Health officials urge vaccination amid rapid rise in seasonal flu cases
“Flu spreads easily during this time of the year when we gather together indoors,” Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said in a statement. “It is not too late to get vaccinated. Vaccination is the best tool we have to prevent serious illness.

Paige Academy marks Kwanzaa, New Year’s amid institutional milestones
When the Paige Academy community gathered at the campus’s three buildings on Dec. 31 to ring in the new year, Angela Paige Cook, one of the school’s founders, used the opportunity to share her thoughts on the values of Kwanzaa, which ended New Year’s Day.

Saying farewell to Karen Miller of the Bay State Banner family
Karen E. Miller died unexpectedly on Dec. 26. She was the youngest of six children born to John J. Miller and Louise E. O’Banyoun Miller and grew up in her Roxbury neighborhood surrounded by aunts, uncles and grandparents.

MassCEC expands green incentive program to four new communities
A state program to connect residents with clean energy and energy efficiency incentives is expanding to four communities in eastern Massachusetts.

Advocates sound alarm over rollback of civil rights enforcement at schools
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is responsible for enforcing a range of federal rights, including access to special education and protection from discrimination based on race, gender, disability and other protected classes.

Reality TV style foreign policy brought to you by the Donald
Framed as a law-enforcement action to bring the authoritarian Venezuelan to justice for drug-dealing, the stunning military operation that snatched Maduro from a Caracas army compound had the added benefit, for Trump, of paving the way for U.S. control of the Latin American nation’s vast oil reserves.

Donald Trump takes his next step to becoming
Donald Trump takes his next step to becoming.

A grateful heart and a shared future for District 7
I am deeply thankful. To the residents of Roxbury, Dorchester, the South End, and Fenway—thank you for the confidence you placed in me and for the opportunity to serve District 7. I step into this role with humility, gratitude, and great optimism about what lies ahead.

IN THE NEWS
At the Ivy League school, he teaches classes on the history of American political thought and researches the advancement of key concepts, including the Enlightenment, liberalism, nationalism and conservatism.

Get ready to honor America’s birthday by fighting for freedom, again
Slavery was more entrenched and brutal than at the founding. Congress outlawed the transatlantic slave trade in 1807, effective in 1808. But it did not weaken slavery. It intensified it.

Co-Commissioner for the Day
(Above, from left) Trial Court Chief Justice Heidi Brieger, Marli Forrester, Trial Court Administrator Thomas Ambrosino and Probation Commissioner Pamerson Ifill. (Left) Commissioner Pamerson O. Ifill and “Co-Commissioner” Marli Forrester prepare to co-sign important court policy on Emerging Adult Courts.

Mayor Michelle Wu Inauguration
(Right) Mayor Michelle Wu takes her second oath of office at the Inauguration Ceremony at Symphony Hall, Jan. 5, 2026. (Below) Boston City Council members are sworn in at the Inauguration Ceremony..

The quest for a first-time national champion begins
It’s that time of the year when college and professional football dominate the sports landscape. Now the focus is on the NCAA Division I College Football Playoff Final Four.

Win or go home: The NFL postseason gauntlet is set
The Steelers escaped with a 26-24 triumph and became the last team to qualify for this year’s NFL Playoffs.

CERO wants sustainability for its workers and environment
While volunteering with some of these groups, Luna began to learn about community issues, such as the housing and financial crises that were impacting low-income communities in the city, as well as about new policies regarding food wasting and composting.

Not just for the rich and wealthy: How to start investing in 2026
With this in mind, he aimed to teach people about how to use the stock market to their advantage in a fun and engaging way. Through his company, Flip That Stock, Fenwick works to reframe the act of investing in the stock market and educating people on how to do it safely.

Wellness organization brings healing breathwork workshops to Boston
The HealYourLovePeriod organization is preparing to host its “North Star Tour” on Jan. 14 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The gathering will bring “breathwork and sound healing to Boston, along with a grounding, heart-opening experience designed to release stress from the body and reconnect you with gratitude, peace and community.

Dorchester chef Valentine Howell launches residency at Wink & Nod
The restaurant scene in Boston’s historic South End just got a whole lot more flavorful. Dorchester native Chef Valentine Howell is taking over the kitchen at the subterranean cocktail bar Wink & Nod for a residency with his Afro-diasporic restaurant pop-up Black Cat Eatery.

Beauty is global
At the Peabody Essex Museum, fashion becomes a lens for understanding migration, memory and global exchange.

Benito Gonzalez on the ivories
Pianist Benito Gonzalez swings into town for one show at the Regattabar at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 9. Joining him are the formidable Buster Williams on bass and Lenny White on drums. The three musicians have remarkable resumes.

Boston Landmarks Orchestra, violinist Thomas Cooper celebrate Black composers with two free neighborhood concerts
Boston-born violinist Thomas Cooper will take the stage with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra for two free concerts in Jamaica Plain and Dorchester to ring in 2026. Black talent is at the heart of this program.

L’MERCHIE FRAZIER IN CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST Napoleon Jones-Henderson
This is the 17th interview in a weekly series presenting highlights of conversations between leading Black visual artists in New England. In this week’s installment, artist L’Merchie Frazier talks to artist Napoleon Jones-Henderson.

Remembering Roxbury artist Napoleon Jones-Henderson
Napoleon Jones-Henderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1943, to Minnie Maxine Washington and Woodrow Lewis Henderson. From his earliest days, he was enveloped in the warmth and resilience of family, growing up in the historic Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.