Jeannette Juroff, who’s an Army staff sergeant based at the Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, said she is relieved that her husband is out of Iraq and won’t face daily mortar attacks and other dangers. This was his second deployment to Iraq.“We should have done this a long time ago,” she said, referring to the troop withdrawal. “We had no business going over there at all and losing soldiers like that.”All U.S. troops are to be out of Iraq by Dec. 31, and hundreds of soldiers have been arriving at military installations in recent weeks because of the troop withdrawal.Staff Sgt. Elama Continue reading >>>

WonderBuilders, Inc., an Open Wonderland 3D virtual world platform and services provider, is partnering with Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) to create an English as a Second Language (ESL) learning environment. Funded by a Cyberlearning grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the project will build a virtual campus for teaching English to non-native speakers. The Cyberlearning grant program focuses on exploring breakthrough methods of integrating technology into the classroom as part of the Obama administrations new Digital Promise initiative. "The ESL virtual world Continue reading >>>

EVENTS Braintree: Dogs, cats, and other pets (and their owners) can have their pictures taken with Santa at the South Shore Plaza during the final special Pet Photo night Tuesday at 5 to 8 p.m. 781-848-1417. Hingham: “The Bigger Picture: paintings by Lisa Daria Kennedy’’ will feature works of various sizes by Hingham artist Kennedy. Through Jan. 7. South Street Gallery, 149 South St. 781-749-0430, www.southstreetgallery.com. Norwood: A Holiday Evening Continue reading >>>

MUSIC FOR FOOD Violist Kim Kashkashian (above) has organized a series of one-hour benefit chamber concerts with musical friends and colleagues. This month’s program features Brahms’s G-Major Viola Quintet and Bartok’s Duos. Attendees are asked to bring cans of food or a donation by check to the Greater Boston Food Bank. Dec. 19, 8 p.m. Brown Hall, New England Conservatory. 617-585-1260, www.necmusic.edu BOSTON BAROQUE Under Martin Pearlman’s direction, the veteran period instrument band offers its annual pair of New Year’s performances, Continue reading >>>

A marketing researcher has been polling voters in several communities around Suffolk Downs to measure local support for a casino project at the track and to identify the public officials who wield the greatest influence among the people, according to residents polled. Suffolk Downs officials confirmed yesterday that they are behind the recent surveys in Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea. “We can never do enough listening to the local community,’’ said Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer. He said Suffolk Downs has polled “periodically’’ to help inform Continue reading >>>

By Kim Foley MacKinnon, Town Correspondent Roslindale is one of four communities in the spotlight this month for a new literary series and writing competition sponsored by WBUR’s Radio Boston and The Drum Literary Magazine called “Zip Code Stories.” Four zip codes are chosen each month and anyone can submit an original 500-word short story or essay about that area for consideration. Writers do not need to live in the town they are writing about and the stories can be fiction or non-fiction. In this third round in the series, Roslindale (02131), as well as Gloucester (01930), Brockton Continue reading >>>

Ten days after finishing up their second-straight unbeaten Greater Boston League season with a win over Medford, the Malden High School boys cross country team dominated the GBL championships by taking five of the top ten spots en route to a 29-39 triumph over second-place Cambridge Rindge and Latin in late October. “Our goal coming into the day was to have five to six runners finish in the top ten,” said Malden coach David Londino. “Last year we got three of the top four spots. After 2011 senior captains Andrew Terenzi and Patrick Keough graduated we knew we’d have to win it this year Continue reading >>>

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press: or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution On Dec. 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights became part of the United States Constitution. A vote of three-quarters of the states is required to change these first 10 or any subsequent amendments to the country's founding document. On that date 220 years ago, Virginia became the 11th of 14 Continue reading >>>

Print this Article Email this Article Buy This Photo "; aryZooms[imgCounter] = "javascript: NewWindow(870,625,window.document.location+'Template=photosimg="+imgCounter+"')"; var ap = /ap/.test(""); var associated = /Associated/.test(""); var contributed = /Contributed/.test(""); if (ap==true || associated==true || contributed==true || ""==""){ document.getElementById('purchasePhoto').style.display = "none"; } bolImages=true; NEW BEDFORD — Jews Continue reading >>>