State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and her Democratic primary challenger, local attorney Hassan Williams, will square off in a forum this Thursday night.

The forum is sponsored by the Ward 12 Democratic Committee, in collaboration with RoxVote.

The forum, which starts at 6 p.m., is at the 12th Baptist Church on 160 Warren St. in Roxbury.

The candidates are also attending a pair of MassVOTE forums next week on Aug. 24 and Aug. 26, located at Hibernian Hall and Prince Hall, respectively.  Read more

Former state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and prosecutors are asking a federal judge to move up her sentencing date to Sept. 14.

The sentencing is currently scheduled for Sept. 21.  Read more

MassVOTE, a nonprofit civic education organization, is joining up with 32 other nonprofits in sponsoring forums with candidates running in the Fifth Suffolk and Sixth Suffolk House districts. Forums on the Second Suffolk Senate district are also planned.  Read more

The state's largest healthcare union is backing an aide to City Councillor Chuck Turner who is running for retiring state Rep. Willie Mae Allen's seat.

SEIU 1199 announced Monday that they are endorsing Darrin Howell, who is taking a hiatus from City Hall to run for office. The other candidates -- all are Democrats -- include Russell Holmes, Karen Payne, Kathy Gabriel and Divo Monteiro. No Republicans were nominated for the seat.

The Democratic primary is Sept. 14, effectively determining the winner of the November election.  Read more

This week's Dot Reporter includes a look at the five folks running to replace state Rep. Brian Wallace, a South Boston Democrat who opted not to run for re-election.

The Fourth Suffolk District includes several areas of Dorchester, including parts of Uphams Corner, Harbor Point and the Polish Triangle.  Read more

One of U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch's challengers is zeroing in on the South Boston Democrat's 2002 vote on invading Iraq.

Mac D'Alessandro, a Milton Democrat running against Lynch in the primary, has launched a map on his campaign website that seeks to tally the costs of the Iraq War for each down in the Ninth Congressional District. For Boston (and by extension Dorchester), the cost is $2.04 billion, and thousands of police, teachers and firefighters.  Read more

A group of neighborhood associations will be hosting a forum Monday for candidates running to replace retiring state Rep. Brian Wallace.

The 6:30 p.m. forum is scheduled for the James Condon Community School at 200 D St.  Read more

State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry this afternoon gave birth to a baby girl, Madeline Casey Forry.

The baby came in at 8 lbs, 20.5 inches. We're told the mother and baby are doing fine.

Rep. Forry, who has served in the House since 2005, is married to Reporter managing editor Bill Forry. They are also the parents of two young boys, John Patrick and Conor.

The City Council on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill to expand the membership of the board of library trustees by four members and hand them fundraising powers.

The bill, known as a home rule petition, still needs the sign-off of the mayor, the state Legislature and the governor, was sponsored by City Councillors Michael Ross, Ayanna Pressley, and Felix Arroyo.

But it also has the support the head of the nine-member board, attorney Jeffrey Rudman.  Read more

An additional 200 summer jobs for youth and 42 Boston Public Schools custodial jobs would be saved under the new budget Mayor Thomas Menino released on Tuesday.  Read more

The state Board of Library Commissioners last week weighed in on the debate over amendments to the state budget aimed at preventing four library closures in Boston.  Read more