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Jesse Costa / WBUR

Nice ink: How some chaplains use tattoos to connect with patients

Martha Bebinger

Chaplains, like many caregivers focused on the mind, heart or soul, are realizing that the inner lives of many of their patients are turned inside out and made visible through their tattoos. Some chaplains say tattoos are an invaluable to get to patients and understand their spiritual needs.
Jesse Costa

Logan Airport is losing immigrant workers as Trump administration changes the rules

Jesús Marrero Suárez

Airport service workers have been quietly let go as the Trump administration remakes immigration policy to narrow pathways into the workforce. Scores of workers have been impacted at Logan — and hundreds nationwide.

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International students are signing fewer Boston leases amid uncertain future

Carrie Jung

Some Boston realtors who work in neighborhoods near large universities attribute the slowdown to new student visa processing protocols under the Trump administration.
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'A national alarm bell': Texas Dems leave warning message as they depart Mass. amid walkout

Walter Wuthmann

For the past three days, Massachusetts has played host to a handful of Texas Democratic lawmakers who left their state to prevent a vote on a bill to redraw their congressional maps.
WBUR

Fired immigration judges say court system is under attack

Lisa Mullins

“The very institutions that glue our society together are melting in front of our eyes. Our institutions are under attack,” said George Pappas, a judge who was fired this month from the Chelmsford Immigration Court.
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The Dropkick Murphys ask 'Who'll Stand With Us?'

Solon Kelleher

It’s been nearly 30 years since the Dropkick Murphys formed in Quincy. The band is out with a new album, "For the People," with lyrics that are pointed and aimed to inspire. Frontman Ken Casey said, "Silence is complicit at this point."
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Tiny piping plovers make a big comeback in Mass. Elsewhere? Not so much

Barbara Moran

Piping plovers have made a remarkable recovery in Massachusetts. But the tiny, threatened shorebird is declining in other states, like Maryland and Virginia. Experts aren't quite sure why the disparity exists, but they suspect food abundance and habitat play a role. Climate change may alter both.
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Bike lanes are a hot topic in the race for Boston’s top office

Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez

Bike lanes have cycled into Boston’s mayoral race. Mayor Michelle Wu has established over 15 miles of new bike lanes over the last few years. Her chief rival, Josh Kraft, is challenging the rollout.
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9 dead, 30 injured in Fall River assisted living facility fire

Katie Cole

Multiple residents of the facility were declared dead at the scene of the Gabriel House fire, with many others taken to area hospitals in varying conditions. At the scene Monday morning, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffery Bacon said he had never before seen an incident like this.
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Fearing family separation, local immigrants assign 'caregivers' to take in children

Simón Rios

Advocates say a growing number of immigrants are seeking ways to grant privileges to family or friends willing to care for their children in case families are separated.
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Mass. lawmakers press ICE for answers on use of Burlington office for detainees

Miriam Wasser

Sens. Warren and Markey led the state's congressional delegation in sending a letter to ICE officials. They say they're "alarmed" by reports of inhumane and unsanitary conditions at the Burlington office and asked for a briefing by immigration enforcement chiefs.
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How rooftop solar is helping New England stay cool during the heat wave

Miriam Wasser

At peak hours during this week's heat wave, solar panels on homes, businesses, parking lots and alongside roads are helping relieve stress on the electric grid.