LOCAL NEWS

Memorial Church names new minister

When Jonathan Walton first heard the news, he had to be "pulled off the floor." He still doesn't remember much from that moment, only that he felt "kinda woozy." Drew Gilpin Faust, president of Harvard University, laughed at Walton's reaction, saying, "We'll talk later." In April, Walton learned that he would succeed the late Rev. Peter Gomes as minister of Memorial Church, the iconic house of worship in Harvard Yard. He started preaching last week. More »

Henriquez arrest takes toll on state of black politics

State Representative Carlos Henriquez is considered by many as one of a new and highly capable generation of African American and Latino leaders to emerge in Boston in recent years. So, when the Dorchester-based politician was arrested Sunday on charges of domestic battery and kidnapping, it resonated as stunning news. According to published reports, Northeastern University campus police responded to a call at 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning. A woman in her 20s accused Henriquez of punching and strangling her. More »

State now controls community colleges

During his annual state of the commonwealth address earlier this year, Gov. Deval Patrick proposed reforming the state's community colleges in part to meet the workforce development needs of local employers. The proposal called for unifying the state's 15 autonomous community colleges into one statewide system to increase administrative efficiency, overall accountability and better provide residents with workplace skills needed to fill the estimated 120,000 job openings at the time. More »