Wu says city will apply for federal funds tied to ICE
The City of Boston will participate in a $12 million federal grant, despite a requirement that 10% of the funds be dedicated to “supporting collaboration between state and local law enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” Mayor Michelle Wu said Friday.

New state grants mean increased access to waterfront, Harbor Islands
The funding was announced as part of the state’s inaugural $2.3 million Boston Harbor Water Transportation Grant, announced Aug. 13. This new effort from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection aims to reduce road congestion, make daily travel easier and connect more residents with the region’s cultural and historical assets.

NAACP pushes back on fed. guidelines limiting DEI, free speech in classrooms
In the ensuing crossfire, each side established its position on the constitutional and legal grounds.

City charts course for next five years of climate action
The plan divides its attention by emissions source or mitigation focus, breaking up efforts between areas like emissions from buildings, transportation and the energy grid from mitigation targets like combating heat and flooding.

UP Academy Dorchester expands career-connected learning for middle school students
At UP Academy Dorchester, middle-school students are learning to see their future beyond the classroom walls. Through a career-connected learning initiative, sixth through eighth graders are stepping into Boston-area workplaces, engaging with professionals and completing projects designed to link academics to real-world careers.

Protests target bank for ties to Israeli arms manufacturer
Last Sunday, a larger crowd of several hundred demonstrators were back at the Capital One branch with a demonstration that shut down traffic in Harvard Square.

The problems with the recent Trump-Putin-Zelenskyy meetings
The recent summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, was intended to be a decisive moment for global diplomacy, aimed at resolving the protracted conflict in Ukraine.

“Excuse me, but I have to take this call from Mr. Putin.”
“Excuse me, but I have to take this call from Mr. Putin.”.

IN THE NEWS
Crossley has been part of public radio and TV station GBH, hosts the radio show and podcast “Under the Radar with Callie Crossley” and co-hosts the radio program and podcast “The Culture Show.

How’s your brain? It might be paying the ‘Black Tax’
The chronic stress of systemic racism has been linked to higher rates of hypertension, heart disease, stroke and PTSD-like symptoms among Black Americans. These biological issues also affect mental and cognitive health, increasing the chances of developing brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Gerrymandering and the Black community
There’s a cruel kind of magic to how power redraws a line. Not with a gun. Not with a bomb. But with a pen. A line drawn in the dark, behind closed doors, in state houses thick with lobbyists and thin on conscience. They call it redistricting.

‘Trucks, buses, vans, oh my’: Larger vehicles are focus of state’s new EV report
A sign marks an electric vehicle charging station at a municipal lot off Mattapan Sq. in March, 2024. The state’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Coordinating Council released a new assessment, paired with $46 million, to support expansion of chargers for electric buses, trucks and vans across the state.

Young aspiring musicians hone their talents in Berklee City Music program
David Bogen (far left), Berklee’s executive vice president for academic affairs and provost and Krystal Prime Banfield (far right), Berklee’s vice president of education outreach and social entrepreneurship, celebrated this year’s City Music scholarship recipients on stage at the Berklee Performance Center, August 5, 2025.

Mass. immigrants who had legal status lose work in home and health care
“When they said, ‘You won’t be able to work,’ I’m like, my God. I cried. Because I had a good relationship with the clients and they love me so much. They love me so much because I took good care of them,” said Robert in a phone interview. GBH News agreed to use only his first name due to his fears of deportation.

2025 Essence HBCU Classic pits Morehouse vs Johnson C. Smith at Harvard Stadium
A landmark sporting event will take place at Harvard Stadium on Aug. 30. Morehouse College and Johnson C. Smith University will meet in a football game of historic measure.

NCAA levels sanctions against Michigan football
After years of being dominated by Ohio State, including eight consecutive defeats, Jim Harbaugh, Michigan’s head coach, found himself under tremendous pressure from alumni and powerful boosters to find a way — any way — to beat Ohio State.

Historic Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club — where young musicians earn their chops
Some of the famous musicians who have graced the Wally’s stage include Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Grammy-winning vocalist Esperanza Spalding, Mark Kelley — bassist for the Roots — Donald Harrison and Sarah Vaughan, according to Boston Magazine and Eater Boston.

Worcester honors Joyner Lucas
On Sunday, August 17, 2025, the City of Worcester officially presented an honorary sign on Dewey Street with the name “Joyner Lucas Ave” in honor of the Grammy-nominated rapper, songwriter and Worcester native. Mayor Joe Petty, District 4 City Councilor Luis Ojeda Sr.

African Festival of Boston
This past weekend, the African Festival of Boston celebrated 15 years with a two-day extravaganza showcasing the best of African culture. The festival featured live performances, cultural exhibits and authentic cuisine..

Afrobeats on the water
The first floor will have Afrobeats music and vibes, the second floor will have amapiano music and vibes and the third floor will be an open-air viewing deck. There will also be a cash-only bar available to order food and drinks by Suya Joint restaurants.

Darling serves up innovative drinks and a slice of the American Dream
Culinary industry veterans Zimu Chen and Brian Callahan met pre-pandemic while working at Coquette and they dreamed of opening a restaurant together that would subvert the usual tropes of a hospitality experience. Years later, that dream is realized as the duo opens Darling, an intimate cocktail bar and dim sum spot in Central Square in Cambridge.

Afrofuturistic public art space coming to Dewitt Playground in Roxbury
Guyanese American artist, educator and former D1 ball player Marlon Forrester has long explored the connection between art and basketball in his paintings and installations.

Celebrate Black Joy Day at the ICA
“Too often that narrative of Black people and about Black life is told out of the community’s focus on pain, struggle and survival,” said Miles. “And you know, while those things are true, it’s not the whole truth, right? For me, our history is filled with laughter, creativity, brilliance and love.

Dis-N-Dat reggae band will perform at Caribbean Night on Spectacle Island
Sista Dee, one half of the Dis- N-Dat reggae band, has been playing the steel pan drum for as long as she can remember. Growing up in a musical household, the steady beats of Afro-diasporic music were the soundtrack of Dee’s formative years.