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Lea Tran

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Newton Beacon •

Snow, Well: Newton residents work at staying chill amid this brutal winter - Newton Beacon

By Kate Brodkin, Celine Hijazi and Lea Tran
In Newton Centre, the snow was so much that several businesses stayed closed a day or two after Monday’s blizzard. In Newton Highlands, pedestrians gingerly stepped through narrow shoveled strips of sidewalk. In Newtonville, residents complained about the slush and ice that is everywhere but mostly took this unrelenting winter in stride.
“I think it’s given us a lot of highlight moments,” said Kerry Murphy, a cybersecurity software engineer who works r...
Newton Beacon •

Newton-based Bricks for the Blind helps people without sight enjoy Legos - Newton Beacon

Newton resident Matthew Shifrin leads a nonprofit, Bricks for the Blind, which brings the joy of Legos to the sight-impaired. Courtesy photoNewton resident Matthew Shifrin leads an initiative to make Legos more accessible through his nonprofit Bricks for the Blind.
“It’s been really wonderful because blind people have been able to explore the world in different ways,” Shifrin said.
Shifrin, 28, who grew up and lives in Newton, was born blind. His love for Legos began when he was 13 and a family...
Newton Beacon •

In new City Hall role, Lauren Berman looks to help Newton's business community thrive - Newton Beacon

Lauren Berman is founder of All Over Newton, which fosters community connection while spotlighting local businesses. (Laney McAden / Heights Editor)Lauren Berman has organized PTO fundraisers, helped revamp Newton’s farmers market and organized a “bakery crawl” to benefit small shops. Now that she has assumed the role of the city’s economic development director, she’ll have a bigger hand in supporting businesses here.
“We want to make sure that the experience of opening a business is easy,” Berm...
Marblehead Current - News for people, not for prof •

Labor law violations cost Marblehead employers nearly $44,000 in state fines - Marblehead Current

The Attorney General’s office fined seven Marblehead employers for 17 state labor law violations between March 9, 2022, and Feb. 20, 2025, the Current has learned. 


More than 80% of all employer violations — including failing to pay minimum wage or provide earned sick time, keeping inaccurate records and child labor infractions — were issued in the past two years. Since March 9, 2022, Marblehead employers have paid nearly $44,000 in fines, records show.


The attorney general fined the Marbl...

New developments to combat the heat in Chinatown creates new fears amongst residents – Boston University News Service

By Lea Tran 


Boston University News Service


Chinatown remains one of the top neighborhoods in Boston susceptible to climate change. Residents are wary of changes as Mayor Wu shares climate change initiatives as her reelection campaign continues.


Chinatown is the hottest neighborhood in Boston with the average daytime temperature in July rising to 105.5 degrees Fahrenheit, nearly 6 degrees hotter than the Boston average of 99.5 degrees, according to data from the Boston Heat Resilience P...

Recap: Nobel Prize 2025 winners – Boston University News Service

By Lea Tran


Boston University News Service


The announcements for the winners of Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, economics and peace concluded on October 13. BUNS Reporter Lea Tran gives a brief recap of the winners and their achievements in each field.

By Lea Tran

Boston University News Service

The announcements for the winners of Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, literature, medicine, economics and peace concluded on October 13. BUNS Reporter Lea Tran gives...
mxdwn Music •

Jake E. Lee Says He Is Aiming To Play “The Ultimate Sin” At Black Sabbath’s Final Show Rather Than “Bark At The Moon” -

From Blabbermouth, guitarist Jake E. Lee shared his desire to play “The Ultimate Sin” at the final Black Sabbath show rather than the fan-picked “Bark At the Moon.” This would be at the “Back to The Beginning” charity show on July 5 in Birmingham, featuring the last time the original line-up of Black Sabbath will perform.

Lee said to Blabbermouth, “I know people are expecting ‘Bark At The Moon’, but I don’t know. Right now, with my wrist, the arthritis and everything, that would be very challen...
mxdwn Music •

Ho9909 Announce New Album Tomorrow We Escape For September 2025 Release, Shares New Single “Upside Down” -

Ho9909 release a new single, “Upside Down,” which will also be featured on their upcoming album Tomorrow We Escape. According to ConsequenceSound, the album will be released on September 9 and it will be a blend of the hip-hop, metal and punk genres. This hybrid sound is present in “Upside Down” with instrumentals from the metal and punk but the vocal pacing takes from the hip-hop and rap genre.

The music video is highly stylized, mixing scenes of nature and urban scenery. From a press release,...
mxdwn Music •

Raye Teams Up With Mark Ronson For Collaborative New Single “Suzanne” -

Raye’s new single with Mark Ronson, “Suzanne” is a jazzy, hopeless romantic tune that highlights both the strengths of each artist. Raye’s vocals are smooth and captivating as they sings about missing someone. matching well with the playful and strong elements of Ronson’s jazz instrumentals, including notable use of horns. The vocals are in tune with the drums and as the song progresses, there are more vocal layers added to make the sound even more heightened.

The music video is a stylized and...
mxdwn Music •

The Hu Unveil New Rendition Of “This Is Mongol (Warrior Souls)” Featuring Members Of Alice In Chains & Thousand Foot Krutch -

The Hu newest remix of their song “This Is Mongol”, features William Davis from Alice in Chains and Trevor McNevan under the alias Teerawk. The new version brings more layers to the song with more vocal elements that expand on the original song. The song still sounds the same with it’s familiar rock elements of the guitar and drums but just slightly changed with the new vocals.

The remix is featured on The Hu’s latest EP, Echos of Thunder, which features other new renditions of the band’s songs...
mxdwn Music •

Turnstile Invites Shabaka & Blood Orange Onstage For Collaborative Performances Of “Never Enough” & “Alien Love Call” -

At Turnstile’s performance at OutbreakFest in London, the artists brought out Shabaka for the song “Never Enough” and Blood Orange for “Alien Love Call.” Footage from the performance was posted on Twitter of Shabaka’s collaboration.

This is the first OutBreakFest hosted in London with Turnstile, Alex G and Danny Brown headlining.  Turnstile just released their newest album, Never Enough, which also came with a theatrical visual accompanying film that debuted at the New York Tribeca Film Festiva...
mxdwn Music •

Turnstile Share New Trailer For Forthcoming Film Turnstile: Never Enough, Announce Theatrical Release -

Turnstile’s new trailer for their upcoming film, “Turnstile: Never Enough” gives a glimpse to the visuals of the movie. The color palette of the trailer is warm and saturated giving the shots an uncanny vibe. There’s a repeating shot of an old school dial telephone with other clips of live performances and studio recordings also edited into the trailer.

The film will be a 14-song visual album and will premiere at New York’s Tribeca Film Festival on June 5. The album is said to highlight the ban...
mxdwn Music •

Daniel Avery Shares New Rendition Of The Cure’s “DRONE:NODRONE” From Forthcoming Mixes From A Lost World Album -

The Cure released Daniel Avery’s remix of their song, “DRONE:NODRONE” which is off of their upcoming remix album “Mixes of a Lost World”, the remix version of their “Songs of a Lost World.” Avery’s take on the song elevates the haunting structure of the song, enhancing the darker instrumentals and adding hints of techno beats. Avery’s additions give the song more dimensions with the new rhythm while sticking to the song’s overall dark vibe.

Avery is a part of the trio, Demise of Love. “Mixes of...
mxdwn Music •

Boys Noize, Keinemusik & Vinson Team Up For Collaborative New Track “Crazy For It” -

“Crazy For It” is the newest single from the collaborative minds of Boys Noize, Keinemusik and Vinson. It’s a melodic and hypnotic song that has hints of house-inspired beats. The introduction is mysterious with breathy vocals and an inviting drumbeat. The vocals become more intense as the song progresses, along with the tempo. Keinemusik recently performed at the 2025 Coachella, inviting Vinson to perform “Crazy For It” live.

The lyric “If you want it, you gotta go crazy for it”, is repeated t...
mxdwn Music •

Kaytranada Teams Up With Justine Skye For Collaborative New Single “Oh LaLa” -

Justine Skye’s new single, “Oh LaLa”, is a fun dance song that incorporates Kaytranada’s signature rhythmic beats. The song is an ode to club and dance culture, with Skye inviting the listener to join her in the dance. Skye’s voice carries to the hypnotic melody with the dance beat. The accompanying music video depicts the sweaty and sexy vibes of the dance floor with shots of people dancing, touching and overall having a good time. Kaytranada is featured behind the booth.

“‘Oh Lala’ is the fir...
mxdwn Music •

Pusha T & No Malice Join Forces On First New Clipse Single In 16 Years “Ace Trumpets” -

Pusha T and No Malice’s new single, “Ace Trumpets,” is a mellow rap song that is Clipse’s first single in 16 years. The song has a very slow and laid-back tempo, with the instrumentals carried by a strong drumbeat and a hint of guitar or strings. Both rappers’ flows are slower and rhythmic, allowing the listener to hear all the lyrics. The duo also announced their latest album, “Let God Sort Em Out,” which is produced by longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams, according to stereogum.com.

“Ace...
mxdwn Music •

I Prevail Unveil Dynamic New Single & Video “Violent Nature” -

I Prevail’s new single, “Violent Nature”, is released alongside an electric music video. The song is very aggressive both instrumentally and vocally, which is the heavy metal sound that I Prevail is known for. The music video showcases a science fiction landscape with intertwined clips of a storyline and the band performing.

The setting for the music video resembles an abandoned electric field or plant with electricity sparking in the back as the band is playing. The storyline that is shown thr...
mxdwn Music •

Chris Stapleton Shares Soulful New Single “Bad As I Used To Be” -

Chris Stapleton’s new single, “Bad As I Used To Be,” is a soulful rock song that sets the vibe for the upcoming Formula One movie titled F1. The song tells the story of someone returning with just the same amount of fire and passion as they once had, which reflects the plot of the movie. The instrumentals are a blend of soul, folk, country and rock that give the song a slight edge,e pairing well with Stapleton’s vocals.

The F1 soundtrack will also feature new music from Doja Cat, Rose, Dom Doll...
mxdwn Music •

New Judas Priest Documentary Directed By Tom Morello & Sam Dunn In Production -

Sony Vision Production announced a Judas Priest documentary titled The Ballad of Judas Priest. The project will be co-directed by Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Sam Dunn. It’ll also be Morello’s directorial debut. The documentary will focus on Judas Priest’s impact and legacy on the metal genre and beyond.

Grammy-winning band Judas Priest has been producing music and paving the way for metal since the 1970s. They’ve sold more the 50 million records and have released 19 studio alb...
mxdwn Music •

Bob Dylan Joined By Billy Strings Onstage For Collaborative Performance Of “All Along The Watchtower” -

Bob Dylan brings Billy Strings onstage to perform “All Along the Watchtower” at his show in Spokane, Washington. Dylan was headlining the Outlaw Music Festival on May 22nd where he brought on Strings to collaborate on a song for fans. Strings played the guitar while Dylan was on keys and vocals.

According to Consequence Sound, Dylan also had a 15-song setlist for the festival, including some covers like “I’ll Make It All Up to You” by Charlie Rich. It’s the Outlaw Music Festival’s 10th annivers...
mxdwn Music •

Foo Fighters’ Tour Rider For Jakarta Show Allows Band To Smoke, Drink & Curse Onstage -

Tour rider Ravel Entertainment has granted Foo Fighters’ show in Jakarta permission to smoke, drink, and curse onstage. Restrictions were initially put in place to protect parties from violating Indonesia’s decency laws, which could result in fines or jail time. Ravel Junardy, the show’s promoter and the CEO of Ravel Entertainment, said to Consequence Sound that this was a proactive measure to handle possible issues before they actually occurred.

“They’ve asked for the freedom to curse on stage...
mxdwn Music •

Lorna Shore Announce New Album I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me For September 2025 Release, Shares Lead Single & Video “Oblivion” -

Lorna Shore’s new music for “Oblivian” is a cinematic experience of an apocalyptic wasteland. The harsh sounds from the instrumentals and vocals match the dark vibe of the video. The video has clips of the band singing while also showing the story of those getting infected in a grassy wasteland, suffering from brutal infection deaths. The video gets even darker as people try to survive and begin to fight one another for power.

In a press release, Will Ramos, the band’s vocalist, said, “Writing...
mxdwn Music •

Lisa Teams Up With Tyla For Collaborative New Track “When I’m With You” -

Lisa’s new single, “When I’m With You”, is a hot song made in collaboration with Tyla for the summer. The video also features the new Bose x Lisa collaboration on her chic Bluetooth earbuds. The main premise of the video is Lisa and Tyla experiencing a heat wave with them and their girlfriends getting ready while fanning themselves.

The visuals are bright, those of a desert resort with lots of yellow, orange and red. All the girls are dressed in bedazzled tops and flowy skirts. Some shots are o...
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