WBUR News WBUR

Mae Valerio's song “Home” was recently included in NPR’s Top Shelf, a kind of finalist list of Tiny Desk contestants. They started writing the song in their first semester at Berklee, caught in what they described as a “never-ending loop” of feeling alienated wherever they go.

Taxpayer-funded special ed schools have hired relatives and struck business deals with board members. Nearly three out of every four of the private organizations had possible conflicts. State oversight of the schools’ finances is lax.

Looking for a present for Mother's Day, Father's Day or an upcoming wedding or graduation? These eclectic Boston-area shops will make your search easier — and maybe more enjoyable, too.

The pro-Palestinian encampment on MIT's campus has been in place now for 12 days.

It’s been one of the longest-lasting encampments at a Boston-area school so far. Yet, negotiations to remove the tents from Kresge Lawn are stalled.

People who’ve struggled with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety and other conditions are joining the mental health workforce to provide support for patients experiencing some of the same difficulties they have worked to overcome. In Massachusetts, mental health care leaders call them game-changers.

Charles "Stormy" Mayo, an expert on right whales and helped develop techniques for disentangling whales from fishing gear, is retiring from the Center for Coastal Studies this year. He spoke with WBUR's All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins about his work and the future for marine life in a warming world.