In 2025, city and state actions against climate change made progress despite federal rollbacks
With record-breaking heat and other climate emergencies, taking action against climate change continues to be a priority for Boston city and Massachusetts state officials. And in 2025, there were several steps from both levels of government that emphasized that priority.

Officials, leaders pushed for health equity, increased access to care
Throughout 2025 health equity remained a central focus for Boston-area leaders as new programs and long-delayed projects sought to address gaps in access to care.

Celebrating Black Joy at the New England Black Tie Winter Gala
Despite a challenging year for many in New England’s Black professional community, more than a thousand people gathered at the Black Tie Winter Gala Saturday, Dec. 27 at the Royale Boston.

Boston’s Black businesses: A year of progress, pressure and possibility
In 2025, Black-owned businesses in Boston had to grapple with economic headwinds; shifting consumer behavior as consumers wrestled with affordability and businesses struggled with shrinking margins; and uncertainty about long-term support.

City hasn’t violated U.S. housing laws, activists say
The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department’s planned investigation of Boston for alleged discrimination against whites is an inversion of the Fair Housing Act law the federal agency is charged with enforcing, a coalition of civil rights and housing activists said at a press conference Monday.

After detention: What life’s been like for four immigrants in New England
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to target people who have committed serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide. But recent national government data shows that more than 70% of detentions from January to October were immigrants with no criminal record.

How Black event promoters helped build Boston’s modern events scene
Calloway, who runs Calloway 360 Events and Marketing, said he began promoting events more than 40 years ago after organizing a fundraiser for then–state Rep. Bill Owens. A Brandeis University pre-med student at the time, he later worked as a nightclub bouncer before finding opportunities behind the stage.

Hopeful signs for 2026 as 2025 finally fades
The year being ushered out this week is passing like a 12-month campaign of saturation bombing. The relentless pounding of President Donald Trump’s airstrikes on ethics, norms and basic human decency has left our nation stunned but still holding on.

“After an unbelievably tough 2025, I’m looking forward to a real new year.“
“After an unbelievably tough 2025, I’m looking forward to a real new year.“.

In redistricting wars, Black and brown voters stand to lose
Unfortunately, in granting a stay in the Texas redistricting case and allowing its 2025 maps to stand, the Supreme Court all but guaranteed this outcome, leaving Black and brown communities without fair representation in the process.

IN THE NEWS
According to the Harvard Crimson, “Cambridge’s ordinance is unlike the reparations plans that have come before it. Rather than focusing on racial justice, it intends to implement transitional justice.

Why tracking racial disparities in special education still matters
Black students, for example, have been overrepresented in special education since 1968, when the U.S. Office for Civil Rights first began tracking school district data. The starkest disparities appear in categories that depend on perception, such as learning disabilities and emotional disturbances, where bias too often determines outcomes.

Jack Whitten: ‘Jazz is My Metaphor’
“This is not just a Harlem story. It is an American story — a story of artists who refused to disappear, who transformed struggle into song, and who have made the stage a sanctuary for our collective voice.

BCYF Mildred Avenue Community Center Party
Mayor Michelle Wu enjoys an early New Year’s Eve celebration with members of the BCYF Mildred Avenue Community Center, Dec. 30..

Mayor’s Enchanted Trolley Tour
(Above) A crowd gathers outside the Bolling Building in Roxbury as Mayor Michelle Wu lights the Christmas tree during the Mayor’s Enchanted Trolley Tour, Dec. 6. (Right) City leaders and community members at the Christmas Tree lighting in Kelleher Rose Garden in the Fenway, Dec.

All aboard the North Pole Express!
Gov. Maura Healey and Interim Secretary of Transportation Phil Eng, general manager of the MBTA, join Keolis Commuter Services CEO John Killeen, members of the MBTA Board, local advocates and elected officials to celebrate the holiday season on the annual North Pole Express train at South Station in Boston.

Former owner, employees of famed restaurant Bob the Chef ’s celebrate 35 years of community impact
Former Bob the Chef’s and DCBK managers, Nia Grace now owner of Grace by Nia Restaurant, Luther Pinckney, Pearl Restaurant creator and Shawn Hunter, CEO of International Kitchen and consulting for Orchid 7 Fusion Bar and Grill reminisce at the gathering.

Looking back on a ‘Banner’ year in sports
As we approach the final hours of 2025, let’s begin this article with heartfelt condolences to the Miller family over the death of Karen Miller, the sister of former Bay State Banner owner Mel Miller.

Dash to destiny: Randolph star claims NCAA gold
On a June afternoon in Eugene, Oregon, the women’s 100-meter at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships came down to the kind of margin that forces even the most seasoned track fans to blink and look again. University of Southern California sprinter Samirah Moody leaned at the line and stopped the clock at 11.

Local New Year’s Day brunches to ring in 2026
There’s no better way to ring in the new year than with a hearty plate of gooey eggs or a stack of fluffy pancakes and a bottomless mug of coffee.

Start the year off on the right foot with these cultural dance lessons
A grandmother and granddaughter dance duo has been helping youth express themselves through dance for the past five years. Run by Wilma Clouden and her granddaughter, Iysis, Step Into Culture is a dance group that primarily works with young girls. Some of the dance styles the group has learned include African, soca, hip-hop and more.

Jazz artist Catherine Russell welcomes the new year
After months of global touring, the Grammy-winning vocalist lands in Cambridge for two New Year’s Eve shows

Franklin Park poster design entries reflect love for Boston’s largest open space
Franklin Park is Boston’s largest open greenspace, featuring 485 acres of trails, playing fields, historical landmarks and the Franklin Park Zoo. Designed by acclaimed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in 1885, it has served as a crucial natural oasis for the neighborhoods bordering it: Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester and Mattapan.