Cambridge, MA - Over 20 Harvard employees and supporters held a demonstration outside Harvard University's 90 Mt. Auburn St. facility on Wednesday against proposed "voluntary and involuntary staff reductions" at the Harvard University Library- while a meeting on restructuring the labor force at the library was being led by HU Library Executive Director Helen Shenton inside.

BOSTON/Government Center - The Boston Teachers Union held a boisterous rally outside Boston Public Schools district headquarters Wednesday night to build public support for the union's contract goals. Chanting "contract now!" and blowing horns and whistles, about 500 teachers, students and supporters from other union locals braved freezing temperatures to call for an end to a 20-month impasse in contract negotiations between the teachers' union and the Boston public school administration.

BOSTON/Beacon Hill - Anti-foreclosure activists rallied at the Statehouse on Wednesday and testified in support of four proposed laws that would protect Massachusetts homeowners against foreclosure and eviction. Organized by the Massachusetts Alliance Against Predatory Lending, a statewide coalition, the rally drew about 100 supporters from some of the state’s hardest-hit communities in advance of a packed public hearing before the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee.

If passed, the four laws would force banks to enter into loan-modification negotiations with homeowners and produce valid legal title to homes before foreclosing. The laws would also permit court oversight of foreclosure actions, and allow former homeowners to remain in foreclosed homes until the property is sold to new owners who intend it as a primary residence.

BOSTON/South Boston - An Everett man implicated in the 1989 assassination of six Jesuit priests and two civilians in El Salvador abandoned his guilty plea on two unrelated immigration charges in federal district court Monday. The presiding judge agreed to continue proceedings on January 11th after it became clear the defendant did not understand the consequences of his plea.

BOSTON/Dorchester - When activists with City Life / Vida Urbana trim their Christmas themed “Justice Tree” this afternoon in a Dorchester neighborhood, they’ll be celebrating more than just the giving and receiving of gifts. A family that was evicted from a foreclosed property earlier this year actually will have a place to enjoy the tree for the holiday season.

Cambridge, Mass - The National Lawyers Guild, Massachusetts Chapter and its Mass Defense Committee have been providing critical legal assistance to New England protest movements for many years. For the past three months, members of the Guild served as legal observers at the #OccupyBoston encampment in Dewey Square, Boston and argued before a Suffolk Superior Court Judge that pro-democracy demonstrators had a first amendment right to use a small portion of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway as a "free speech zone."

The following is a transcript of the Open Media Boston audio recording of a 6 a.m. press conference called by the Boston Police Department on December 10, 2011 on the corner of Atlantic Ave. and Congress St. to discuss their destruction of the Occupy Boston encampment at Dewey Square on orders from Mayor Thomas Menino. Boston Police Department Superintendent William Evans spoke on behalf of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis - who did not attend.

BOSTON/Dewey Square - The Occupy Boston encampment in Dewey Square was completely destroyed starting at 4:58 a.m. this morning in a major operation by the Boston Police Department - working together the Boston Parks Department, other city agencies, and representatives of the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy.

After a relatively quiet night - marred at about 4 a.m. by an assault on Occupy Boston spokesperson Robin Jacks by a man who rushed into the camp, called Jacks and all women present “prostitutes”, punched her in the face, stole her iPhone, was tackled by a Boston Police officer and arrested while Jacks phone was recovered by fellow occupiers - about 150 occupiers and supporters were settling down to what they hoped would be an uneventful day.

BOSTON/Dewey Square - Midnight came and went with no evidence that Mayor Menino would make good on his threatened eviction of #OccupyBoston protesters from their Dewey Square encampment this morning.

BOSTON/Copley Square - #OccupyBoston held a citywide day of action in a dozen locations around the city on Saturday - culminating in a 300 person afternoon rally at Copley Square.