly joined Morning Edition's Bob Seay to talk about the departing Mayor Tom Menino.

The U.S. military was on full display at the Academy Awards, with movies like "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty." But it was an Oscar-nominated "documentary" that's lifting the curtain on sexual assaults in the military. The film "The Invisible War" depicts servicemen and women who have been sexually assaulted, and what they face when they speak up.

Owning a house: it's the American Dream but it's still far out of reach for millions of people. New information from the Latino Policy Institute reveals if you're Latino, it's way beyond a dream.

The latest Census reveals a trend among immigrants in Massachusetts. More than half of the immigrants in the Bay State are now US citizens. That's outpacing the US average.

With almost half of all Catholics in the world living in Latin America, how likely is it that the next Pope will be Latino?

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined Morning Edition's Bob Seay this morning to talk about President Obama's State of the Union speech last night. 

On Gun Control:

"I have no doubt that a majority of people in Congress will put some restraint on guns, and help us bring down gun violence" she said. "But we've got to have a vote."

On the President's Negotiations with Congress:

Gov. Deval Patrick talked to Morning Edition's Bob Seay about the state's response to the Blizzard of 2013.

WGBH Radio's Bob Seay talks with Maria Hinojosa, host of the WGBH program Latino USA, on the momentum surrounding immigration reform.

WGBH reporter Adam Reilly recently looked into the plastic bottle ban in Concord, Mass, finding the town split between environmental and business concerns.

For additional, environmental context, Morning Edition's Bob Seay talked to Heather Goldstone, author of WGBH's Living Lab.

Bob Seay: What impact can a single town have in banning these bottles?

Heather Goldstone: I think we have to be realistic – the biggest impact will probably be an educational or awareness impact.

After six hours of last-minute lawmaking on Beacon Hill the 2011-2012 legislative session was gaveled closed Monday.

Ken Burns is a bit of a Renaissance man — his critically acclaimed documentaries have delved into topics as diverse as the Civil War, the evolution of jazz music, and America’s national park system. In Burns’ newest film, The Dust Bowl, the director continues to expand his horizons, exploring the devastation that occurred on the southern plains during the 1930s. Burns spoke to WGBH about making his new film, which premieres on PBS on November 18 and 19, 8- 10pm, ET.

200,000 residents of Worcester are waiting for the water to be turned back on after a major water main break Monday afternoon. Officials say they hope repairs to be completed later this morning.

Utility crews are working around the clock to restore power. NStar is hoping to fully restore power by Thursday night, Nov. 1. National Grid says most of its customers should be back online by Friday night.

At 7 a.m. on Oct. 29, Hurricane Sandy was already making its presence known on the Massachusetts coast, Gov. Deval Patrick said.

"We have had reports of high seas and gusts ... of 40 or 50 mph," he said. "Lynn, Plum Island and New Bedford have ordered limited evacuations."

The Framingham compounding pharmacy at the center of the national meningitis outbreak was the subject of an investigation by Massachusetts’ regulators 6 years ago.

The collapse of Curt Schilling's 38 Studios has put Rhode Island's economy on the hot seat. But the Ocean State is struggling with bigger problems than the Schilling deal. Rhode Island has the nation's second-highest unemployment rate and considered one of the least business-friendly states in the U.S. Everyone, from Gov. Lincoln Chafee on down, is trying to turn it around.

What the Candidates Think  

Cicilline: First District Cong. David Cicilline is a democrat who strongly supports President Obama’s economic agenda. During his time in office, Cicilline has introduced bills to give grants to struggling small businesses and prevent offshoring, and supported legislation focused on ending currency manipulation among America's trading partners. 

Doherty: Republican candidate Brendan Doherty supports Mitt Romney’s plan for lower taxes and budget cuts. Doherty argues he will support small business through "(1) fairness and consistency in the tax code; (2) lower and more predictable energy costs; (3) a smarter regulatory policy; and (4) reduced and predictable health care costs," and says, "By focusing on those areas, I believe the government can set the private sector free to usher in a new era of American economic expansion." 

UMass political science professor Maurice Cunningham says the first debate between Senator Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren was one of the best political debates in the Bay State in recent years.

Hear his analysis of how well the candidates did.

There’s no getting around it: The foods we eat have a huge environmental impact, and they contribute to global warming. That’s why a lot of people who are concerned about recent weather extremes and climate change are now paying closer attention to their dietary choices. 

In 1963, a recent BU grad named Russell Morash, Jr. got his chance to direct a television show at WGBH and he ended up making Julia Child a new kind of celebrity — the star of a cooking show.

Everyone’s attention is on the Olympics in London, and Alex Gallafent of The World is in the midst of the excitement.

The Supreme Court health care ruling is now expected to come down this Thursday, June 28. While we all drum our fingers, law expert Renée Landers reviewed the four possible scenarios and explains the ramifications of each. Most likely, Landers said, is that the court will strike down the individual insurance mandate but uphold the rest of the law, following the 2011 judgment of a federal appeals court in Atlanta.

BOSTON — On Beacon Hill, there's legislative pushback on the state's new budget. Soon after Gov. Deval Patrick vetoed funding for the aging Taunton State Hospital, lawmakers lined up calling for an override of that veto.

May 24 is the first installment of Planet Takeout, Val Wang's exploration into Boston Chinese takeout joints as a nexus of community. She talks to Bob Seay about how she got the idea for the project. To share your experiences with Chinese takeout, visit planettakeout.org.

Planet Takeout is produced by Val Wang and brought to you by WGBH 89.7 and Localore, a national initiative of the Association for Independents in Radio.

BOSTON — Could the state take back the Big Dig debt? Could the MBTA expand service? In the first part of the WGBH News interview, Richard Davey, secretary of MassDOT, talks about listeners' ideas for fixing the T.
Go to part 2.

Excerpts from the interview ...

Seay: The first suggestion: Expand service. More riders, more revenue.

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is running a deficit, it's carrying a huge debt and its infrastructure is getting older and older as ridership increases. So, what's the best way to solve the T's problems?