Why Latinos are having a harder time in Mass. than other states

Also: Gaps in the new state police complaint database; Boston judge acquits Batali of sexual misconduct [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 11, 2022 ☁️ Cloudy with a high near 54. Good Morning Boston, We still don't know when Tom Brady's football-playing career will end, but at least [now we know what he'll be doing]( after it does. Here's what you need to know as you plan your own next steps: - Latinos are having a harder time getting a leg up in Massachusetts than in other states, according to a new report from The Boston Foundation. WBUR's Hannah Chanatry reports the nonprofit found the rates of poverty, food insecurity and unemployment for Latinos in Massachusetts is higher than they are for Latinos nationwide. - Why? The report offers several possible explanations. It notes that Latinos largely moved to smaller cities outside of Boston for manufacturing jobs just as the sector began to decline, and many have gotten locked out of higher-wage knowledge economy jobs. The report also cites schools' failures to service English learners and the prohibitive cost of housing, meaning many are rent-burdened and unable to buy a home. - The problems are also more complicated to address because the Latino population in Massachusetts is more diverse. While the national Latino population is mostly Mexican, Bay State Latinos are more likely to be Puerto Rican, Dominican or Central American. As a result, local Latinos tend to have faced more difficult immigration pathways and have lower socioeconomic background, according to the report. - Luke Shuster, the research director of the Boston Foundation, told Chanatry that means Massachusetts needs "very different" strategies to meet the local population's needs. The answer? Their report suggests investing in more resources for job training, early education and affordable community college programs, as well as income support policies and transit-oriented development in Gateway Cities. - Speaking of education, Boston announced Tuesday that the city is launching new early college programs at [five local high schools]( beginning this coming fall. They will allow students to earn credits and internships in fields like life sciences, finance and healthcare. - City officials are also seeking a state grant to bring the programs to all of Boston's public high schools. - Catch it if you can: the MBTA's express train from Worcester to Boston is returning on May 23 as part of the agency's semi-annual commuter rail schedule adjustments. Previously known as the "Heart to Hub," the daily weekday train will zip riders from Worcester's Union Station into Boston in roughly an hour, with just one stop along the way in Framingham. [According to the new schedule]( the train will leave Worcester at 6:30 a.m. and depart Boston in the afternoon around 5 p.m. (depending on the station). - That's not the only commuter rail change taking effect this spring. Keolis, the MBTA's commuter rail operator, also announced that passengers will be allowed at all times to bring bikes on the Fairmount Line. And they're adding mid-day service to Foxboro on the renamed Franklin/Foxboro Line. - Additionally, for the first time in two years, officials plan to resume actual commuter rail service to Rockport as they finish up work [replacing the Gloucester Drawbridge]( (riders have taken buses to the end of the branch during the project). Normal train service on the line is set to resume June 6, though Keolis says there may be some "periodic adjustments" due to signal work. - Officials also acknowledged Tuesday that the Federal Transit Administration is [looking into "ongoing safety issues" at the T]( following a series of accidents over the past year, including the [fatal dragging of Robinson Lalin]( by a Red Line train last month. - WBUR's Darryl Murphy reports the FTA will meet this week with MBTA leaders, who reiterated they're investing in the aging system to make it "as safe as it possibly can be.” P.S.— Calling all local artists: Want to leave your mark on Boston's streets? Applications [are now open for this year's PaintBox Program]( which commissions artists to put some color on the city's utility boxes. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Mass. will soon post complaints against police officers online. But some will be missing]( The online database, a first for Massachusetts, was a key requirement of the criminal justice law passed after protests against police brutality rocked the country two years ago. [Read more.]( [Mass. will soon post complaints against police officers online. But some will be missing]( The online database, a first for Massachusetts, was a key requirement of the criminal justice law passed after protests against police brutality rocked the country two years ago. [Read more.]( [Survey: more turnover, out-of-state workers at Massachusetts companies]( Around half of respondents said they’re experiencing higher than usual attrition, particularly at the entry and manager levels. [Read more.]( [Survey: more turnover, out-of-state workers at Massachusetts companies]( Around half of respondents said they’re experiencing higher than usual attrition, particularly at the entry and manager levels. [Read more.]( [Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted of sexual misconduct]( Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery on Tuesday, after a woman accuses the Food Network star of groping her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. [Read more.]( [Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted of sexual misconduct]( Mario Batali was found not guilty of indecent assault and battery on Tuesday, after a woman accuses the Food Network star of groping her at a Boston restaurant in 2017. [Read more.]( [Senate to vote on a bill that codifies abortion protections, but it will likely fail]( Senators will vote on the Women's Health Protection Act on Wednesday, but it likely will fail because there isn't enough support to reach the 60 votes necessary. [Read more.]( [Senate to vote on a bill that codifies abortion protections, but it will likely fail]( Senators will vote on the Women's Health Protection Act on Wednesday, but it likely will fail because there isn't enough support to reach the 60 votes necessary. [Read more.]( [Courts are handing setbacks to Nixon Peabody clients seeking control of affordable housing]( Twice this month, judges have handed setbacks to a Boston-based law firm representing investors intent on converting affordable housing to market-rate properties. [Read more.]( [Courts are handing setbacks to Nixon Peabody clients seeking control of affordable housing]( Twice this month, judges have handed setbacks to a Boston-based law firm representing investors intent on converting affordable housing to market-rate properties. [Read more.]( How are you liking WBUR Today? We want your feedback so we can give you more of what you love and improve on what you don't. [Share your thoughts on this newsletter by taking our brief survey.]( Thanks in advance! Anything Else? - 'Tis the season of college graduations — which means a star-studded lineup of local commencement speakers. Here's [the list of luminaries taking the podium in Massachusetts this spring]( from a yogurt mogul to the prime minister of New Zealand. - Russia native Anastasya Partan explains in this commentary [why her friends and family back home aren't protesting the invasion of Ukraine]( — even if they acknowledge that the war is horrific. - Here are [three books to read in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month](. - WBUR film critic Sean Burns [reviews Dennis Hopper’s 1980 movie “Out of the Blue]( which is playing at the Brattle Theatre this weekend in "a stunning new 4K restoration."  What We're Reading 📚 - Warwick woman who recruited a Tinder kickball team is banned from the dating app for life ([The Boston Globe]( - It’s Never Too Late To Have The Game Of Your Life ([Defector]( - Pediatricians Hold the Front Lines of a Mental Health Crisis ([The New York Times](  Food for Thought [I tried to eat 100% local food for a week. Here’s what I learned]( WBUR's Andrea Shea volunteered to go without coffee and countless other edibles sourced from far away as part of a week-long experiment in eating a 100% local diet. [Read more.]( [I tried to eat 100% local food for a week. Here’s what I learned]( WBUR's Andrea Shea volunteered to go without coffee and countless other edibles sourced from far away as part of a week-long experiment in eating a 100% local diet. [Read more.]( Before you go: [Fun with real estate renderings](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. 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