This is undoubtedly the “ain’t that cool” story floating around the newsroom today. Justin Dowd, a 22-year-old physics and math major at Northeastern University, will become one of the world’s first civilian astronauts after winning an international competition.

Northeastern University physics and math major Justin Dowd has had a painting of an aerial view of the earth hanging on his bedroom wall since he was a child.

Will young American voters be as enthusiastic about President Obama’s re-election as they were about his candidacy four years ago, when 66% of 18- to 29-year-olds favored him over John McCain?

In his new book, Emmett G. Price argues that the black church and hip-hop culture represent two ends of a growing generational divide within the black community. And it’s a divide he describes as “extreme, volatile, destructive… and wider than ever.”

Gina Palino, a Northeastern University student, was walking down a dirt road in a Ugandan village last fall when a young girl stopped her to thank her for bringing fresh water to her village. Then, the girl made a simple request: Could Palino give her a pair of shoes?

Stephanie Pollack says that the answer to the T’s problems won’t come by changing how they do things, but by changing the way they think about what they do.

While the T faces a budget deficit, a massive debt, political maneuvering and an aging system, some outside experts are working, largely unknown, on a new way of looking at mass transportation. They hope to increase ridership by creating new tools that rely on your smartphone and maybe even folding cars to get you to […]

Student loan debt in the United States now tops $1 trillion, according to USA TODAY, which is more than credit card or car loan debts, and about 57% of student loan borrowers owe $10,000 or more.

Every day lovers of Detroit sound lose another hero. As I write this, I have heard that Michael Davis, bass player for the seminal Detroit rock band the MC5, has passed away. In a parallel universe he must still be rocking. He was 68.

The college class of 2012 is in for a rude welcome to the world of work. A weak labor market already has left half of young college graduates either jobless or underemployed in positions that don’t fully use their skills and knowledge.

Members of the Jewish faith gathered Sunday to commemorate the lives and heroism of those who died in the Holocaust. The Jewish Community Center of Wyoming Valley commemorated Yom HaShoah at a special service featuring the testimony and perspective of guest speakers before culminating with a torch-lighting ceremony.

Debby calls her 26-year-old daughter Beth three times a day –  and might add a few daily texts on top of that. Mother and daughter, both of whom live in Denver, are close, much more so than when Beth was a teenager.