February is Black History Month, and the Freedom Trail Foundation in Boston is celebrating by offering "African-American Patriots" tours. These special tours highlight Black Bostonians, civil rights leaders, politicians, and others who helped to shape the city, and our country, as we know it today. Kelli Strong, a guide with the Freedom Trail Foundation, returns to the show to share all the information you need about these meaningful tours.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For more than a century, the Melrose Symphony Orchestra has been performing for the community, sharing the joy of live music with people of all ages. This winter, they've been busy preparing for a pair of concerts in March that will appeal to opera lovers, local kids, and everyone in between! Yoichi Udagawa, the Symphony's longtime Conductor and Musical Director, returns to the show to talk with Nichole about the Orchestra's storied history, how they try to make classical music accessible to every music lover, and details of the upcoming shows.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dynamic pricing, like surging rideshare prices during a storm, has been around for some time. Companies are now embracing a tactic called "algorithmic pricing", where the personal data it gets from your shopping habits, apps, discount cards, browsing, and much more is used to set prices for you, personally, in real-time for various items. Noah Giansiracusa, Bentley University professor and author of "Robin Hood Math", joins the show to break down how this all works and explain what it means for the future of shopping.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's rare these days to save your memories in a physical photo album, but there's nothing like being able to hold a photo or family artifact in your hands to remember loved ones. In an increasingly digital world, two Harvard Business School students decided to embrace generative AI to capture and preserve memories through illustrated books, which they're now doing with a new kiosk at the Harvard COOP. Co-founder Brayan Romero talks with Nichole about the technology, how his family motivated its development, and how you can try it out for yourself.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Families all over the country, including right here in Massachusetts, are struggling to find proper beds for their children to sleep in each night. Almost 15 years after helping a neighbor in his home state of Idaho, Luke Mickelson vowed to ensure as many children as possible would be able to sleep comfortably at night, and he's teamed up with volunteers around the country to build hundreds of thousands of beds. However, he says they need more help here in New England. He joins Nichole this week to tell his story, talk about their efforts, and share information about how you can start a chapter to help kids sleep soundly.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may live in a city or town that has those red fire boxes in place, where you can walk up to them and pull the lever if you need help and a phone isn't available. Those systems were state-of-the-art many years ago, but now, with modern technology in place, city officials in Salem say the system is becoming more problematic than helpful. Fire Chief Alan Dionne joins the show to talk with Nichole about the history of the boxes, the decision to retire them this summer, and what this means for residents who rely on the system for safety.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flu cases keep surging here in Massachusetts as we make our way through the first weeks of winter, and emergency rooms are strained trying to keep up with the demand. Health care costs are on the way up, too, and primary care doctors can be hard to find if you don't already have one. Dr. Dustin Cotliar at South Shore Health stops by the show to talk about options patients have, including utilizing urgent care, as they try to navigate the season of sniffles.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An accomplished young musician is about to make her way to Detroit to represent New England in a major music competition! 12-year-old Sofia Hernandez-Williams is a rising star in the cello world, and she's made her way to the top with the help of Project STEP in Boston, which works with young musicians in under-represented communities to offer them opportunities. Project STEP Executive Director Élider DiPaula talks about their mission and work on this week's episode, and Sofia's mom, Caroline Reiner-Williams, joins her daughter to share details about this big opportunity.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

40 years ago this month, Americans of all ages were watching their TV's in suspense, following the nation's first ever "Teacher in Space", Christa McAuliffe, and six other crew members on the Challenger as it rocketed to space. Tragedy struck just seconds after lift-off, killing all seven on board, but the lessons and legacy of the Challenger crew live on, even today. Melissa Edwards, Executive Director of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, NH, joins Nichole this week to talk about their upcoming exhibit and events to mark this important anniversary.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.