Governor signs criminal justice reforms into law
Surrounded by Democratic and Republican lawmakers, Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law a bill that rolls back mandatory minimum sentences for some nonviolent crimes, reforms the state’s criminal records laws making it easier for ex-offenders to seal their records and reduces fines and fees assessed on ex-prisoners.

Mass. ACLU sues U.S. ICE officials
A class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts challenges U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and their recent tactics of targeting immigrant spouses who are pursuing citizenship by detaining them at marriage confirmation interviews.

Walsh ’19 budget focuses on safety
Last Wednesday, Mayor Martin Walsh released his $3.29 billion fiscal year 2019 budget proposal which shows a 4.3 percent increase from FY18 and includes a $1.

IBA forum pays homage to 50 years since its founding
In 1968, a group of Puerto Rican residents in the South End fought against urban renewal and displacement, forming the grassroots organization, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción. Last Wednesday at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, IBA hosted a forum to celebrate and look back at their last 50 years of history.

House budget includes increases for education, ex-offenders
Massachusetts House members released a $40.9 billion budget proposal last week with modest investments in education spending and new investments in drug treatment programs, funding for housing and homeless services and funding for re-entry programs aimed at helping ex-offenders find work.

A break with the past
Petitions to change the name of a public way in Boston are usually perfunctory matters. According to a report in the Boston Globe there have been only six petitions since 2011.

Another GOP move to undermine democracy
The U.S. Constitution provides two U.S. senators for each state, but the number of representatives to Congress will be determined by the population of each state. The size of a state’s population will include all residents, whether or not they are citizens.

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I don’t think so. We’re still seeing too many African Americans detained and not having their rights respected by the police. Too many people have lost their lives without accountability. One life taken is too many..

Time to hold school principals accountable for increasing teacher diversity
It’s hiring season in the Boston Public Schools. Principals across the city are interviewing talented teachers to join their school teams. One top criteria they must look for is diverse candidates that reflect the racial demographics of their students..

IN THE NEWS
Attorney Michael Curry was recently promoted to Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (the Mass League), which represents over 50 community health centers and over 988,000 patients across the state.

Attitudes toward addiction, crime evolved with race changes
The criminal justice reform bill that Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law last week would not have been possible in the year 2000 when Massachusetts voters rejected a measure that would have diverted defendants caught with small amounts of drugs to treatment programs rather than jails.

Supporting small business
The Boston City Council Committee on Small Business and Consumer Affairs held a hearing last Tuesday at the Bruce C. Bolling Building on the opportunities and challenges facing small businesses such as access to capital, equitable liquor license distribution and navigating the permitting process.

BIZ BITS
Most people, however, don’t have the quantity of cash on hand to purchase a house or apartment building outright. Still, if becoming a landlord means taking out a 30-year mortgage, the monthly payments from the tenants should be enough to service the loan and build equity for you, while leaving some cash flow so you can maintain the property.

Cover letter 2.0
We all have the same thought when we sit down to start writing a cover letter: “Does anybody even read these things anymore?” Sure, many hiring managers don’t, but plenty of others still do. You’re better off having one at the ready than looking like you failed to complete a critical element of the job search process.

El Punto
Referred to colloquially as “El Punto,” Salem’s Point Neighborhood is only a few blocks from downtown, but those short streets feel like miles. Built originally as factory worker housing, and historically occupied by immigrants, the neighborhood has long been isolated from the economic prosperity of downtown.

Audra McDonald honored by MIT
“If something scares me, I have to do it,” says renowned actress and singer Audra McDonald in a short video that preceded her on-stage interview on Saturday at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which has chosen McDonald as the recipient of its 2018 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts.

‘Top Girl’ in a man’s world
Though contemporary women may not be able to call up a crucified female Pope from the middle ages or a Japanese concubine turned Buddhist nun for a glass of wine, the underlying issues of sacrifice, unfulfillment and lack of acceptance ring unnervingly relatable.

Nice to meet you
Nice, France’s fifth-largest city, has a storied past. Suffice to say its food, architecture and culture have been influenced by Greeks, Italians and Spaniards before ending up in the hands of the Emperor Napoleon III of France in 1860.

FOOD
You’re in the middle of preparing dinner and realize you’re out of an important ingredient. What to do? Use this substitution guide from the University of Missouri Extension to get dinner back on track..

Boston Marathon winners
The African winning dynasty was broken in the 122nd running of the Boston Marathon with an upset victory by Yuki Kawauchi of Japan (left) with a time of 2:15:58 and American Desiree Linden with a time of 2:39:54. The cold, wet, windy day proved a significant challenge for all runners.