For the first time in five years, Massachusetts’ minimum wage did not rise at the start of the new year. It stayed constant at $15 an hour.  This year marks the end of the gradual increase signed into law in 2018 by then-Gov. Charlie Baker. The next push for advocates is...

The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, authorized a 4-milligram naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray for over-the-counter sales, or OTC, in March. This was in an effort to reduce overdose deaths primarily caused by illicit drugs. However, as of December, those in the medical...

Rats run rampant through the streets of Boston. This pest problem is not new, but Boston residents continue to grow frustrated.  Orkin’s 2023 Most Rat-Infested Cities list ranked Boston as the thirteenth rattiest city in the country.  Now, the president of the Boston...

The lights dim dramatically as the sounds of seagulls float over the audience and Phillis Wheatley, played by Adreyanua Jean-Louis, struts down the aisle exuding power and gracefulness.  “Phillis in Boston,” is a one-act play detailing the publication of famous author...

For this year’s Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, Nov. 11 to 18, local homeless shelter St. Francis House surpassed its $10,000 goal during its new “Sheltering Hope” campaign while continuing to serve meals to up to 500 guests a day. This is an increase compared to...

As temperatures drop and winter creeps in, tree lighting ceremonies take place throughout Boston, but one of the first and most beloved welcomes the holiday season at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. On Nov. 21, Quincy Market hosted a tree lighting ceremony from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m....

Acclaimed screenwriter Diane Hanks recently forayed into historical fiction writing, adapting her screenplay, “Hickam,” into her debut novel, “The Woman With a Purple Heart.” The novel, based on the true story of heroic WWII nurse Lieutenant Annie Fox, was published by...

Ruggles Station, located in the heart of Northeastern’s campus, services many bus routes, the Orange Line and the MBTA Commuter Rail, making it a primary stop for many Massachusetts residents and one of the most used stations in the MBTA network. On Nov. 8, the MBTA announced...

Veterans and their families came together in the South End Nov. 11 to commemorate service members at the annual Puerto Rican Veterans Day celebration. The event took place at the only Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial in the country, located at Washington and Dedham streets in...

A mutual aid network in Boston is on a mission to uplift unhoused individuals where it matters. Warm Up Boston, founded in 2020, provides meals, clothes, harm reduction equipment and funds directly to unhoused people in Boston.  Twice a week, Warm Up Boston holds distributions...

New progressive faces along with several incumbents will take their seats on the Boston City Council following the Nov. 7 municipal elections.  Three incumbent at-large city councilors, Ruthzee Louijeune, Erin J. Murphy and Julia Mejia, return for another term. Henry Santana,...

On Sept. 4, the New York Times published an opinion piece titled “College Students: School is Not Your Job.” Jonathan Malesic, a writing professor at Southern Methodist University, penned the essay in the hopes of projecting the importance of leisure, free-thinking and the...