City Councilor Liz Breadon (Allston/Brighton) today proposed banning local pet shops - including one in her district - from selling guinea pigs, which she says are beginning to overwhelm local animal shelters, and which are now even showing up on Boston streets as strays. Read more.

Christopher Gavin reports the City Council voted 11-2 today to support Mayor Wu's proposal to cap rent increases at no more than 10% for tenants in older buildings with more than six apartments. The measure now goes to the state legislature for consideration. Read more.

A federal magistrate judge ruled today the Satanic Temple has to pay Boston $8228.25 as reimbursement for the time four city attorneys spent successfully fighting what another judge called a "bad faith" attempt to make then Councilor Michelle Wu spend several hours in Salem on Election Day listening to church members give a candle-lit invocation and then answering questions about how the city council selects clergy members to start meetings with an invocation. Read more.

The Boston City Council could decide Feb. 15 whether to seek approval from the state legislature for a plan that would shift the Boston School Committee from a board appointed by the mayor to one elected by residents - plus a student member who would be able to vote on school business. Read more.

The Bay State Banner reports.

The Dorchester Reporter reports on today's vote by the council.

The City Council will vote Wednesday on eight of Mayor Wu's slate of candidates for the Zoning Board of Appeal, which hears roughly 1,100 cases a year on everything from attic dormers and basement bedrooms to apartment towers and marijuana shops. Read more.

A City Council committee chaired by Councilor Frank Baker (Dorchester) has scheduled a Monday hearing to consider Mayor Wu's plan to reshape the Zoning Board of Appeal by replacing most of its current members. Read more.

City Council President Ed Flynn (South Boston, South End, Chinatown, Downtown), who last year joined all his other colleagues in passing an ordinance requiring Boston Police and seven other departments to detail their use of cameras, cell-phone interceptors and other surveillance technologies, today voiced concern that forcing BPD to actually comply could result in the release of information that would help bad guys. Read more.