Mihiro Shimano


Favorite Pieces

Read some of my favorite pieces that I've written

Boston.com •

A Massachusetts organ donor honored during parade at Rose Bowl Game

An organ donor from Worcester is one of the honorees who will be recognized as part of the Donate Life float at the Rose Parade Jan. 1, the annual parade marking the start of the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, California. Paul Flanders, who died four years ago from a sudden heart attack at 48 years old, will appear on a floragraph on the float alongside other honorees being recognized for serving as organ, eye, and tissue donors. As an organ donor, Flanders has given more than 103 tissue transpla
Boston.com •

Maura Healey speaks out over Mississippi abortion case

Just hours after oral arguments on the Mississippi abortion case took place in the Supreme Court Wednesday, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey expressed her concerns on arguments made in the case that could potentially repeal the 50-year standing statute of Roe v. Wade and change abortion rights laws across the country. No decision was made on the case, but that did not stop Healey, an advocate for abortion access, from speaking out about the commentaries made by the six-to-three major
Boston.com •

She developed a potentially life-threatening condition from a spin class. Now she's raising awareness about the symptoms to help others.

A Massachusetts woman who almost lost her leg after contracting a life-threatening and painful condition from a spin class is now warning and educating others about the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis using TikTok and Instagram. Kaelyn Franco, 24, a recent graduate from UMass Amherst and active sports enthusiast, took a 45-minute spin class recommended by her cousin on Sept. 15, according to the “Today” show. During the stationary bike workout, Franco felt a “weakness in her legs,” but she did not
Boston.com •

Fines for not voting? It's a long shot, but here's why one Mass. rep has proposed it anyway

It’s not looking like Massachusetts residents will be getting fined for not voting anytime soon — a bill that would have allowed for that, proposed by state Rep. Dylan A. Fernandes, failed to make it out of committee last month. But Fernandes, who represents Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket at the Statehouse, says he’s OK with that, if the proposal gets people talking and thinking. “You file an idea, knowing that it has no chance of passing, but that contributes to important public de
Boston.com •

A look at the members of Boston's next City Council

Boston voters have decided on their next city council — four at-large city councilors and nine district councilors. The at-large seats will be represented by incumbents Michael Flaherty and Julia Mejia, joined by newcomers Ruthzee Louijeune and Erin Murphy. (Murphy declared victory Tuesday night, although with just 325 votes separating her from opponent David Halbert in the unofficial results, Halbert has yet to concede. “We are awaiting final confirmation that each and every mail-in ballot has
Boston.com •

Surviving a pandemic: How a local dance shoe store is keeping its doors open

The storefront of Teddy Shoes, set on a bustling stretch of Mass. Ave in Cambridge’s Central Square, is packed with shoes, from casual sneakers to women’s ballet slippers. Inside the shop, owner Steven Adelson is surrounded by walls lined floor to ceiling with ballroom heels, tap shoes, and dance clothes. For 44 years, Adelson has embraced the job of helping customers find the perfect fit with the right pair of shoes. The store was opened in 1957 by his father, and Adelson, 66, joined the famil
Boston.com •

How creating a board game helped a Boston ICU doctor grapple with the trauma of COVID-19

In March of 2020, when hospital beds were being converted into ICU beds to prepare for COVID-19 patients, those working in hospitals thought they were ready. But what hit them was a new reality that no one was prepared for: Hospitals were inundated by the sickest of patients suffering from a virus doctors still knew very little about. One of the doctors at the frontlines was Lakshman Swamy, who at the time was a senior fellow at the Boston Medical Center in the ICU.
Boston.com •

'We could have saved many lives if...': Here's what Dr. Abraar Karan says we got wrong about the COVID response

During the initial stages of COVID-19, when there was contradicting information being spread due to the uncertainty about the virus, there were many discussions held on what kind of masks were safe, whether to even wear them or not, and whether the virus was transmissible through air particles or surfaces, among other things. An infectious disease doctor at Stanford university — who worked previously at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and on the Massachusetts state COVI
Boston.com •

Rochelle Walensky disappointed but not surprised with COVID-19 vaccine disparities

COVID-19 case numbers have increased rapidly in the past month as the average daily number of deaths from the disease in the U.S. surpassed 2,000 just last week, The New York Times reported. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data Wednesday that showed the number of people in the U.S. receiving their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine had significantly decreased in recent days.
Boston.com •

The crowded at-large councilor race in Boston proved too much for some candidates — and has implications for November

A fledgling political campaign is a challenge for any candidate. Tack on issues that arise from an ongoing pandemic, a historic five-way mayoral race drawing most of the spotlight, and a 17-candidate slate, and it starts to sound like a perfect storm of campaign challenges. This was the Boston at-large city councilor race this year, as 17 candidates, many of them political newcomers, each tried to secure one of eight available slots for four seats on the November ballot.
Boston.com •

Maura Healey just OK'd a ballot question to keep gig workers as independent contractors. She's also fighting the idea in court.

On Sept. 1, Attorney General Maura Healey gave the go-ahead to a ballot question that, if approved by voters, would maintain gig workers, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, as independent contractors. At the same time, Healey and her office continue to spearhead a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft that accuses the rideshare companies of denying benefits to workers — whom she believes should be classified as employees, not contractors, under Massachusetts law.
Boston.com •

AG Healey leads support for legal battle against Texas abortion law

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed an amicus brief Wednesday supporting the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) challenge against Texas’s new six-week abortion law. She was joined by a coalition of attorneys general across 23 states. According to a press release, the brief supports the DOJ’s recent emergency motion for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction on carrying out the law. The law in question was passed by Texas early September, banning women from carryin
Boston.com •

Meet the candidates running for an at-large Boston City Council seat

The preliminary elections have officially begun. Early voting began last week, and Boston residents have come out to vote for candidates seeking positions on the City Council and in the mayor’s office. Boston voters will see 17 candidate names on the ballot for the four at-large city councilor positions, the seats that represent the whole of Boston on the council (as opposed to the other seats, which represent individual wards).
Boston.com •

‘It's so much more than employment’: Pine Street Inn’s longest serving employee reflects on 45 years of service

Ralph Hughes moved to Boston in the 1970s after graduating from New Hampshire University and took up several jobs in customer service. But in his mind, he knew he wanted to work for something more meaningful. Inspired and influenced by Dorothy Day, a co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, Hughes began volunteering at Haley House, a homeless shelter and soup kitchen in the South End. He also began volunteering at the Pine Street Inn, helping to serve food and offering clothing to those in n
Boston.com •

Emmanuel Boateng is making a case for more playing time with the Revolution

Emmanuel Boateng is finally getting the play time he’s been looking for. The veteran midfielder made his first start and scored his first goal for the Revolution in their most recent game against FC Cincinnati Saturday, adding to the strong starting lineup that has pulled the team through its nine-game unbeaten streak. The left-footed 27-year-old scored on a straight shot from the top left, his specialty, in the 21st minute Saturday with an assisting set up from Tajon Buchanan and Adam Buksa. I
Boston.com •

Harvard professor launches new project to discover unidentified aerial phenomena

Unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, also known more commonly as unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, have long been a mystery. Besides images captured by distant cameras on fighter jets and tales of UFO sightings, these flying phenomena are yet to be confirmed. One Harvard professor is taking new steps to explore and solve this mystery. On Monday, Avi Loeb, a professor in the university’s Department of Astronomy, announced the launch of the Galileo Project, which is dedicated to bringing s
Boston.com •

If Boston builds more protected bike lanes, cyclists will come, advocates say

When Salem announced the launch of Bluebikes in the city in June, August Blake wanted to be the first person to take the ride-share bike from Salem to Boston. And he did exactly that: starting at Salem Willows Park, and three hours and approximately 27 miles later, reaching the farthest apart dock possible at Spring and Powell streets in West Roxbury. Throughout the ride, Blake noticed that some of the cities had a network of bike infrastructures where bikers could feel safe while still being o
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