As your City Council president and a product of our Boston Public School (BPS) system, I have seen and experienced firsthand the achievements and challenges of our educational institutions. The recent decisions to merge, rename, and consider closing schools mark serious and significant changes for our BPS community as we start off the school year.
The path and journey to get here has been long and hard, with many promises and difficult decisions deferred. Yet, the challenge of our infrastructure is not just about school buildings; rather, it is about people.
Above, Pastor Nicolas Homicil, the bishop at Mattapan’s Voice of the Gospel Tabernacle: “All of us feel terribly hurt,” he told The Reporter. Seth Daniel photo
Once again, and very likely not for the last time, Haitians find themselves in the crosshairs of the Republican propaganda machinery. This time the slurs pivot on a malicious and utterly racist falsehood involving debunked allegations of migrants making meals of stolen pets in Ohio.
A rendering from a 2022 presentation shows how a center-running bus lane might be positioned along Blue Hill Avenue near the Mattapan Branch Library. Mayor Wu and US Rep. Pressley— two prominent supporters of the idea— say that any final designs will be made in future meetings with neighbors, merchants, and other stakeholders. City of Boston image
Haiti’s deepening crises have so far been resistant to the Biden Administration’s proposed solutions, but that is because the United States resolutely blocks the easiest solution of all – ceasing the interference that generated the crises in the first place. Haitians have demonstrated their capacity to negotiate and compromise to get their democracy back on track, but each time the United States has blocked the plans in order to promote its friends at the expense of Haiti’s democracy.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell says her office is thinking nationally but acting locally when it comes to setting priorities and protecting citizens in Massachusetts. In an interview with the Reporter on Monday, the Mattapan Democrat said she’s leaning in on her experience as a Boston city councillor, but also listening closely to residents across the Commonwealth to set an agenda for her office for the next three years.
Marie Etienne has retired as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at The Boston Home, a role she has performed with loving care for 28 years. She is looking forward to spending more time in Haiti, her native land.
After a long grassroots push for better and more affordable public transportation, the MBTA will offer systemwide fare discounts for low-income riders as early as this summer, pending final approval from the agency’s board.
A personal care assistant for a 95-year-old woman in Dorchester faces charges that she withdrew $120,000 from her client's bank account, stole $30,000 in rent payments from a tenant in the woman's house and then forced the house into foreclosure, by taking out a reverse mortgage on it.
A technician checks the furnace at Paulette Gray’s Dorchester home. Photo by Alessandra Bisalti/ABCD
With winter temperatures now in full chill-mode, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) is urging residents to apply for funds from the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to help cover utility costs.
Deadline approaching to enroll in coverage for the new year
Over the past years during and following the pandemic, Massachusetts residents have made major changes to adapt to our new social and economic landscapes. This means more people have been changing jobs, moving, and following their dreams of working for themselves. Significant numbers of residents are also transitioning from MassHealth coverage following the end of federal COVID-19 protections.
At-Large City Councillor Ruthzee Louijeune was elected president of the Boston City Council Monday, succeeding Councillor Ed Flynn in that post and pledging to make equity a guiding principle while aspiring to "bring everyone along" in the city.
The daughter of immigrants from Haiti, Louijeune was born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park and attended Boston Public Schools. An attorney, she graduated from Columbia University, Harvard Law School, and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and is trilingual with French and Haitian Creole.
For years, Haitian American activists have sought a space in the city to serve as a hub to celebrate the achievements, history, and rich culture of one Boston’s largest immigrant populations. Now, they’ve found it along Boston’s waterfront, in a 2,000-square-foot-storefront space in a new building on Lovejoy Wharf, near North Station and the TD Garden.
The growth of people working for themselves is one of the biggest economic changes to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few years, many people left their jobs to follow their dreams and work independently. This has resulted in more gig workers, freelancers, and independent contractors than ever before. Independent work provides flexibility and freedom, but often leads to stress when it comes time to navigate the process of enrolling in health insurance coverage.
