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Lowry: SAT measures academic excellence, so it must go

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

The long era of the dominance of the SAT in college admissions is coming to an end.The test is increasingly being shelved not because it failed but because it succeeded in all the wrong ways.According to a survey from an anti-testing outfit, more than 80% of four-year colleges won’t require standardized tests for admissions this coming fall. Many have made the tests optional, and some won’t consider them at all. In a swath of academia, the pandemic expedient of dropping the tests has seamlessly transitioned to a permanent change.If this isn’t a leap forward for fairness or rationality, it is another ringing victory for the equity of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” fame. With homework now on the chopping block for not being equitable enough — kids with involved parents tend to actually do their homework — it shouldn’t be a surprise that the SAT is being shown the door.The SAT, with its signature four-option multiple-choice answers, i...

Editorial: Biden copies Trump, sending troops to border

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

Joe Biden is fond of blaming the border crisis on Donald Trump.“The president inherited a mess because of what the last administration did. We inherited a mess. And, you know, Republicans in Congress made it worse by blocking comprehensive immigration reform,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in the runup to Biden’s controlled photo op visit to Texas in January.That isn’t stopping him from taking a page from Trump’s border security playbook for himself.According to Politico, the Biden administration is planning to send 1,500 more active-duty troops temporarily to the southern border to assist agents ahead of an expected influx of migrants seeking asylum, three U.S. officials said Tuesday.The move comes as Title 42, the public health law that permits the U.S. to deny asylum and migrations claims for public health reasons, is set to expire on May 11. This is expected to produce a surge of immigrants to the border.There’s no sign o...

Pappardelle with artichoke hearts & mushrooms quick, delicious veggie meal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

Enjoy a little taste of Italy with this quick vegetarian dinner. It’s made with pappardelle. These are large, very broad, flat pasta noodles, similar to wide fettuccine. They originated from the region of Tuscany.Marinated artichoke hearts, meaty mushrooms and fresh tomatoes create a rich sauce that is perfect with the wide pasta. It’s topped off with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.Helpful Hints:You can use large or wide fettucine noodles instead of pappardelle.You can use any type of mushroom.You can use 4 crushed garlic cloves instead of minced garlic.TAG GOES HEREPappardelle with Artichoke Hearts and MushroomsINGREDIENTS1/4 pound pappardelle pastaOlive oil spray1 cup sliced onion2 cups jar or can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half2 teaspoons minced garlic2 cups diced tomatoes2 cups sliced portobello mushrooms1 tablespoon olive oil1/4 cup broken walnuts1 cup fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheeseSalt and freshly ground black p...

Burton: Minority, women-owned construction firms get support SRGE

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

Across the nation disparity reports reveal that companies with leadership that is Black, brown, indigenous and/or female are under-represented among large construction companies. Right now, as the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan promotes increasing activity in commercial construction across multiple sectors, there are unprecedented prospects for minority and women-owned firms to close a longtime opportunity gap.How can generally small and often under-resourced construction firms headed by people of color and women achieve equity, opportunity and access to these mushrooming business opportunities in a field dominated by traditional, long-established builders? These diverse business leaders are resilient, often wearing both administrative and operational hats, weathering slow payment cycles and nominal purchasing power while pushing through compliance paperwork and delivering a level of excellence to sophisticated clients. They deserve a support system that backs up their t...

Crispy pork chops with arugula salad elevate dinner

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

How did you eat pork chops growing up? If you’re of a certain age, I’ll bet it was with a side of applesauce or maybe homemade mashed potatoes.Both pair perfectly with pork, so I’m not throwing shade on mom or grandma. But since it’s spring, when fresh greens such as arugula and baby spinach are widely available, why not substitute a simple salad dressed in a zesty, lemony vinaigrette?Sheela Prakash’s latest cookbook, “Salad Seasons: Vegetable-Forward Dishes All Year,” has one such recipe. Only instead of making it with lemon juice, vinegar and mustard, Kitchn’s senior contributing editor uses the entire lemon — rind, pulp, juice and all.“Might sound nothing short of crazy,” she writes in the headnotes, “but it’s no-waste brilliance at its best.”When mixed with honey, toasted almonds and a generous glug of olive oil, lemon’s vibrant peel, bitter pith and lip-puckering flesh “make for a complex ...

Girls swimming All-Scholastics and league All-Stars

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

GIRLS SWIMMINGAddison Abreu (Seekonk) 200-IMClara Bodnar (Hingham) 200-IMCara Dominici (Westford Academy)100-breaststrokeZuri Ferguson (Attleboro) 50-freestyle, 100-backstrokeJessie McNeil (Bridgewater-Raynham) 200-IMJulia Pelchat (Bishop Feehan) 100-freestyleClementine Robins (Marblehead) 200-freestyle, 500-freestyleOlivia Templeton (Duxbury) divingAbby Toepfer (Cardinal Spellman) 200-freestyleHope Xayaveth (Franklin) 100-butterflyCara Hill, Sophia Oppenheim, Deirdre Brown, Arpi Abrahamian (Wayland) 200-freestyle relayHarikalal Birali, Christine Tang, Hope Xayaveth, Emma Ferreira (Franklin) 200-medley relayBridget Hogan, Tamara Papovsky, McKenna Murray, Joslin Halsey (Lincoln-Sudbury) 400-freestyle relay ADDISON ABREUSEEKONKThe junior co-captain won the Div. 2 state titles in the 100-yard butterfly (57.01) as well as the 200-yard IM (2:06.24). She also won the South Sectional in the 200 freestyle (1:54.54) and the 100 freestyle (53.33). Abreu went undefeated in dual meets, bre...

Boston’s Grammy-nominated Debo Ray takes audiences on magical music tour

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

Over a pulsing-but-breezy beat, Debo Ray sings about diving “down into the rabbit hole.” The lyric, from her dreamy, addictive modern soul single “Cope,” inspired a minor masterpiece of a video.“When I wrote the song I used a prompt of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ to get that ‘what is reality, what is not’ aesthetic,” Ray told the Herald. “[For the video] we tried to get a lot of those elements of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ without being too on the nose.”Mission accomplished: the clip is a psychedelic rush of bright colors, dance sequences and subtle nods to the Lewis Carroll classic.But more can be read into the lyric. More than any Boston (or maybe national) artist, Ray has followed music in strange, magic directions: rock, soul, jazz, opera, heavy metal, and all sorts of experimental stuff between genre borders.“I admit I am still trying to find the balance point,” she said ahead of her May 12 Stevie Wonder tribute show at Arlington’s Regent Theater – one of five different concerts she’ll pr...

Dear Abby: Couple thinks son’s wife is swiping meds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

Dear Abby: Our daughter-in-law has stolen Adderall from our house on three separate occasions. My husband and I reluctantly suspected her after the second occurrence. Last weekend she was here again, and the pill bottle with eight pills in it was on my bathroom counter. When she left, four of them were missing.What do I do with this information? I’m afraid if I confront her, she will alienate our son and grandkids from us. Do we talk to our son? We’re afraid he will be angry with us for blaming her. Or should I say nothing and buy a small safe for medications? I feel like it’s a no-win situation, but at the end of the day, I’m concerned she has a substance abuse problem. I don’t think she would normally steal things. — Taken From in TexasDear Taken From: Talk to your son in as non-accusatory a manner as you can manage. He should know that his wife may have a prescription drug problem and MAY be in need of help. You may also need to keep your eyes ...

Democratic victor in 9th Suffolk House primary a shoo-in

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

You can stick a fork in the race to fill the vacated 9th Suffolk seat, as it was all but done before the primary ended and despite the special election still being weeks away.Nearly a full month before some Boston voters will go to the polls to make their choice for representation in the Massachusetts State House official, John Moran, the leading and essentially unchallenged Democratic candidate, held an election night watch party in the South End to celebrate his victory in Tuesday’s primary and, for all intents and purposes, the race itself.Moran will still need to be voted into office during the May 30 special election to replace Healey Administration Veterans’ Services Secretary John Santiago, who resigned from the State House to take that job, but with no Republican challenger to speak of the South End resident’s success is all but assured.According to his staff Moran, a self described housing advocate and an Associate Director at Cambridge based biotech firm Biogen, began the ...

Suspect, deputy involved in East County shooting identified

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:59:10 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man suspected of charging towards law enforcement with a metal bedframe held over his head and a deputy who shot the suspect were both identified Tuesday, authorities said.Santo Marac, 45, was arraigned Monday in the hospital on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of criminal threats and resisting arrest with violence, Lt. Adam Sharki with the San Diego Police Department said in a release. Benjamin Blake, who has been with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for about a year and a half, was identified as the deputy who shot the suspect, according to authorities. He is currently assigned as a patrol deputy at the Rancho San Diego substation. The shooting occurred last Wednesday around 7:23 p.m. in the 3600 block of South Barcelona Street.Authorities responded to the location after a report of a man who had picked up a bedframe and threatened to kill another roommate. When they arrived on scene, ...