Boston Foundation launches food access grants $1M slated for Greater Boston Food Bank
The remaining $500,000 will go to a cluster of nine or 10 other local food-access organizations, yet to be announced, throughout the region, said Orlando Watkins, vice president and chief program officer at the Boston Foundation (the Boston Foundation is a former sponsor of the Bay State Banner’s business section).

Health centers eye potential impacts of federal cuts
Bryant, a Hyde Park resident, has been attending the Roxbury health center’s annual Back to School BBQ for over a decade.

60 years after Voting Rights Act, advocates celebrate gains, acknowledge work to be done
President Lyndon B. Johnson reaches to shake hands with Martin Luther King Jr. following his signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As the law reaches its 60th anniversary, advocates say communities of color still face challenges accessing the polls..

Coalition aims to put rent control on ballot
Coalition members plan to file the measure, An Initiative Petition to Protect Tenants by Limiting Rent Increases, with Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office today. If passed by voters, the initiative would limit rent increases to the Consumer Price Index, which averages at 2.

Boston remembers TV news icon Byron Barnett
Originally from Minneapolis, Barnett graduated from the University of Minnesota’s Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1977. He got his start in reporting at KSTP TV right after college in the Twin Cities before joining Boston 7News in 1983.

“Where were these folks on January 6, 2021?”
“Where were these folks on January 6, 2021?”.

The misguided use of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.
The deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., by the Trump administration signals another controversial and, ultimately, unjustified action. While framed as a necessary measure to combat a “public safety emergency, and help reestablish law and order,” it has no justification in fact or law.

Wake-up call: How Democrats can use August recess to save their brand
There’s an old saying in the hip-hop community: “Men lie, women lie, numbers don ‘t.” In this political climate of lies, corruption and misinformation, working families deserve numbers that work in their favor, especially when it comes to the economy and their wallets.

IN THE NEWS
Corey Manning has been named executive director of the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club of Roxbury. The first-generation college graduate brings a deep understanding of how mentorship, safe spaces and trusted adults can shape a young person’s future.

Saving more lives through improving trust, technology and training in organ donation
Every day, more than 100,000 Americans wait for an organ transplant that could save their lives. Despite over a decade of reaching record donor and transplant numbers in the United States each year, the need remains high.

Medford passes landmark ordinance to divest public funds from fossil fuels, weapons, prisons
The Medford City Council has voted to advance a sweeping ordinance that would bar the city from investing in fossil fuel companies, weapons manufacturers, private prisons and businesses linked to human rights violations — making it the first municipality in Massachusetts to take such a step.

Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins indicted, arrested on extortion charges
Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins was arrested in Florida after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges of extorting $50,000 from a cannabis company seeking to open in Massachusetts. He was taken into custody Friday morning and was released following an initial court appearance in Florida, according to the U.

250 years of Prince Hall Masonry: Boston hosts a global gathering
Boston has always been a city where history feels close at hand. The brick sidewalks, the cobblestone alleys, the gold dome of the State House gleaming over Beacon Hill — they whisper of the past in every season. Here, history doesn’t just live on plaques and in museums; it’s under your feet, in the stones that have been walked for centuries.

Two cousins honor family’s moonshine roots
Alisa Lawrence comes from a long family lineage of distilling.

Former WBZ anchor Kate Merrill sues station for discrimination, claims demotion due to race
Longtime broadcast journalist Kate Merrill filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Boston against the station, network, parent company Paramount and two former morning news colleagues. She is represented in the lawsuit by Freiberger & Washienko LLC of Boston.

Harlem Lacrosse shines in Roxbury
Suppose you were traveling past the Ray and Joan Kroc Community Center on August 5 and saw hundreds of young people on the field directly across the street from the facility participating in a special lacrosse clinic.

‘Allez Vicky’ Mboko, Ben Shelton record major tennis victories
Mboko vaulted into the glitterati of the pro women’s tennis circle by her multiple stunning performances in the Canadian Open tennis tournament, including a come-from-behind 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 triumph over fourtime Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the championship final match.

Taste of Ethnic Boston
More than 400 foodies celebrated Get Konnected!’s 11th annual Taste of Ethnic Boston held at the Grand in the Boston Seaport.

New Commonwealth Fund Disruption Dialogue
This summer, the New Commonwealth Fund held its 3rd annual Disruption Dialogue series on Martha’s Vineyard, celebrating NCF’s 5th anniversary..

Hyde Park Open Streets
This past weekend, Hyde Park celebrated its Open Streets Festival, complete with book sellers and a family painting tent by Canvas Studio..

Al fresco dining … Visit Boston’s most beautiful outdoor patios
As September nears, threatening the return of school, traffic and Q4 quotas, make the most of the last few weeks of August at these scenic outdoor patios around Boston. Nothing transports you away from deadlines quite like an Aperol spritz on an Amalfi coast-themed rooftop or a dozen oysters overlooking the Boston Harbor.

African Festival of Boston returns this month
After graduating from college in Boston as an international student, Mireille Tushiminina made the decision to make the city her new home. However, she realized that other African students like herself who settled in Boston were feeling disconnected from one another.

WHERE'S BOSTON NOW?
“Manos’ photographs from the ‘Where’s Boston?’ project offer a really poignant portrait of Boston in the ’70s, in the midst of so much political and social turmoil that is not unlike what we’re kind of experiencing today,” said curator Lauren Graves..

New monument to W. E. B. Du Bois is installed in his hometown
Residents and visitors in Great Barrington in western Massachusetts will spot a welcoming new face outside Mason Public Library. After more than three years of community organizing, a monument to the famed civil rights activist, historian and sociologist W.

Five-time Grammy winner Esperanza Spalding shines at Newport Jazz Festival
Among Sunday’s star performers were Cécile McLorin Salvant and Esperanza Spalding — two vocalists more frequently seen in concert halls or in intimate club settings. Each has a strong following internationally and in Greater Boston.