A call for automatic voter registration
“Passing AVR will remove barriers and make it more efficient, cost-effective, accurate and secure, as well as register more voters,” said Pam Wilmot, executive director of Common Cause Coalition Massachusetts, speaking at a press event last week in front of the State House.

Public defenders fight for bargaining rights
While legislators were debating reforms aimed at making the state’s criminal justice system more fair, the public defenders, social workers, paralegals and investigators who work for the state’s Committee for Public Council Services were fighting...

Boston still rated as unaffordable
during the 2017 race between the incumbent mayor and his rival, District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson. Jackson challenged Walsh on his current policies, saying they weren’t enough to prevent displacement of lower- and middle-income Bostonians..

Luxury condo for sale sparks both buzz and concern
“The developer has priced it by looking at what the unit is offering,” said Deborah Bernat, the condo’s listing agent from Coldwell Banker. “The price is based on the space, amenities, and location.” The unit’s amenities include an outdoor patio, walk-in closets, and a living room fireplace.

Kim Janey voted in as next District 7 city councilor
“To me, it’s all about issues of equity, making sure we all get to share in what the city of Boston has to offer,” she said. “Right now, too many of us are being left out. We’re seeing disparities in terms of access to opportunity. It’s incumbent on all of us to come together to address the demand for opportunities.

Strategic voting builds power
Ideally, voters support political candidates because of their character, competence and commitment to shared public policy issues. However, other considerations often have an effect on political outcomes.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Compact and mayor are committed to an open public process. But the Compact has fought transparency at every stage, fighting an Open Meeting Law complaint, failing to regularly post meeting minutes, and keeping under wraps details of how UE would actually work.

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The GOP’s never-ending Judge Moore problem
The GOP does not have a Judge Roy Moore problem. It has a Judge Moores problem. That’s plural for a reason. Moore is hardly an aberration in GOP ranks.

ROVING CAMERA
I work placing homeless families in housing. There’s nowhere to place them in Boston. They’re building new housing here, but nobody can afford it..

IN THE NEWS
Rosette Martinez joined The Dimock Center as Chief Officer of Operations Integration. In this newly created position, Martinez will help design, develop and implement operational infrastructure to support current functions and anticipated growth, including in Dimock’s current and upcoming strategic plan.

Edwards becomes first black woman elected in D. 1
At Lydia Edwards’ campaign victory party last week, family, friends and supporters spilled out of the small banquet room at Kelley Square Pub. Nervous excitement filled the air as people checked their phones regularly and refreshed their newsfeeds for any sign of election results.

Mental illness and addiction: often hand in hand
Both are developmental disorders. “That means they often begin in the teen years or even younger — periods when the brain experiences dramatic developmental changes,” said David C. Henderson, M.D., professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry at Boston Medical Center, home to the Grayken Center for Addiction.

Pacific News Service dba New America Media announces closure of organization
“For 45 years, Pacific News Service has pioneered new ways to diversify American journalism and communications,” said Board Chair Lawrence Wilkinson. Wilkinson is chairman of Heminge & Condell, a strategic advisory and investment firm, and co-founder of Global Business Network (GBN).

It’s time to end off-year elections
The city recently switched its elections to the even year and has already shown strong improvements in turnout. In the last municipal election before the switch, just 15 percent of eligible Baltimore voters cast a ballot. In 2016, the first election after the switch, 60 percent voted.

Building trades in the blood
Abraham Gonzalez has come a long way since he was introduced to the construction industry at age 10, fetching tools and helping hang sheetrock to assist his uncles in Miami with their carpentry business back in the 1980s, and working with his father renovating bathrooms and kitchens in Boston in the 1990s.

BIZ BITS
Small business has always been the backbone of the American economy, and today’s entrepreneurs are as diverse as American culture itself. Entrepreneurship takes many forms, from freelancers and independent contractors to sole proprietors.

When the job is perfect, but the culture isn’t
So, what do you do? If you’re interviewing, should you take the job offer anyway — even though you’re already concerned about how you’ll fit in? Or, if you’ve had this realization at your current job, should you begin to search for something different — even though you really like the work?.

Rhythm & Hues
Through Dec. 15, exhibits of work by Spanish photographer Héctor Mediavilla and Nuyorican photographer Christopher López are on display at the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.

Unfinished journey
As the elevator descends from the street-level concourse of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., a timeline on the wall traces each passing floor and era: 1968 and beyond; 1876– 1968; and finally, the third level, where the museum’s exhibition begins, 1400–1877.

In ‘The Color Purple,’ Carrie Compere finds her dream role
“I get asked the question, ‘What is the role that you would love to play, that you aspire to get to?’ And I’m playing her right now,” says actor Carrie Compere, speaking about her role as Sofia in the national touring production of “The Color Purple.”.

Jackie Davis shines in ‘The Curious Incident …’
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” playing at SpeakEasy Stage Company through Nov. 25, follows Christopher Boone, a 15-year-old savant with autism who uncovers some unsettling truths while trying to solve the murder of a neighborhood dog.

INSTANT PARMA
Like many of my recipes, this one arose from having seasonal abundance of certain ingredients on my hands. In this case, tomatoes, eggplant and zucchini. For years, I solved this puzzle by making massive quantities of ratatouille, so much that I actually found myself needing to take a little break from that.

FOOD
Essentially, giardiniera is a mix of vegetables that most often includes bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower and cucumbers. Hotter varieties include hot peppers and are increasingly popular among the more daring, spice-loving crowd..

MASSACHUSETTS PORT AUTHORITY
Sealed General Bids for MPA Contract No. AP1808-C1, FY18-20 TERM MECHANICAL CONTRACT, ALL MASSPORT FACILITIES, BOSTON, BEDFORD, WORCESTER, BRAINTREE, WOBURN, PEABODY, AND FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, will be received by the Massachusetts Port Authority...