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Workers begin repair work on a section of Chestnut Street in Leominster, where flood waters swept away the road on Sept. 12, 2023. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Local Coverage

17 mins ago

White House overrules FEMA on storm aid for September floods

President Joe Biden overturned a Federal Emergency Management Agency denial of a major disaster declaration for the strong storms that flooded Leominster, North Attleborough and other parts of Massachusetts in September. But the new federal action appears to still fall short of what Gov. Maura Healey had sought.

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UMass police say most campus arrests involved 'zero force.' Some faculty say students were hurt.
Mass. overdose deaths dropped 11% in 2023, according to CDC data
Judge quickly denies request to discard $38 million verdict in New Hampshire youth center abuse case
Celtics beat Cavaliers 113-98, advancing to 3rd consecutive East finals
5 things to do this weekend, including a production of 'Morning, Noon, and Night' and the Greater Roxbury Book Fair
On Instagram, Boston Urban Archive shares history of Black communities

U.S. and world news

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a Feb. 8 luncheon in Tampa, Fla. Climate change will be a lesser priority in Florida and largely disappear from state statutes under legislation signed Wednesday by DeSantis. (AP)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs a bill that strikes climate change from...

Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs embraces Taylor Swift after defeating the San Francisco 49ers during this year's Super Bowl in Las Vegas. Swift, who flew in from Tokyo to attend the game, jokingly told him, "jet lag is a choice." (Getty Images)

Taylor Swift joked that 'jet lag is a choice.' A sleep expert...

Attorney General Merrick Garland (Getty Images)

White House cites executive privilege over tapes of special counsel's Biden interview

'Whale Fall' centers the push-and-pull between dreams and responsibilities

In this file photo from 2020, President Biden and then-President Donald Trump participate in the second and final presidential debate of that election. (AP)

Biden and Trump agree to two debates; how outdoor time can protect...

On the set of United Airlines' new onboard safety video in Montreal, Canada. (Courtesy of United Airlines)

With flyers more distracted than ever, United rolls out a rebooted safety...

More Boston Headlines

A cannabis 'pipe dream'

When the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission launched its Social Equity Program, it promised a pathway for groups disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs into the newly legalized cannabis market....

The Common

13:495 hours ago

Hundreds rally at Boston Common for higher wages, rent control

With sky-high rents in Boston and across the region, advocates are pressing for relief.

Business

May 15, 2024

Police form a line after they moved MIT student protesters away from the front of the Stata Center during a rally on May 9. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Many political leaders paid lip service to protesters' free speech while agreeing with arrests

Critics say history will not look well upon hundreds of pro-Palestinian students being arrested for peaceful protests.

Local Coverage

05:40May 15, 2024

Felix Arroyo sits in court on May 14, 2024. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

City finalizing settlement in Felix Arroyo's sexual harassment lawsuit

Attorneys say they have have reached a "mutually agreeable settlement" in a sexual harassment lawsuit against former city health chief Felix Arroyo and the city of Boston, days after the...

Local Coverage

May 15, 2024

A bicyclist rides his bicycle through Cambridge, Mass. on a summer morning. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

The push and pull over bike lanes in Cambridge

Last month, Cambridge City Council voted to postpone implementation of an ambitious bike lane plan on three major city streets. City Councilors Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler and Joan Pickett join Radio Boston...

Radio Boston

20:42May 15, 2024

A rendering of a close-up exterior view of the Museum of Science's planned "Public Science Common." (Courtesy of the Museum of Science, Boston.)

A look inside the Boston Museum of Science's big renovation plans

Boston's Museum of Science is planning to replace its windowless, brick-walled Cahners Theater with a bright, 10,000-square-foot event space, with sweeping views of the Charles River. Dubbed the “Public Science...

Local Coverage

May 15, 2024

Boston forward Susanna Tapani, rear, celebrates her overtime goal against Montreal in a PWHL playoff hockey game Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Lowell, Mass. (Mark Stockwell/AP)

Boston advances to the PWHL finals

Susanna Tapani scored her second overtime winner of the series to help Boston rally past Montreal 3-2 and advance to the Professional Women’s Hockey League championship series. Boston, which swept...

Local Coverage

May 15, 2024

The student protest encampment in the Kresge Oval at MIT. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

How Mass. colleges responded to student protest encampments

The final pro-Palestinian encampment in the greater Boston area disbanded Tuesday. Here's a look at how colleges across Massachusetts handled the protest movement.

Education

May 15, 2024

The author (left) with her wife at a friend's wedding in 2001. (Courtesy Meaghan Shields)

'I wanted to say forever and mean it': 20 years of marriage is a lot to be proud of

A legal ruling carried us through our wedding ceremony, protecting our medical, financial and parental rights, writes Meaghan Shields. But it’s the work my wife and I have put into...

Cognoscenti

May 15, 2024

As encampments are dismantled, campuses prepare for graduation

Colleges and universities across the country are gearing up for graduation, including here in Boston. Commencement comes at a very tense time on many campuses though, as student protest encampments...

The Common

15:04May 15, 2024

Radio Boston

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Chef Joe Gatto shows us how to make bruschetta for your next barbeque

Chef Joe Gatto shows Radio Boston how to make bruschetta to bring to your next barbeque.

Radio Boston

13:34May 14, 2024

George Rhoads ball machine at the Museum of Science, Boston. (Joe Difazio for WBUR)

Museum of Science works to create new generation of engineers with STEM outreach programs

Radio Boston

12:00May 14, 2024

After more than a decade as transportation committee chair, Bill Straus is leaving Beacon Hill

Rep. Bill Straus, the longtime chair of the legislative Joint Committee on Transportation joins Radio Boston.

Radio Boston

20:39May 14, 2024

Beloved Boston chef and restauranteur Jasper White dies

Radio Boston celebrates Boston chef and restauranteur, who died this past week, and his impact on Boston's dining industry.

Radio Boston

12:11May 13, 2024

More Boston Headlines

In this artist depiction, Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, seated second from right, appears in U.S. District Court, in Boston, April 19, 2023. (Margaret Small via AP)

Military officer deciding whether to recommend court-martial for Pentagon leaker

A Massachusetts Air National Guard member who pleaded guilty in March to federal crimes for leaking highly classified military documents appeared Tuesday before a military hearing officer who will recommend...

Local Coverage

May 14, 2024

Pro-Palestinian protesters pull down one of the last remaining tents set up in the encampment in Harvard Yard. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Pro-Palestinian encampment ends at Harvard, but organizers say the protest isn't over

Student protestors voluntarily ended their encampment Tuesday morning. Harvard was the last remaining encampment in the Boston area, after a string of others have been cleared out by police, resulting...

Local Coverage

May 14, 2024

A car passes a stopped school bus in Peabody, as captured by the bus's stop-arm camera. (Screenshot)

This Mass. city put cameras on some school buses to record illegal passes. The results were alarming

Cars are required to stop while children are boarding and departing school buses. And yet, data released by Peabody Public Schools shows an alarming number of motorists illegally drove past...

Local Coverage

May 14, 2024

James "Whitey" Bulger in a June 23, 2011, booking photo provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. (U.S. Marshals Service via AP)

3 men charged in Whitey Bulger's 2018 prison killing have plea deals, prosecutors say

Three men charged in the 2018 prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger have reached plea deals with prosecutors. The plea deals for Fotios “Freddy” Geas, Paul J....

Local Coverage

May 14, 2024

A ride share car displays Lyft and Uber stickers on its front windshield in downtown Los Angeles. (Richard Vogel/AP)

Uber, Lyft tell judge they don't provide rides, just connections

Uber and Lyft defended their business model in court on Monday, pitching themselves as technology companies that facilitate easier transportation, not outright transportation providers. State prosecutors laid out their own...

Local Coverage

May 13, 2024

WBUR host Rupa Shenoy to leave Morning Edition

The Boston NPR affiliate said Monday that Shenoy will leave the show this summer, nearly three years after she succeeded longtime host Bob Oakes.

Local Coverage

May 13, 2024

An aerial view of Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk (MCI-Norfolk) on July 22, 2021. (David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Mass. will convert former Norfolk prison into a shelter for homeless families

The Bay State Correctional Center will help house families on the waitlist for state shelter. It was decommissioned in 2015 and remains in good condition, officials said. The state prison...

Local Coverage

May 13, 2024

The Banana Boat Jumbo Banana Split at Cabot's Ice Cream in Newton. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Here's the scoop on Massachusetts' upcoming 'ice cream trail'

A new initiative from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources will map out all the dairy farms and ice cream shops across the state where people can find delicious, locally...

Local Coverage

May 13, 2024

MIT students protest in wake of arrests (Barbara Moran/WBUR)

MIT students protest and march after clearing of campus encampment

The march followed the arrests of 19 pro-Palestinian MIT protesters over two days, and the suspension of dozens of students.

Education

May 10, 2024

Protesters gather in front of the John Harvard Statue in Harvard Yard during a rally in support of a banned pro-Palestine group. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Harvard ratchets up pressure on the last pro-Palestinian campus encampment in Greater Boston

The last pro-Palestinian encampment in the immediate Boston area sits in Harvard Yard. How long it last remains to be seen, as the school's administration turns up the pressure on...

Local Coverage

May 10, 2024