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BIG 40 years, 40 friends

2025 marks the 40th anniversary of Brookline Interactive Group. Throughout the fall, we will be celebrating the amazing community that forms the heart of BIG. Join us in reflecting on the past, stepping up to meet the present, and imagining the future of community media in Brookline. You can play a critical role in helping to fund our diverse programs and needs.

TV on TV – Leslie Forde

Host Tommy Vitolo continues the show with another unusual guest: Leslie Forde, author and CEO of Mom’s Hierarchy of Needs.

Bignami Hope Project

A community based project spreads positivity outside of a Brookline residence.

SPOA Housing Policy, Episode 19 – Professional Tenants Exposed, Part B

From the SPOA:

Last year, SPOA spoke to investigative reporter Ryan Kath and producer Shira Stoll of NBC 10 News Boston. They described their series of investigative reports about professional tenants, Linda and Russell Callahan, who cheated numerous property owners in Massachusetts for over 20 years. The Callahans squatted in the properties of other people, while refusing to pay rent after providing false identities and fake documents. Attorney Jordana Greenman provided legal analysis, describing how the system in Massachusetts fails to hold these types of tenants accountable and how it even encourages their nefarious behavior.

Since that conversation, Ryan and Shira won the Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting for their coverage of professional tenants.
The Callahans, meanwhile, were indicted on over 50 criminal charges involving fraud, forgery, and larceny. Even as they attended multiple court hearings to answer those charges, the Callahans continued to victimize property owners right up until they landed in prison, where they truly belong.

In this installment, Ryan and Jordana return to provide an update about the Callahans one year later and what the future may hold for them. News reporter Scott Van Voorhis, who edits the independent newspaper Contrarian Boston, provides insight about how media bias influences the way these stories are told, if they are even told often enough. The conversation also highlights other professional tenants who may be living under your own roof. Viewers beware!

SPOA Vice President, Amir Shahsavari, moderates the discussion.

Brookline Day Highlights

We had so much fun as part of Brookline Day this weekend! Hear from Brookline residents and check out the HUGE turnout at 2025’s Brookline Day celebration on Sunday, September 14th at Coolidge Corner in Brookline! Event hosted by Brookline Recreation.

BNP Ep6

Brookline.News editor Sam Mintz and Brookline Interactive Group executive director Jessica Smyser talk about the latest news in Brookline, including a new Yemeni coffee shop, the Calculus Project, and the businesses and the Brookline/Boston split along Commonwealth Ave.