Episode 171: COVID 101

3/3/21--Stephanie and Jenn regroup in the virtual pod bunker, starting the episode with a quick recap of a special election. Jeff Turco pulled off a victory in the 19th Suffolk district Democratic primary to replace Bob DeLeo. Stephanie breaks down the contributing factors to Turco's win, including the fallout from allegations of sexual misconduct aimed at then-candidate Tino Capobianco. Later, the hosts are joined by a pair of student journalists who covered the COVID outbreak and breakdown at UMass Amherst at the beginning of the spring semester. Cassie McGrath and Will Katcher describe a scene in which thousands of students were welcomed back to campus without preparations in place prevent and/or treat a massive spike in COVID-19 cases. The fallout has left many students with a bad taste in their mouths and the university with an image to clean up.