City puts stop order on River St. project
For months, a group of River Street neighbors in Mattapan have sought answers as to how a team of developers was able to build a seven-unit condominium complex on a parcel of land behind their homes with no frontage on a public road, no shadow or traffic studies and no public review.

Teachers give lesson on Black Lives Matter
Michael Leary said the activities of the national Black Lives Matter Movement, which formed in response to police shootings of unarmed blacks, “have the effect of making my members less safe.”.

Clarence ‘Jeep’ Jones laid to rest
Roxbury, where he was a member for more than 50 years, remembered Jones for his vigilant work to keep the city calm during the turbulence of the busing era. Others recalled his guidance of the Hub’s powerful development agency during his 32 years on the board, 24 of them as chairman.

Councilors plan housing, criminal justice hearings
District 8 City Councilor Kenzie Bok introduced an order regarding the future of cooperative housing during last week’s council meeting, using her first address before the body to address what she said are urgent challenges in the city’s housing market.

Open defiance of an oath
Many Americans consider the recent impeachment of Donald Trump to be just an especially hostile political encounter. However, the solemn defection of Sen. Mitt Romney from Republican unity forced thoughtful citizens to consider another aspect of the confrontation.

The scramble for black votes
Trump’s State of the Union address was a call for black votes. Trump’s address should be a big wake-up call for Democrats, according to CNN analyst Van Jones. “He knows he’s got to give a lot of red meat to his base — religious liberty, abortion, etc.,” Jones stated.

IN THE NEWS
Wooten will succeed Helen G. Drinan, who ends her term in June after serving as Simmons’ president for the past 12 years. Simmons University offers the only undergraduate program for women in Boston and numerous nationally recognized graduate programs open to all.

ROVING CAMERA
Honestly, I feel like they already are. It feels like they have something over us now and it’s only going to get worse..

BPS releases budget with $80m in new funds
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has released a $1.26 billion fiscal year 2021 budget that would increase school spending by $80 million, a 6.3% increase in the budget, which will kick off a five-year strategic plan for improvements in the system.

Testing firm lashes out at BPS over its use of ISEE
The split follows a controversy between the two parties, wherein ERB President Thomas Rochon claimed in an email sent to private schools who use the ISEE that the firm for eight years has warned the district its use of the test may be unfairly disadvantaging students from “underrepresented groups.

Walsh announces $69m in housing funds
The allocation of funds, including $16 million from the Neighborhood Housing Trust, $16 million from the Community Preservation Fund and $37 million in federal and city funds managed by the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND), will help the...

Warren promises to actually drain the swamp
Last Thursday night in Derry, though, around 200 people packed the Tupelo Music Hall hoping to hear more than just buzzwords. Chatter filled the room as a mixed crowd of students, retirees and Baby Boomers waited to hear from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at a get-out-thevote event.

Regulators remove payday loan protections
Once upon a time in Washington, Congress enacted the Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform Act that also created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). For the first time, a federal agency was charged to be the consumers’ “financial cop on the beat.

THE DREAM PERSISTS
On Feb. 20, the New England Conservatory’s Black Student Union (BSU) will perform “Continuation of a Dream: The Dream Reimagined…,” a tribute concert to NEC alumna Coretta Scott King. This year, the free concert strays from the classic musical foundations of the NEC to create a multidisciplinary art experience celebrating black culture.

Howling at the moon
While strolling through the Boston Public Library’s Central Branch this month, you may hear the tortured howl of a wolf coming from Rabb Hall.

Decades have deflated ‘Hair’
When the tribal rock musical “Hair” debuted in 1968, it sent shock waves through the theater community. The political defiance, interracial cast and fully nude scene were all strikingly new in the theater world. When “Hair” played at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston in 1970, the production company was prosecuted for “lewd and lascivious acts.

Yvonne Orji of ‘Insecure’ brings her comedy tour to Boston
The wait is almost over. HBO’s critically-acclaimed comedy “Insecure” returns for its fourth season on Sunday, April 12 — and along with it, actress Yvonne Orji as Molly.

BOSTON SCENES
The nation’s longest-running breakfast to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrated its 50th anniversary on January 20, 2020 at the BCEC with the theme, THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES: MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER. Keynoting the breakfast was Rev. Michael B. Curry, who gave a rousing sermon to a sold out crowd of over 1,400.