LOCAL NEWS

RCC questions report on possible merger

A report released last week by The Boston Foundation recommends that the state consider merging Roxbury Community College (RCC) and Bunker Hill Community College into one consolidated institution called Boston Community and Technical College. More »

City seizes buildings to expand Ferdinand project

The City of Boston is moving to acquire the two remaining buildings adjacent to the old Ferdinand's Furniture building to make more room for the planned $15 million Dudley Square Municipal Office Facility project, set to break ground in spring 2012. More »

Analysis: Assault on minority voting rights

A strategic campaign to deny voting rights to African Americans and Latinos is well underway, according to a report issued Monday by the NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. More »

Public service unions and the 'Commons'

There is a favorable awakening of Americans in the polls toward issues of public service union employees. This dovetails with the emerging groups of working people who are participating in the multifarious "Occupy" social conferences across the nation. More »

NBA Region 1 launching yearlong honors program

The National Bar Association's (NBA) Region 1 is launching a yearlong honors program next Monday, Dec. 12, aimed at high school students interested in law. A two-pronged initiative focused on career education and exploration coupled with networking, the program will meet for the first time at the John Adams Courthouse at 4 p.m. More »

Bridging the gap of racial inequality

The White House's Policy in Action Leadership Conference last month was an opportunity to hear from the Obama adminsitration about their efforts to close the racial disparities in education and job training, business development, foreclosures and health. More »

Nurse lives dream while changing lives in Africa

Mattapan resident Marion Tinsley - a nurse at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Jamaica Plain - set out to change lives in Africa, and ended up changing her own. The 44-year-old master's student at Regis College had wanted to go to Africa for awhile, but wasn't sure how to get there. More »

Veterans to benefit from enhanced state treasury program

Changes to the state's Welcome Home Bonus program will increase benefits to many Massachusetts veterans who serve multiple tours of duty overseas, state Treasurer Steven Grossman said last week. More »

NATIONAL NEWS

Hip hop pioneer shares vision for Occupy Wall Street

Russell Simmons was among the handful of celebrities making a daily show of support of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) with a very visible presence on the ground in lower Manhattan and other cities. More »

An appreciation for comedian Patrice O'Neal

Patrice Lumumba Malcolm O'Neal, or "Bruiser," as many of his close friends called him, is best known for his September 2011 appearance on the "Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen," and as a regular drop-in guest on the nationally syndicated "Opie and Andy Radio Show." More »


HEALTH

Health disparities reflect racial and economic divide

Health disparities continue to fall along racial lines, the Boston Public Health Commission's latest "Health of Boston" report reveals. "Boston's black and Latino residents experience higher levels of chronic disease, mortality, and poorer health outcomes compared with White residents," the report says. More »

Dana-Farber expert supports CDC guidelines for vaccinating boys against HPV

The human papillomavirus or HPV is the world's most common infection spread through sexual contact. Approximately 20 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. The virus is so common that at least 50 percent of sexually active men and women get it at some point in their lives. More »

Whittier Street Health Center expanding access and services in new building

In January 2012, Whittier Street Health Center will move to its new building at 1290 Tremont St., located just down the road from its current site. Right next to the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College, Whittier's new building will more than double the health center's size, allowing for easier access, convenience, expanded services and a more comfortable environment for its patients. More »

Talking with young people about healthy living - exercise, nutrition and weight

Community and legislative leaders heard directly from young people about one of the most pressing public issues of our time - obesity and healthy living. At a packed educational forum at the Massachusetts Statehouse last month, the young people and their families shared how important healthy living has been to them as part of an effort to address the epidemic of childhood obesity. More »