Progressive majority at risk in Council races
The day after the Sept. 12 preliminary election, city councilors were in City Hall’s Iannella Chamber debating funding for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, an agency that coordinates intelligence gathering and sharing between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Hispanic Heritage Month begins
National Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept. 15, is celebrated with fiestas, salsa dance classes and steaming trays of empanadas, but local leaders say it should also be a time to examine historical challenges, resource access issues and policies affecting the community.

METCO 2.0 to create anti-racism roadmap
The expansions of the busing program, which are called METCO 2.0, focus on helping the 33 participating districts identify policies and practices to most equitably support students, including restorative justice training and culturally responsive teaching.

New partnership seeks to treat cause of diabetes
Across the country, diabetes disproportionately impacts Americans of color. According to the 2023 Health of Boston report, released by the Boston Public Health Commission, 14.6% of Black residents and 13.1% of Latino residents reported having diabetes, while 4.

Whitewashing America’s musical history
Former Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner just released his new book, identifying the artists that he views as the greatest musicians of the modern era. In his assessment, he failed to include any Black or women musicians … so I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that he refers to his white male subjects in the title as “The Masters.

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Evaluation of Supt. Skipper: An alternative view
The mayorally appointed School Committee gave Superintendent Mary Skipper a mark of “proficient” upon completing her first year.

Increasing the number of Black tech founders in Boston
To encourage more Black entrepreneurs to found businesses in Boston, we need a plan, a champion and a coalition of stakeholders. But we don’t need to reinvent the wheel; we can learn from those who have studied the problem and adopt best practices from cities that have developed successful plans, such as Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Baltimore.

IN THE NEWS
Settles has held a variety of positions at the organization since 2005. She began as an intern and volunteer coordinator before taking on successive roles with increasing responsibility, including family empowerment specialist, efforts-to-outcomes site administrator, family advocate and, most recently, case management supervisor.

Local towns unconcerned about cuts to lead pipe replacement funds
The funding, which is allocated to states by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), draws from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), which was established in 1996. In the latest round of annual funding, the allotment for lead service line replacement in Massachusetts dropped from almost $65.

Commercial real estate summit to focus on DEI
For many years, the commercial real estate fraternity in Boston has been just that, a closed group of mostly white men who shaped the buildings in the downtown area.

Griffin Electric celebrates 30 years of its Apprenticeship Training Program
A leading electrical and telecommunications subcontractor throughout New England and the Southeast, Griffin Electric is proudly celebrating its 45th year in the industry, while also marking the 30th year of its in-house Apprenticeship Training Program.

Hate groups target Black businesses on Vineyard
Oak Bluffs Police Chief Jonathan Searle said the three signs were spotted on Sunday, Sept. 3, in the historically Black community and have since been removed. The signs were found at the intersection of Dukes County Avenue and Siloam Avenue, near the Blackowned businesses Biscuits and Eleven Circuit Restaurant and Bar.

Once behind bars, now they protect Nubian Square
The tall, bearded man in sweats and a T-shirt is greeted like a local mayor, waving at drivers who slow down to honk and say hello, wrapping friends in giant bear hugs and cracking jokes.

Red Sox falter down the stretch, fall out of playoffs
That rumbling sensation felt around New England coming down from Canada the evening of Sept. 15 was not an earthquake. It was the Boston Red Sox falling into the American League East division cellar after a loss to the Blue Jays in Toronto.

RCC Tigers: Champions that never got their due
A group of exceptional young men brought national recognition to a small college in Roxbury. All but two members of the 13-man squad of Roxbury Community College hailed from Roxbury or Dorchester.

Enjoy Latinx art, dance and music at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15–Oct. 15, and the Boston area is bursting with events celebrating the many cultures, traditions and histories of Spanish-speaking countries..

‘Brief Tender Light’
Ghanaian filmmaker Arthur Musah came to the United States 20 years ago to study at MIT. Adapting to the culture, from the challenges of the university classroom to the country’s complicated relationship with race, was an immense challenge.

‘Fat Ham’ takes a Black, queer, comic spin on ‘Hamlet’
Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, “Hamlet,” has inspired some memorable adaptations (“The Lion King,” anyone?), but “Fat Ham,” opening at The Huntington this month in association with Alliance Theatre and Front Porch Arts Collective, is unlike any audiences have seen before.