Mattapan urban farm renovation complete
“This represents a $3.7 million investment in historic preservation,” said Kathy Kottaridis, executive director of Historic Boston Inc., at the grand opening. “[This farm is] going to create jobs, train people on how to grow food and distribute food to foster good local healthy environments.

Chang out after 3 yrs. in hot seat
The immigration controversy underscores the complex political dynamics at work in the Boston superintendent’s job. The rights groups’ push for the information began when Boston Police officers stationed at East Boston High School in 2017 filed an incident report alleging a student who was involved in a confrontation at the school was a gang member.

Councilors probe BPD surveillance
Last July, My’Kel McMillen witnessed Boston Police officers flying a surveillance drone over his home in the Mildred C. Hailey apartments in Jamaica Plain. McMillen said the officers seemed to be testing the technology. The BPD denied this, but the American Civil Liberties Union found that the department had spent around $17,500.

Protestors press Legislature on wage theft bill
An estimated $700 million is stolen from Massachusetts workers each year. This protest was one of a long series of recent workers’ rights demonstrations, which have included a push for increasing the minimum wage in Massachusetts to $15 and implementation of paid family sick leave.

“...The more things stay the same.”
First there was slavery, then segregation. Voting restrictions were common. Blacks in the South opposing racial segregation could often end up among the 4,400 lynching victims between 1877 and 1950.

The resurrection of Lorraine Hansberry
That hiatus has now been corrected. Tracy Heather Strain and Randall MacLowry, two highly skilled film makers, have produced a documentary on Lorraine Hansberry. The film focuses on Hansberry’s early life and the challenges she faced in getting her play into a major theatre in New York.

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Better training and more officers from the black community who aren’t so afraid of us. They need to realize that we’re just as human as they are. We need better relations between police and the community..

IN THE NEWS
GreenLight Fund named Melissa Luna as the executive director for its flagship site, GreenLight Boston. Since 2004, GreenLight Boston has invested $8.5 million to import 11 organizations on track to annually reach 75,000 low-income children and families by the end of year.

Revolutionary slaveholders
400 years ago, Europeans invaded the Atlantic coast of North America and fought each other and the indigenous peoples for control of the land. By 1763, the British had made deals or driven everyone else out so that they controlled the entire coast.

Family champion
Linda Dorcena Forry, former State Senator and Suffolk Construction’s Northeast region vice president for diversity, inclusion and community relations was honored at Somerville-based nonprofit Parenting Journey’s inaugural Breakfast of Family Champions.

‘Grand bargain’ on labor, tax issues goes to Baker
This bill will increase the minimum wage to $15 over five years, mandate paid family and medical leave and enact an annual sales tax holiday. The $15 minimum wage will tie Massachusetts with California and New York for highest statewide minimum wage..

Schools showcase their Excellence for All program work
The Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center teemed with elementary-school energy earlier this month as more than 200 fourth- and fifth-graders gathered to show off the capstone projects they completed as part of the Boston Public Schools’ Excellence...

BizGrow draws hundreds
Nearly 280 minority-owned businesses received free legal consultation and technical assistance from pro bono attorneys from 14 different firms at BizGrow, an event hosted last Wednesday at Suffolk Law School by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice.

BIZ BITS
Everyone loves a clean house, but not everyone loves to clean. If you enjoy getting down and dirty in order to make rooms shine, consider housecleaning as your side gig. Whether you’re sprucing up a kitchen or tackling a pile of laundry, this can be incredibly lucrative and easy to flex around your schedule.

Improve your research skills
Research skills are a valuable part of your professional toolkit. Employers want job applicants who are not just curious, but who possess the skills to systematically research the answers to questions. Employers in many industries look for professionals to conduct research in all sorts of roles.

Kyrie Irving’s ‘Uncle Drew’ jumps to the big screen
What began as a five-minute short for Pepsi Max soda in 2012, with Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyrie Irving playing Uncle Drew, a septuagenarian schooling younger players about the fundamentals of basketball on the court, has since morphed from a digital episodic series into a feature film of the same name.

Estelas de María
Currently on view at IBA’s La Galeria in the South End, “Estelas de María: Photo Exhibition” showcases documentation of Puerto Rico by WBUR reporter Simón Rios, photographer Jesse Costa and Boston Globe photographer Jessica Rinaldi, who visited shortly after hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the island.

ICA expands across the harbor
Back in 2006, Jill Medvedow, director of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), moved the museum, then small and little-known beyond Boston, from its Back Bay quarters in a former police station into a glamorous, harbor-facing new outpost on Fan Pier.

Waste not, want not
Growing up in Venezuela, she saw an explosion of construction and consumerism among the wealthy that left wasted resources at every turn. “I saw things being thrown in the trash, and thought, ‘I can do everything with these materials,’” she says. Now a Jamaica Plain resident, Marquez uses waste to create eco-artworks.

Free or low-cost ideas for a staycation
A staycation is when you spend your vacation at home, taking advantage of your immediate surroundings, as opposed to booking a flight out of state or out of the country. It’s a chance to deviate and escape from the usual routine at a much more budget-friendly cost.

Warm-weather fun right here in Massachusetts
With these new affordable fares, take a day trip to Salem to visit the Urban Art Museum, an outdoor museum of over 50 murals by local and international artists. While there, stop in at the Peabody Essex Museum for more art and history, or take a ghost tour through the historic town center.

Staycation ideas for the adventurous type
Hiking trails near Boston are breathtaking and peaceful respites from the urban hustle and bustle. The Blue Hills Reservation for example, is 7,000 acres of protected land stretching across parts of Milton, Quincy, Braintree, Canton, Randolph, and Dedham, south of Boston.

Fun staycation ideas for Bostonians
With Boston drawing massive tourist crowds every summer, it’s easy to see how the city has a lot to offer as a travel destination or a staycation. Indulge in Boston’s sights, flavors and sensations as a budget-friendly alternative to traveling outside the state or country.

A little vacation in your backyard
“Summer cookouts are a great way to get together with family and friends, and it can be easy to make your cookout a healthy one. Lots of cookout foods can be modified to be leaner and healthier, and a variety of lighter sides can be provided to balance heavier meat items,” said Beth Bluestone, a Cleveland Clinic dietitian.