A drumbeat call for cops in schools
So when four of their council colleagues signed a letter in January calling for uniformed police officers and metal detectors in middle and high schools, a policy change still seemed a remote possibility.

Activists seek greater input in development
As Mayor Michelle Wu pushes forward with an ambitious overhaul of the city’s planning and development processes, neighborhood leaders and civic advocates are cautioning that any streamlining of development should not come at the cost of community input.

Wu sends rent control plan to Council
In the home rule petition, Wu proposed tying allowable rent increases to inflation, as measured by the Boston metro area consumer price index. Under the proposal, rents could increase by 6% plus inflation. Increases in rents would be capped at 10% in any given year.

Activists push Healey on prison moratorium
Advocates for a moratorium on the construction of new prisons in Massachusetts are calling on Gov. Maura Healey to support legislation that would mandate such a policy, after former Gov. Charlie Baker used his veto power to block those efforts last year.

Immigration holds key to America’s economic growth
To many Americans, the conflict over immigration policy is essentially a race war. Conservatives want to prevent a substantial number of Latinos and Blacks from being granted residency in the U.S., while Blacks and Latinos combat strategies to keep them out.

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Researching a longstanding grievance
The recently appointed members of the Boston Reparations Task Force now have the report commissioned by the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry (UUUM) to guide their inquiry on slavery in colonial Roxbury. The First Church of Roxbury was established in 1631.

It’s time to rethink our relationship with the College Board
While many headlines will hand-wring over the College Board’s decision to eviscerate its African American Studies curriculum, we as BPS teachers have seen the writing on the wall. Boston families on all sides of the political spectrum should be wary.

Galentine’s Day
Attorney General Andrea Campbell and U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley speak in a panel discussion as part of Senate President Spilka’s Galentine’s Day..

IN THE NEWS
The Latino Equity Fund at the Boston Foundation last week announced the hiring of Javier A. Juarez as the Fund’s new director. Juarez joins the LEF from the Massachusetts Immigrant and Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), where he has been serving as Senior Director of Advancement.

Scholar studies violence in Cabo Verdean community
The shattered innocence exposed fault lines in families transitioning from a tiny pastoral homeland to a modern inner city without the historical precedence, language skill or the urban sophistication to deal with what was suddenly thrust on their plate.

Saving is the key to your financial health
Starting with small goals will begin to lay the foundation for bigger ones even if building a safety net with just a dollar a day. Once you build the habit, a dollar a day can turn into more as you begin to take notice of your spending habits and identify opportunities to minimize expenses and reallocate them towards your savings.

Black women’s health
Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll join legislators to commemorate the first annual Black Women’s Health and Wellness Legislative Advocacy Day at the State House on Feb. 13. (left to right) Sen. Liz Miranda, Driscoll, legislative aide Cynthia Lewis, Rep.

Wu won’t budge on elected school committee
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu doubled down on her reluctance to shift to an elected school committee Tuesday, setting up potential political friction between her administration and the nearly 80% of voters who expressed a clear desire to do away with a school board appointed by the mayor.

WINTER by the WATER
ape Cod is the land of fast-melting ice cream cones and sunsoaked days on the beach. It stirs up images of mini-golf games and sandy car seats and the distinctive smell of suntan lotion. But the seasonal strip of Massachusetts coast doesn’t quite lie dormant during the winter.

‘Make Them Hear You 2023’
The Hamilton-Garrett Center for Music & Arts is holding its annual “Make Them Hear You” fundraiser Sunday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Rochambeau restaurant in the Back Bay. Hosted by Dr. Emmett G.

Lala and Dani sitting in a tree…
It’s the season of love, and joyful, giddy, hilarious love is the central emotion of “K-I-S-S- I-N-G” by local playwright and Huntington Playwriting Fellow Lenelle Moïse. Co-produced by Front Porch Arts Collective and The Huntington, this world-premiere production celebrates Black love in all its teenage awkwardness and bliss.

BLKBOK brings neo-classical piano to City Winery
BLKBOK (coming from the namesake Bach) was born into a musical family, and the classical genre laid the foundation for his auditory study. From childhood, the artist was performing around Detroit in different circles, absorbing all the city’s different styles.

Thrive Act would put an end to receivership
Last year, when state Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeff Riley raised the possibility of a state takeover of the Boston Public Schools, advocates fired back, citing the state’s poor record with the three districts it has had under receivership.