High school football games curtailed in White Stadium plans
Over the decades, the stadium has been a mainstay of high school football and a place where many of the same schools continue their historic rivalries. Now, 74 years later, the high school football games may have to wait until the end of the season.

As poverty curbs families’ spending, need for holiday assistance soars
Action for Boston Community Development, known as ABCD, is an anti-poverty nonprofit with 12 community development centers in Dorchester, Mattapan and other parts of the city that work year-round to assist families facing extreme poverty.

FDA approves two gene therapy treatments for sickle cell disease
Two new gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dec. 8.

Immigrant food assistance program extended
The move simplifies a complex system of access that varies based on immigration status. The existing system extends SNAP benefits to immigrants with certain qualified statuses but denies them to others who might be in financially identical situations.

Secret Society for Black Creatives honored at MassArt
The group, along with five others, were recognized at the inaugural Common Good Awards ceremony by the Massachusetts College of Arts and Design, which is celebrating its 150th year.

Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss finally receive justice for Giuliani’s Big Lie
But the verdict this past week in the civil defamation case against Giuliani is stunning when you consider his racist lies and cowardly actions against a Black mother and daughter, which subjected them to vile threats and left them fearing for their lives.

Two Black women stand tall against the tide of hate.
Two Black women stand tall against the tide of hate..

The future of STEM in Massachusetts depends on the CHERISH Act
Growing up, I didn’t have many biology teachers who looked like me. In grade school nearly all my science teachers were white men, and in college, there were even fewer professors of color.

IN THE NEWS
Ralph Griswold, a veteran WBZ-TV photojournalist, was inducted this month into the honorary society of the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Boston/New England Chapter.

Believe it or so what: Mama told me there would be elections like this
You would look askance. Your head would be bowed, and you stretched credibility to its core. But the deed was done. Your parents looked at your shame and possibly called a Catholic priest for the phone number to an exorcist even if your family was Baptist.

Health-law partnership assists immigrants
A new partnership between Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Health Law Advocates will seek to provide free legal support to immigrants.

UMass Lowell settles lawsuit by Black ball player
Cedric Rose had played in 52 of the team’s 58 games last year, including an 18-game hitting streak, and made the New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Team.

Students urging Gaza ceasefire say their voices are being silenced
Other students had already left the building. As one of the walkout’s key organizers, Blackmon left anyway, as did a few other students, while some — deterred by the principal’s warning — remained in the school.

Margaret Elizabeth Jemmott
Margaret E. (Richards) Jemmott was born June 9, 1926 in Cambridge, MA to Letitia and Cornelius Richards. Margaret grew up in Cambridge where she started working at Raytheon at a young age to help her Mom care for the rest of the family.

Brookline to remove BLM sign from Town Hall
The policy includes a timeline requiring that without specific approval, signage can only stay up for 30 days. Under this requirement, the policy will lead to the removal of the Black Lives Matter banner, which was first hung in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.

Why we celebrate Kwanzaa
From slavery to freedom, Black people in America have sought new ways to heal from our slavery experiences and rebuild positive lives despite ongoing systemic racism. Dr. Maulana Karenga created the seven principles of Kwanzaa in 1966, amid riots and racial turmoil.

Milton High Wildcats roar to first Division 3 Super Bowl championship
(top) The Milton Wildcats celebrate their Super Bowl win on the Gillette Stadium field. (middle left) Running back Nathan Ehui beats a Walpole defender on his way to a 135-yard day.

Two Mass. cheerleading teams celebrate post-season success
Her squad defeated the Bennetts Creek Warriors in the Bantam Level (13–16-year-olds) finals to take home the trophy. They competed in both the sideline cheerleading and the “show cheer” contests, including the gymnastic style jumps and acrobatic moves.

A game to remember
As the AP reported, Army linebacker Kalib Fortner scored on a fourth-quarter strip sack and then helped stuff quarterback Tai Lavatai inches from the end zone with three seconds left to lead the Black Knights to a 17-11 victory over Navy and win the 124th meeting of the nation’s oldest service academies.

‘Day One DNA: 50 Years in Hiphop Culture’
Concerts throughout the city have been honoring the 50th anniversary of hiphop, a genre born, according to the prevailing narrative, at a Bronx house party in 1973.

‘Yippee Ki Yay’
“To make any story work, there has to be human element that you can connect to, and whatever it is for that individual, ‘Die Hard’ has it in spades,” says Bailey. “Whether it’s the tough action hero, or someone who’s willing to fight for something they love, or just funny things blowing up.

The Record Co. provides accessible recording space in Newmarket Sq.
Walking down the hallway of The Record Co. in Newmarket Square is like going around the world in 80 steps. Out of one door wafts the mournful sound of bagpipes; out of another, the bold beats of a hip-hop track; a few steps later, an Italian opera aria drifts out of a third space.

Despite new law, undocumented immigrants face obstacles to getting Mass. driver’s licenses
Takasaki is a staff member with the Pioneer Valley Workers’ Center, a nonprofit that helps immigrant workers. And on this day, she’s helping translate instructions for the Registry of Motor Vehicle’s learner’s permit test.