Milton Valencia

A recent court ruling describes a corrections system “currently dealing with a large number of inmate medical emergencies, overdoses, and assaults on staff and inmates due to the drug distribution networks infiltrating the prison system.”

The racist practice played a large part in why so much of the state is segregated along racial lines, with economic disparities that still resonate.

The work for equality remains as critical as ever, especially as the level of public attention and motivation that mobilized in 2020 fades and as an “anti-woke” sentiment across the country aims to unravel the progress that has already been made.

More than 8,000 NAACP delegates are expected to arrive by Friday evening for the opening ceremony at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, which will host events, many open to the public, Thursday through Sunday.

The findings of two federal agencies conducting ethics investigations of US Attorney Rachael Rollins were released Wednesday, giving the public some insight into why she decided to resign after 16 months in office.

Rollins had been the focus of a Justice Department ethics probe that scrutinized her involvement in a July 2022 Democratic fund-raiser and a possible violation of the Hatch Act.

If the Supreme Court ends up weakening or outright overturning Roe v. Wade, the decision could result in a patchwork of laws across the country and trigger legal challenges between states.

The announcement comes amid growing anxiety among business owners and residents that crime and vagrancy have persisted.

State health officials say they are expanding an effort to get former residents of the Mass. and Cass area in Boston off the streets and into permanent housing.

Here are some of the factors at play.