New school start times spark angry response
Last Wednesday, members of the Boston School Committee voted to approve the school department’s ambitious plans to change start times with an eye toward later starts for the city’s high schools..

Activists call for immigrant rights
“We need for all of us to stay connected,” said Rev. Dieufort Fleurissaint, chairman of HAU. “We need to ask Congress to act and allow people to remain in this country who have claimed it as their home for years and whose children were born here.”.

Mayors push for affordable housing
It is because of such growth, he said, that a concerted approach to housing policy was needed — not just within city limits, but stretching across the in July after a two-year planning and public commentary period, and an earlier housing plan...

Councilors push BPS to release promised assignment data
Last week, District 7 City Councilor Tito Jackson and District 5 Councilor Timothy McCarthy held a public hearing at City Hall to hear from BPS representatives on why an equitable analysis on the home-based student assignment system has not yet been released.

Mass workers call for raised minimum wage and family leave
A group of activists from across the state rallied on Beacon Hill last week after turning in signatures to get two measures on the ballot in November 2018: a minimum wage of $15 per hour by 2022, and paid family medical leave.

Economic diversity is inevitable in Roxbury
Roxbury is by no means a slum. Some buildings need extensive maintenance but there are no adjoining blocks of deteriorated housing as in black communities in some other cities. The massive Washington Park Urban Renewal Project tore down dilapidated houses or those that were too expensive to maintain and built instead affordable housing.

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The moral imperative of the Christmas season
There have been efforts in the past several years to have religious spirit predominate in the celebration of Christmas. However, commercialism has always prevailed. The desire to purchase presents for friends and family is too strong.

ROVING CAMERA
It’s all about family, loved ones. My parents have been in Boston for more than 60 years. This is where everybody gathers. We enjoy the fellowship of family..

Trump’s virtual lily-white court picks are a judicial horror
There was little surprise at the news that Trump is packing the federal judiciary with as many white, conservative males as he can dig up. His anti-diversity federal judgeship count is indeed gruesome. To date, he has deemed only one black and one Hispanic worthy of a bench appointment.

IN THE NEWS
Berklee College of Music has named Krystal Prime Banfield associate vice president of Educational Outreach and Social Entrepreneurship.

Andrea Campbell set to take reins as City Council president
“As the first African American woman to serve in this role, I am especially humbled and proud to lead the most diverse Council in this body’s history, with a historic six women of color,” her statement reads. “The progress we’ve made would not be possible without the commitment every member of this body has shown to achieving justice, providing.

Museum of African American History
PHOTO: JAMES MANLEY Celebrating at the Museum of African American History’s 50th Anniversary and Living Legends Awards are (left – right) Marita Rivero, the executive director of the Museum of African American History; Colette Phillips; event co-chair Robyn Coles; honorees Tony Coles and Sara Lawrence Lightfoot and event co-chair Dr.

Addiction in the elderly: An overlooked group
It’s hard to imagine your kindly white-haired grandmother may have a substance use disorder (SUD). But it’s very possible. In 2015 drug overdose death rates increased for all age groups, including those 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mad. Park students stage walkout after headmaster suspended
Ligia Noriega-Murphy, BPS assistant superintendent, addressed the students in a Bolling Building community meeting room. “There were allegations that we had to take seriously and follow protocol,” said Noriega-Murphy about McCaskill’s investigation..

Fitness is her business
In the three years since Tina Ramos developed and opened CrossFit Boston Iron & Grit gym in West Roxbury, she has successfully created a community of likeminded athletes and mentors who enjoy coaching others, especially Boston’s youth, in CrossFit training.

BIZ BITS
The holidays are a wonderful time of year to spend with family and friends, and to reconnect with those you may not often see. However, the festive season can also be a busy and expensive time. By January, many are left feeling exhausted physically, emotionally and financially.

Big sisters
This year’s Big Sister Association Gala, titled Big in Boston, awarded former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton with the Believe in Girls award at the Museum of Fine Arts..

Boston Baroque in Dorchester
On Dec. 30 at 2 p.m., Boston Baroque will perform their fifth annual community concert at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester. Boston Baroque is the oldest active “period instrument” orchestra in the United States. The group performs classical compositions by Mozart, Handel, Haydn and others with the types of instruments used in the composers’ time.

Navidad en la Villa
On Thursday, Dec. 7, Unitas Ensemble performed their annual “Navidad Latina” concert at the Veronica Robles Cultural Center in East Boston. The seasonal performance celebrates Latin American music but welcomes all cultures to join in celebrating the holidays.

With ‘Plunder,’ Tony Lewis deconstructs racial language, history
“The plunder of black life was drilled into this country in its infancy and reinforced across its history,” writes Ta-Nehisi Coates in his 2015 book, “Between the World and Me,” a meditation on America’s still-virulent legacy of slavery that won the National Book Award for nonfiction.

‘Accidental Death of an Anarchist’
In their latest production, “Accidental Death of an Anarchist,” Praxis Stage proves that political theater can be as amusing and entertaining as vaudeville, without losing its teeth. Playing through Dec. 17 at First Church Boston, the play by Dario Fo follows an eccentric revolutionary using trickery to expose police brutality.

A way of rice
onions, garlic, carrots and spices into a browned, greasy mix, add rice and water or stock, and let it cook until the rice has absorbed all of the water and is perfectly done. If you have a piece of lamb or mutton fat, use a potato masher to squeeze out the oil, and don’t let the heat above medium, so it won’t burn.

FOOD
Buy the best-quality chocolate — approximately a pound’s worth — you can afford. Chop the chocolate and melt it in a microwave or double-boiler. Spread chocolate on parchment paper or waxed paper and top with walnuts and mixed dried fruit, such as apricots, cherries and raisins.

Christmas in Codman Square
PHOTO: MAYOR’S OFFICE PHOTO BY DON HARNEY Mayor Martin Walsh meets and greets residents and leads the countdown to light the Christmas tree in Codman Square, Dorchester during the Mayor’s Trolley tour through the neighborhoods of Boston..

Facebook letting housing advertisers exclude users by race
Last month, ProPublica bought dozens of rental housing ads on Facebook, but asked that they not be shown to certain categories of users, such as African Americans, mothers of high school kids, people interested in wheelchair ramps, Jews, expats from Argentina and Spanish speakers.

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