New program aims to equip non-native English speakers with language skills for a nursing career
The school’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program — a term that describes courses for non-native English speakers to develop better English language competency — will focus on vocational language learning targeted to support students in the school’s two-year nursing program.

Everyone250 announces 10 new monuments to Boston’s diverse history
The Everyone250 campaign, which was launched in February and aims to broaden the lens as the city and the nation prepare to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026, announced the additional monuments and markers Dec. 16, part of the group’s work to highlight diverse stories in Boston’s history.

Zoning Board approves Rox. birth center
After denial in February, smaller scale project given go-ahead

Despite scrutiny in life and death, Phillis Wheatley endures as a trailblazing poetess
Wheatley’s work has been probed and scrutinized, both during her short life and after her death. But despite that, her verse — and her crucial, early voice against slavery — have endured. Now, as the country revisits its history ahead of the 250th anniversary, scholars are shining more light on the poetess, and her astonishing life journey.

BPS to launch Cabo Verdean Creole dual language program
Boston Public Schools will launch its first Cabo Verdean Creole (Kriolu) dual language/two-way immersion program in September, 2026 at the Lilla G. Frederick School in Dorchester.

Celebrating our undeniable cultural spirit
As 2025 draws to a close, the narrative of the Black community remains a complex tapestry of profound resilience and systemic challenge.

“Merry Christmas, my love.”
“Thank you, baby. Nothing is gonna dampen our spirits this year!”.

Boston deserves an honest, balanced debate on housing
Boston urgently needs real solutions to its affordable and attainable housing crisis. Achieving those solutions requires wide-ranging, honest debate — not public hearings that begin with a conclusion and work backward.

IN THE NEWS
Dr. Christopher Blakely has been named assistant vice chancellor for student engagement and leadership at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

HBCU attacks continue misinformation about America’s top talent producing institutions
There is a dangerous misinformation campaign about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The false narrative that HBCUs are somehow fragile, dependent on foreign students, or lesser-tier institutions was most recently pushed when Donald Trump suggested HBCUs would go out of business without students from China.

Pats return to playoffs for the first time since 2024
The New England Patriots are back among the “elite” of the National Football League after their dramatic come-from-behind 28-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Harvard women’s basketball says ‘Nerds can hoop too!’
This year’s edition of Harvard Women’s Basketball, coming off a historic 2024-’25 season, has adopted the mantra “Nerds Can Hoop Too.” The slogan was made famous by last year’s star, Harmoni Turner, a third-round WNBA draft pick by the Las Vegas Aces who is currently playing professionally in France.

Hillside Harvest founder brings his Caribbean roots to your table
Whether it was helping his family cook as a kid, assisting his Aunt Elaine in her eponymous Egleston Square restaurant and bakery as a teenager, or cooking traditional American dishes for his family and authentic Jamaican dishes for his friends, food has always been important to Kamaal Jarrett.

Nonprofit that offers free diabetes care expands in Massachusetts
The nonprofit launched in Florida in 2024, and has now expanded to 20 states plus D.C. — including, recently, Massachusetts. Blue Circle Health is funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, which allows it to provide care to patients with no charge to them.

Restaurants that are open on Christmas Day
The holidays are a time for enjoying family and friends and making cherished seasonal memories. Sweating in the kitchen and tackling a mountain of dishes may not be part of that vision.

Celebrate the new year in Boston
This family-friendly event will include ice sculptures, hot beverages, a holiday trolley ride, food and much more. Catch the free holiday trolley that loops between the library and the downtown waterfront (in front of the Aquarium).

Boston’s art scene: 2025 year in review
BIPOC artists had a strong presence in the art scene locally and nationally this year, with a particular emphasis on the themes of identity, community and the current political climate. Heading into 2026, we’re looking back at some of our most notable arts stories from 2025.

The word-for-word transcript of an FBI interrogation makes for chilling theater
(From left) Cristhian Mancinas-Garcia as Special Agent R. Wallace Taylor, Bradley Belanger as Unknown Male, Brooks Reeves as Special Agent Justin C. Garrick and Parker Jennings as Reality Winner in the Apollinaire Theatre Company production of “Is This a Room.

Emancipation Proclamation Concert celebrates freedom, reflects on history
This year the concert is held in conjunction with the MA250 celebration of the anniversary of the Revolutionary War.