Science & Tech
New triage software cut emergency room waits, the hospital says. Nurses are less sure
St. Aldric Medical Center reports a 22-minute drop in median wait times. Staff say the system works best when they override it.
Samuel Okafor
Data Reporter
Samuel Okafor builds the Dispatch's data projects, from school funding trackers to the annual rent survey. He believes every spreadsheet has a story and most of them have a typo.
Business
Housing starts slow to a six-year low as borrowing costs stay high
Builders filed permits for 1,140 units in the first nine months of the year, down 31 percent. Smaller developers have been hit hardest.
Business
Grocery prices in the valley have outpaced wages for three years running
A basket of 20 staples now costs $87.40 at the median store, up 23 percent since 2023. Wages rose 11 percent over the same period.
Local News
Ambulances take longest to reach three neighbourhoods, data shows
Median response times in Saltmarsh, Kestrel Hill and Ashby Cross exceed the city's eight-minute goal. Officials blame staffing and geography.
Local News
Enrollment is falling. The school district has to decide which buildings to close
A Dispatch analysis of ten years of attendance data shows elementary enrollment down 17 percent, with the steepest losses on the west side.