Latest news with #McCue
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Carleton University launches new program aimed at training Indigenous journalists
Three educational institutions in Ontario have teamed up to offer journalism training to Indigenous learners in remote communities who may have faced roadblocks to education in the past. Carleton University in Ottawa, in partnership with Kenjgewin Teg in M'Chigeeng First Nation on Mnidoo Mnising/Manitoulin Island and the First Nations Technical Institute based in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, announced in January the launch of the Certificate in Journalism in Indigenous Communities, funded by $3.2 million from the Mastercard Foundation. "I hope that not only will we be producing a new crop of Indigenous journalists, but also that we will be sending a message to other journalism schools… to start patterning programs that suit Indigenous learners' needs," said Duncan McCue, the director of the program. McCue and several of the program's administrators and instructors are either current or former employees of CBC News. The nine-month, eight-course program will begin in September, with four of the courses offered completely online. The courses will be led by Indigenous instructors working in the field and an advisory committee including elders and industry experts will oversee the program. McCue said he hopes allowing students to study from home will address some of the social, cultural and financial barriers Indigenous learners have when they have to move away from their communities for school. According to 2016 Census data from Statistics Canada, First Nations students living on reserve are 20 per cent less likely to complete post-secondary education than those living off reserve. "We know that one of the major barriers for all Indigenous learners in many different fields is leaving home," said McCue. "It's hard leaving family. They may be leaving behind ceremony or language or being out on the land. All those kinds of things make it difficult for Indigenous students to come down to the cities." Three of the courses will be offered as in-person intensives — one in Ottawa, one on Manitoulin Island and the third yet to be determined — to foster community within the program and train hands-on skills, said McCue. The cost of travel, accommodation and food for these will be covered. The tuition fee structure will follow that of Carleton's Bachelor of Journalism program. "We can take back the mic," McCue said. "People have been telling our stories for a really long time… what we're offering is just a little bit of training and kind of the foundations of media work." The program will also have a student success facilitator to support students that may need help with funding applications or liaising with teachers, as well as a dedicated cultural advisor to help support students along their learning journey. Francine Compton, head of the Indigenous Journalists Association and the program's internship co-ordinator, said the use of Indigenous pedagogy — a holistic approach to learning that takes into account Indigenous world views — will make the program one of a kind. "I think it's going to change the game," Compton said. "Storytelling in our cultures and our communities is not anything new. We've been sharing our stories since time immemorial. Our oral histories have been passed down through generations. So that's the importance of the craft, which is storytelling and journalism." McCue said the program also includes a $3,000 graduation incentive award upon certificate completion to assist with financial barriers. Graduates of the program would be able to enter the second year of Carleton's Bachelor of Journalism or Bachelor of Arts programs. A spokesperson for The Mastercard Foundation said in a written statement to CBC Indigenous that it is proud to partner on a program that will help all Canadians better understand Indigenous peoples' perspectives, priorities and realities.
Boston Globe
14-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
If so many people are leaving Massachusetts, why aren't housing costs going down?
Nearly everyone agrees that perhaps the biggest threat to Massachusetts' economy is that But if so many people are moving away, why don't housing prices go down? The state's combination of slow population growth and sky-high prices would seem to contradict the basic laws of supply and demand. Related : The simplest explanation is this: Even if people leave the state, Massachusetts is so short on homes that There is no true estimate of exactly how many homes Massachusetts needs to meet demand right now, because different economists have different ways of measuring these things. Advertisement So researchers tend to defer to the most obvious indicator: the 'There is no one perfect measure of the housing shortage,' said Daniel McCue, a senior research associate at Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies. 'The easiest thing to look at is the housing market and the way prices are growing here. That is indicative of extreme demand that the state isn't meeting.' One recent example: In many parts of the country, home prices have modestly dipped over the last two years due to rising interest rates. Not here. Statewide, Advertisement That alone, said McCue, is enough of an indicator that the state needs to build more, much more. And then there's the broader picture of the state's population trends. Related : Much of under President Trump. But immigration has driven population growth here for some time. Domestic migration was negative well before COVID — every year going back to 2014 — while international immigration has been positive. Then there are births in the state, which have outpaced deaths here for years, though that growth has slowed recently. So while people are leaving the Massachusetts, the population is still growing. And on top of the number of people who live in the state is the number of households they form. That number is also expected to grow over the next ten years, said McCue. Related : Advertisement Someone forms a new household when they move into a new living arrangement. The simplest example of this is when a young person moves out of their parents' home, and what was one household becomes two. Household growth has surged in the US in recent years — driven mostly by Millennials — and the same has been true in Massachusetts. Between 2025 and 2035, the state figures some 500,000 Millennial and Gen Z residents will form new households here, exceeding the pace at which Baby Boomer and other older households shrink or move away. A condo development under construction in Jamaica Plain. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff The easiest way to think of that dynamic and how it impacts the housing market in Massachusetts is like this: Picture a couple who raised two children in a Boston suburb. Eventually, those children will move out on their own, forming new households of their own that require housing. Most won't find any place to live in the town they grow up, unless that town has built new housing. At the same time, their parents will still be living in the house they grew up in, now with empty bedrooms, because there are so few smaller options. What this dynamic means is that the number of people who need housing in Massachusetts will keep growing, even if the overall population does not. Those are the new households the Healey administration accounted for when it called on the state to build 222,000 new homes between 2025 and 2035. The researchers who helped create that recommendation assumed zero population growth; if they're wrong, of course, the state will need even more. Advertisement One somewhat common refrain is that population loss wouldn't be such a bad thing for Massachusetts, because it could lower housing costs. Why is it such a bad thing if the kids move away from the town they grew up in, or even out of the state, if it means demand for new homes will go down? The answer, said McCue, is that those kids are future workers, who power the state's companies and economy. If they leave, good jobs will follow. Housing costs would drop because of a downturn in the state's economy marked by job loss, companies leaving the state, and a generally weaker Massachusetts. 'That is not a scenario that anyone should be rooting for,' said McCue. 'States with healthy economies don't shrink.' Andrew Brinker can be reached at
Boston Globe
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
The Boston Comedy Festival returns for its 25th year
DiMarzio echoes his language. 'I think we try every year to make it something special,' she says. She highlights the BCF's comedy competition, which brings in dozens of comedians to face off in several rounds, before the winner is chosen from the final eight comedians at the closing at the Finals event that ends the festival. 'The contest has always been the heart of the festival, and so we always just kind of start with that, to get the best people to come into the contest.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The Boston Comedy Festival has been a lot of things over the past 25 years. Sometimes it's part film festival. They've hosted animation and short films. During the pandemic, the festival went virtual for a year, with all of the comedians performing in front of a custom BCF background to make it feel like an actual festival. 'Every year, we do stuff that works and we do stuff that doesn't,' says McCue, 'and we just keep rolling along.' McCue has been doing comedy since the early '90s, while DiMarzio is a creative designer. She can't remember when, exactly, she started helping out, but she has been immersed in comedy for most of the festival's history. They are always looking for fresh talent, but DiMarzio says she sometimes has to remind McCue that a perceived up-and-comer may actually be a ten-year stand-up veteran. 'We have to adjust our idea of who is new,' she says. Advertisement They don't start with a big budget and figure out what talent they can buy; they build each festival show by show with the different venues, which this year includes City Winery, The Comedy Studio, The Rockwell, The Somerville Theatre, and The Berklee Performance Center. The idea is to appeal to the widest possible range of tastes. 'We've always had the feeling of, whoever you think is the best comedian, you're right,' says McCue. 'So we're gonna be trying to get the best of every different kind of thing.' Here's a rundown of what you can see at the Boston Comedy Festival. Check THE CONTEST This starts on April first at The Rockwell, and bounces between there, The Comedy Studio, and City Winery. It runs the length of the fest, with the winner crowned at the finals April 5 at the Somerville Theatre. It's a good opportunity to catch a variety of comedians, but it's also a showcase for Boston comics to host and do 15-20 minutes while votes are being tabulated. You'll see some of the city's best there, including Andrew Mayer, Niki Luparelli, Kathe Farris, Alex Giampapa, Kelly MacFarland, Will Smalley, Robbie Printz, and many others. It's a display for agents and bookers coming to town to scout. 'The whole purpose of this thing [we] started 25 years ago was just trying to get industry to come here and see the acts,' says McCue Advertisement THE FUNNY TOGETHER TOUR If you're looking for clean comedy, this is your show. Providence comedian Rhonda Corey, who created the tour in 2023, is joined by June Bug Colson and Mike Murray. April 3, 7 p.m. $20. The Rockwell. EDDIE PEPITONE If you missed The Bitter Buddha on his co-headlining tour with Chris Gethard in October, you can see him do his own show here. In his 'In Ruins' special, Pepitone says that even though he rails against corporate culture, he's enjoying the space in his new Honda Element. 'I like that, because there's room to weep,' he says. 'I can regret my past life decisions in this car with satellite radio.' April 3, 2:30 p.m. $20-$35. City Winery. CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN COMEDY This show provides a spotlight on comedians from LGBTQ+ and immigrant backgrounds, hosted by drag performer Miss Uchawi, featuring Ugandan-born comedian Birungi, 'Beer With A Queer' host Jeff Klein, stand-up and speaker Madelein Murphy, and headlined by Boston's own Corey Rodrigues. April 4, 7 p.m. $20. The Rockwell. EMO PHILIPS The off-the-wall comic is a longtime friend of the festival, and a joy to watch. One year, he had a great visual gag where he came out at the Rockwell in a neck-to-ankles trench coat, and over the course of several jokes, without drawing attention to it, took off the coat, and slowly made it disappear into his pants pocket. At another fest, he came onstage after the finals at the Somerville Theatre with a broom and started sweeping the stage as people filed out. 'He was so committed to the bit,' says DiMarzio. April 5, 7 p.m. $25-$30. The Rockwell. Advertisement Jim McCue performs April 5 at the Berklee Performance Center. Courtesy BEST OF THE BOSTON COMEDY FESTIVAL: TO BENEFIT THE COMEDY GIVES BACK FIRE FUND This show best exemplifies to kitchen-sink spirit of the Festival, featuring comics from different generations with different styles. Jim McCue, the crowd work expert. Paul D'Angelo, the '80s Boom comic with a knack for a rant. Storyteller and sometime nerd Bethany Van Delft. The sly but aloof Dan Boulger. Karen Morgan, a Georgia transplant living in Maine. And sharp-eyed former Boston comic and one-time theater kid Erin Maguire. McCue is happy to be able to help comics hurt by the LA fires through Comedy Gives Back. 'Everybody's not up and running out there again,' he says. 'They still need help.' April 5, 7:30 p.m. $25. Berklee Performance Center AMY MILLER 'I think the most 40-year-old thing I do, though, is I do have a special word for when I've had so much white wine I wanna get in a fist fight,' says the Los Angeles-based Miller. 'It's just 'chardonnangry.' Y'all can use that.' She headlines two shows with host Courtney Reynolds and feature act Will Smalley. April 5, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. $25. The Comedy Studio. BOSTON COMEDY FINALS This is where the final eight (barring a tie) contestants will compete for the top prize in front of a panel of judges. BCF veteran Ryan Hamilton will be on hand to receive the Comedian of the Year honor, and Boston comic Kenny Rogerson, nicknamed The Viper for his savage and inventive wit, gets the Lifetime Achievement Award. Tony V, April 5, 8 p.m. $30. The Somerville Theatre. Advertisement
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stolen benefits finally may spur shift to new chip cards
BPOSTON (SHNS) – Transitional Assistance Commissioner Jeff McCue told lawmakers Tuesday the administration will be asking for money for EBT cards in a supplemental budget, but it won't be for the replacement of stolen grocery benefits. Massachusetts and other states have for years been dealing with a rise in criminals deploying skimming devices on ATMs and point-of-sale card readers to steal EBT card numbers and PINs, or scamming benefit recipients out of that information through phishing campaigns to steal the benefits due to that person. The problem has particularly affected the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. For a while, the federal government was reimbursing families who could prove their EBT dollars were wrongfully claimed. As of September, the Department of Transitional Assistance had issued about $9 million in federally funded replacement benefits to about 20,100 Bay State households who were victims of SNAP theft. Congress did not extend the federal government's replacement of stolen benefits beyond December, and Massachusetts families that have been scammed since are not being reimbursed. Advocates have said doing so could cost the state about $1 million a month and along with some lawmakers have sought to have the state cover what the federal government no longer will. McCue mentioned the 'ever-evolving criminal enterprise that is targeting our clients and their much-needed assistance' during testimony Tuesday to the Joint Ways and Means Committee at its budget hearing in Worcester. He said DTA is aiming to better deter theft by switching to EBT cards that have chips implanted in them, which allow for tap-to-pay functionality and more. 'We have been informed, and it's been confirmed with us, that in a supplemental budget which will be coming to you before the end of this fiscal year, there will be monies in it that are specifically targeted to enable our agency to be able to install chip card technology, such as the chip cards that you have, many of you may have, on your credit cards, which will effectively be able to promote a higher level protection for our clients,' the commissioner said Tuesday. When Rep. Sally Kerans misheard the commissioner and later expressed her appreciation for the 'supp budget money for replacement of stolen benefits,' the commissioner made clear that the forthcoming spending request will be to allow for the eventual switch to chip cards, not short-term relief for victims of benefit theft. 'I do want to, just because I think certainly the words matter on this, the supplemental which will be coming before this committee, will be coming back to the Legislature, is about chip cards. It's really about giving us the funds necessary to install chips, because the benefit theft, replacing benefit thefts — and again, I'm not trying to dismiss how important that is and how difficult that is on behalf of clients — chip cards is a much more sustainable and permanent resolution relative to this, and I think that's absolutely the right way to go on that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
19-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Luxury cruise wars intensify as Four Seasons poaches celebrity Captain Kate McCue
Four Seasons Yachts, a new venture from the land-based hotels and resorts group, has stolen a march on rivals by poaching the highest-profile captain in the cruise industry: Kate McCue. Captain McCue is the closest the cruise industry gets to a rock star. The 47-year-old Californian began her career with Disney Cruise Line as third mate and progressed rapidly via Royal Caribbean to become the first female captain of a 'mega-ship' with Celebrity, part of the Royal Caribbean group. The captain has built up a huge social media profile, including over one million followers on Instagram. She posted: 'Thank you for the warmest of welcomes, @fourseasons.' Captain McCue commanded a series of ships, most recently Celebrity Beyond, before stepping down last month after a decade at the helm. But when Four Seasons Yachts begins carrying passengers win January 2026, Captain McCue will be the inaugural commander of Four Seasons l. The vessel, built by Fincantieri in Ancona, Italy, begins sailing in the Caribbean in January 2026. She will carry 180 passengers, with a similar number of crew. Rainer Stampfer, president of global operations for Four Seasons, said: 'Captain Kate McCue is the ideal leader to helm Four Seasons I as we embark on this exciting new chapter in luxury yachting. 'Her passion for hospitality, commitment to excellence, and trailblazing leadership align perfectly with our vision to reimagine the yachting experience." Captain McCue said: 'This role is both an incredible honour and an exciting opportunity to shape the Four Seasons Yachts experience from the very first voyage. 'I look forward to doing what I love most – connecting with guests, leading an exceptional crew, and engaging with local communities.' Leading hotel brands including Aman, Four Seasons, Orient Express and Ritz-Carlton are moving into the cruise business, with ultra-luxury yachts aimed at luring high-spending guests on to the water.
