Local Masons honor founder of Prince Hall Freemasonry
“He used Freemasonry as a tool or a vehicle to advance people of color and advance the community that he was living in at the time,” said Justin Petty, current Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. “It’s very important for us to remember all those things that he worked hard for.

Tony Rose, pioneering music exec and publisher, dies at 74
Born Conant Burleigh Peter Joseph Rose in the Roxbury section of Boston, he grew up in the Whittier Street public housing development. Rose never forgot his roots, carrying that signature Roxbury swagger throughout his life and career.

Students weigh in on BPD budget
In the ensuing years, city councilors, including then at-large Councilor Michelle Wu, called for a reallocation of resources away from policing and into community-based organizations, with many taking aim at the ever-expanding police overtime budget..

Biotech sector looks toward impacts of AI at annual conference
At the gathering, held at Boston University, June 2, over 500 workers in academia, nonprofits, government and the biotechnology industry discussed how to grow and support the life sciences workforce, including how to bring in new workers, retrain existing ones for new roles and how things like machine learning will affect all of it.

City honors legacy small businesses
(From left) Eric Esteves, Boston Main Streets Foundation executive director; Segun Idowu, City of Boston chief of economic opportunity and inclusion; Mayor Michelle Wu with daughter Mira; John Cruz and Justin Cruz of Cruz Companies; State Rep. Chris Worrell, 5th Suffolk District; Aliesha Porcena, City of Boston director of small business.

The ‘Disgusting abomination’ Trump Budget Bill wrong in every way
When Elon Musk called President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” a “disgusting abomination,” he was right for the wrong reasons. Musk, America’s corporate welfare poster boy, focused on the White House budget bill’s pork-barrel spending and its impact on deficits.

“My Big Beautiful budget bill will make...
“My Big Beautiful budget bill will make my millionaire friends and donors richer and everyone else poorer.”.

IN THE NEWS
A passionate advocate for equity and systems change, Michele Carroll steps into the role of chief operating officer at Project Bread.

The truth makes us free
She meant the struggle for justice. For truth. For dignity. Next week is Juneteenth, a time of year I always think about this lesson. I think about all the freedom fighters – famous and forgotten — who walked before us. And I think about all of us who walk now, still trying to finish what they began.

Graduation is just the beginning: Creating pathways to success for Boston’s youth
As caps fly and graduation speeches echo at schools across Massachusetts, thousands of young people are stepping into a defining moment of promise and possibility. But for many students in urban communities across the Commonwealth, this moment of celebration and hope is clouded by uncertainty.

State considers new high school diploma standards
Policymakers have begun fashioning a course-based graduation requirement. Yet, without adequate differentiation from local graduation requirements, which mostly establish minimum course requirements through grade 12, the state’s standard will be inferior.

Hundreds in Boston protest ICE raids in Los Angeles and arrest of union leader
“They want to fuel this narrative that [President] Trump is going to restore order to the country, but working people know better, and we are standing up,” said David Foley, president of SEIU Local 509, as he addressed the crowd. “We know this is not justice, but this is, as David himself said, madness.

Regie Gibson, state’s first poet laureate
Governor Maura Healey (left) and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll (right) celebrate the announcement of Regie Gibson (center) as Massachusetts’ first poet laureate during the Massachusetts Poetry Festival in Salem on May 30..

State legislation seeks to increase sales of small businesses to workers
That legislation, which was discussed at a hearing in front of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, June 6, is aimed at making purchase of a business by its employees more commonplace across Massachusetts.

Spark FM: A digital radio station for the people and by the people
“We are a 24-hour-running radio station. So, music is playing all day, every day. We have about 25 live shows per week and about a 37-person staff. We play music that [is] catered to the Urban and Caribbean markets. So we’ll play anything from your favorite hiphop, soca, dancehall, amapiano and so much more,” she said.

Coco Gauff rallies back to defeat Aryna Sabalenka
Gauff, the second seed, defeated the top-seeded Sabalenka after dropping the first set to become the first American to win a singles title at the French Open since Serena Williams pulled off the feat back in 2015.

Thunder and Pacers are tied at 1 apiece
The Pacers stormed back from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to steal game one by the final score of 111-110, as All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton hit the game-winning shot with .03 left in regulation, bringing total silence to the shellshocked Oklahoma City capacity crowd.

Don’t Tell Aunty
“We always remember where we come from and keep the roots of our flavors in the food, but we also adapt where we are and that’s where the fusion part happens,” says the marketing director and partner of Flying Lion hospitality group, Ramya Guttikonda.

Get out on the water this summer
Described as an “an urban oasis,” this park is made up of 34 islands and peninsulas and is just minutes away from the city’s center. You can take a park ferry and explore the islands with many options for outdoor activities, relaxation, or learning. Tickets are $22.

Celebrate Juneteenth in Boston!
Next Thursday is Juneteenth, a national celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Boston is showing up to celebrate with concerts, festivals, block parties, and free museum admission around the city..

A.R.T. presents rom-com ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)’
Performed by two actors and a five-member musical ensemble, the play follows the 24-hour encounter of Dougal, 25, an effusively enthusiastic Brit who has just landed in New York for the second wedding of his ex-pat father, and svelte, stressed urbanite Robin, 26, the bride’s sister, who picks him up at the airport.

The man behind the myth
The opera, written by composer Ulysses Kay with librettist Donald Dorr, depicts a very specific slice of Douglass’s life. Audiences meet Douglass after the Civil War during his second marriage and the final years of his life. At this time, rumors and criticism surrounded the abolitionist figure.