Abbie Ruzicka

There's been a battle over bicycle lanes along a one-mile stretch of Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington  since the Massachusetts Department of Transportation floated the prospect of nearly $7 million in federal and state aid to repair the deteriorating corridor.

Tom called into Boston Public Radio on Tuesday and shared his story with hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan.

Images of the Jamaica Plain resident in a cowboy hat who rushed to the aid of the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions have become a symbol of the power and resilience of the human spirit in the face of tragedy. 

Callie Crossley looked at the regional news that may have missed your radar this week with Cape Cod Times editor Paul Pronovost, New Hampshire TV and radio commentator Arnie Arnesen, and the Providence Phoenix's David Scharfenberg. 

Did you know that New Hampshire is considering a gas tax hike for the first time in 22 years? Or, that Rhode Island is considering a bill that would help eliminate tip theft? Under the Radio with Callie Crossley went regional this week with New Hampshire radio host Arnie Arnesen, Cape Cod Times editor Paul Pronovost, and Providence Journal editorial page editor Robert Whitcomb.

 GUESTS:

When Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation in Latin in February, he thrust the long dead language into the spotlight. In the United States, few Catholics still celebrate Mass in Latin, and we're far from the days of mandatory Latin in schools (you'd be hard pressed to find a person under the age of 20 who knows the Latin phrase "semper ubi sub ubi").

Linguist Ben Zimmer  joined Boston Public Radio to talk with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan about Latin's comeback.

Since cyberactivist Aaron Swartz took his own life on January 11, the Internet itself seems to be in a state of networked grief.

On Tuesday, mourners gathered for Swartz's funeral outside of Chicago, where the 26-year-old programming prodigy was remembered as an idealist who was one of the most brilliant contributors to technology in the last 25 years.

Though Massachusetts has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, some are calling for tougher gun laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting one month ago. Massachusetts State Representative and former assistant district attorney David Linsky will file a bill this week aimed at strengthening state gun laws. Emily Rooney spoke with him about his proposal on Boston Public Radio: 

What are the specifics of your proposal?

As of January 1, 2013, it became legal to use marijuana with a prescription in Massachusetts. This brings up a crop of questions about how to regulate a drug that is still illegal on a federal level: Who can grow it? Who can distribute it? How can we make sure it's accessible to people who need it?

Boston Public Radio's Callie Crossley spoke with Boston Public Health Commissioner Barbara Ferrer about how the city is working with the state to figure these questions out:

Consider the chocolate bar. The texture, the smell, the flavors that come together in your mouth. Researchers have been hard at work unlocking exactly what makes food like chocolate so delicious, so eventually we'll be able to enjoy sweets and treats more without weighing more.

As part of WGBH's 30 Issues in 30 Days coverage on education funding, Boston Public Radio looked at a school in Lawrence whose students are beating the odds.

Everyone said it was coming. The Boston Red Sox fired manager Bobby Valentine Oct. 4, the day after the team ended its worst season in more than 40 years.  

Former Major League Baseball arbitrator and Northeastern University Law professor Roger Abrams spoke with Boston Public Radio that day about the development. Abrams said the firing was no surprise considering the 69-93 season. 

The MBTA failed to account for $101 million over the past 5 years, according to a state audit released Sept 27. State auditor Suzanne Bump spoke with Boston Public Radio about the findings.

Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe is no ordinary sandwich joint. At 85 years old, it's a Boston institution. The place used to be decorated with hanging bird cages that housed parakeets, and a young Sammy Davis Jr. tap-danced for change. It was a union hall, meeting place and hangout for local musicians. In the 1950s it was where bookies, prostitutes, and some of Boston's notorious criminals would convene. And we haven't even mentioned the food.