Baker weighs in on ed. funding reform
The bill, filed Wednesday, would boost the Foundation Budget by $1.1 billion after seven years to better support school districts across the state, with an increase of $200.3 million in fiscal year 2020, as well as provide more funding to districts with higher numbers of low-income students and English language learners.

Councilors seek housing solutions
While the administration of Mayor Martin Walsh is calling for the construction of 15,820 affordable units by 2030 — 22 percent of the total of 69,000 units proposed in his Imagine Boston 2030 plan — city councilors are seeking more drastic measures to curtail displacement.

Pressley seeking back pay for fed. contractors
The 35-day government shutdown ended last week with a continuing resolution providing funding for three weeks, but the aftermath and the threat of another shutdown weigh heavy on federal workers as President Donald Trump continues to battle Congress with his push for $5.

Housing, work space on tap for St. James bldg.
“There’s natural barriers to easy development, so that’s going to be a challenge, but the feeling is that this could be a really interesting space that we could leave open for the community and that we could also have a revenue-generating use in it as well,” she said.

Activists gather at State House to mark 50th anniversary of Southwest Corridor protests
The People Before Highways protest on Jan. 25, 1969 successfully ended the extension of highway I-95 that would have drastically changed Boston and displaced thousands of residents and businesses, cutting through neighborhoods from Roxbury to Cambridge.

Unmasking bigotry in the Republican Party
Iowa is a small state in the Midwest that was remote from the Civil War. It has a predominantly white population with only about 9.2 percent of the total African American. Iowa has only four seats in the U.S. Congress, with one held for 16 years by Steve King, who was re-elected to a ninth term last November.

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The debt we owe Haitians
On Oct. 9, 1779, more than 500 Haitian soldiers (referred to as “Les Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue”) fought alongside French troops to aid the Americans in trying to force the British out of Savannah, Ga. in order to open its port for the colonists’ use.

ROVING CAMERA
People are entitled to feel the way they want to feel. I just hope they make the right decisions and do what’s right..

IN THE NEWS
As political director, Nigel will focus on building the party’s political operations across municipal, state, and federal levels, continue to foster relationships with progressive partners, engage advocacy organizations and support the Party’s constituency caucuses.

Harris still has some explaining to do
In the fall of 2009, I spent nearly an hour with then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris discussing her new book, “Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer,” on my Pacifica Radio show.

City announces rehab at Lenox/Camden
“Today we are celebrating the first phase of what will be a comprehensive redevelopment of the Lenox/Camden public housing community to ensure that this community remains a deeply affordable public housing development for our residents that live here now and for future generations,” said BHA Administrator Bill McGonagle.

BIZ BITS
A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your actual tax bill. A few credits are refundable, which means if you owe $250 in taxes but qualify for a $1,000 credit, you’ll get a check for the difference of $750. (Most tax credits, however, aren’t refundable.

Expanding opportunities
Ten months into her new role as vice president of diversity, inclusion and community at Suffolk construction company, former state Sen.

Should you agree to an employment trial period?
There are times when you know you have what it takes to do a job, but you just don’t have the proof. Maybe you’ve just graduated from college and have plenty of talent but no professional experience. Or perhaps you’re transitioning to another field or industry and you have lots of professional experience, just not the right kind.

FEET ON FIRE
The dance studio at the Boston Arts Academy’s temporary home in Dorchester radiated with energy. A group of dedicated student dancers were assembled for a Jan. 17 master class taught by Samantha Figgins, Chalvar Monteiro and Solomon Dumas of Alvin Ailey Dance Theater.

Walnut Hill Arts School celebrates 125-year anniversary on ‘From the Top’
Dorchester native Tony Rymer is a true Boston success story. The cellist began his career at age 5 and studied with the Walnut Hill Arts School and through a scholarship with Project STEP to hone his skills. Now he lives in Berlin and plays concerts all over the world.

Bullied schoolboy morphs into King Arthur in fantasy epic ‘The Kid Who Would be King’
Unfortunately, Alex doesn’t have a father or a big brother to teach him how to deal with his tormentors. His dad disappeared ages ago, leaving behind a copy of “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” inscribed with a dedication comparing his son to the classic novel’s legendary title character.

‘Poetry is Busy’ event showcases women of color
A lineup of interdisciplinary and multimedia artists with diverse gender and racial identities, including Boston’s current poet laureate Porsha Olayiwola, performed at the second annual “Poetry is Busy: En Voz Abierta/ Into the Unfolded Voice” show at the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts in the South End last Friday.

Seedy underbelly
Last year at about this time, I sat down with a stack of seed catalogs, a warm beverage and a pantry full of dreams. I repeat this ritual every year, fully aware that it’s only a game, and that only a token amount of my food will ever come from my garden, regardless of how many seeds I order.

FOOD
Due to the recent government shutdown in the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration has been inspecting food on a limited basis. Although the FDA doesn’t oversee meat and poultry inspections, fruits and vegetables could be susceptible to contamination because of the lack of funding for routine safety inspections, it said.

Mayor announces actions to achieve carbon neutrality in Boston
The update includes a project beginning early next month to develop implementation roadmaps to significantly reduce Boston’s carbon emissions.