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Peterson Desir behind the controls of a Red Line car near Ashmont station. The 33-year-old motorman is one of 23 new heavy rail drivers who have taken jobs at the agency in recent months.

Local Coverage

8 mins ago

Two new MBTA operators talk about their trips to the driver’s seat

New MBTA drivers, Peterson Desir and Obed Ferdinand, talk about their experience as operators. Phillip Eng, the general manager of the T, points to Desir and his classmates as signs of progress as the agency seeks to staff up across the board.

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U.S. and world news

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador said he would "hate to think" hospital administrators are publicizing the number of emergency flights out of state "just to make a political statement." (Getty Images)

Idaho's biggest hospital says emergency flights for pregnant patients up sharply

Georgia State Patrol officers detain a demonstrator on the campus of Emory University during a pro-Palestinian demonstration on Thursday, April 25 in Atlanta. (AP)

Campus protests over Gaza could affect graduation; Steve Inkseep interviews Blinken

The conservative justices of the U.S. Supreme Court (AFP via Getty Images)

Trump's immunity arguments and the experiences of the justices who might support...

Amid the rubble of a collapsed building in Rafah, in southern Gaza, a woman and a girl search for items on April 24, following reported Israeli airstrikes overnight. (AFP via Getty Images)

What to know about a possible Israeli military offensive in Rafah

Activists and students participate in an encampment protest at the University Yard at George Washington University on Thursday. (Getty Images)

Pro-Palestinian campus protesters face looming deadlines and risk of arrest

Despite there being official bans on LGBTQ clergy and same-sex weddings, many local geographic conferences of the church â especially in the U.S. â chose not to enforce them. (AP)

United Methodist Church begins reorganization over LGBTQ+ issues

More Boston Headlines

Real-time tracker helps you find out where the "dirty water" is in Boston

Sewage overflows can make swimming in or even touching water dangerous, and not everyone knows when those overflows happen. But now, thanks to an interactive tracker from WBUR, you can...

Radio Boston

18 mins ago

Boston-area campus protest encampments grow after arrests at Emerson

Radio Boston checks in with WBUR senior reporter Willoughby Mariano, who's been following pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses in Greater Boston.

Radio Boston

27 mins ago

Upcoming protest album brings 100 years of dissent to present day

Palaver Strings, a Maine-based string ensemble, is bringing some of history's most iconic protest songs to life in a new way.

Radio Boston

29 mins ago

What's going on with the student protest encampments

Late Wednesday night, a protest encampment created by students at Emerson College was forcibly removed by police. Over 100 protesters were arrested in the clearing, and multiple injuries have been...

The Common

14:096 hours ago

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye walks on stage during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (Jeff Roberson/AP)

Patriots select quarterback Drake Maye with No. 3 pick in NFL draft

Maye becomes the second quarterback taken in the first round by New England since 2021 and will be its latest attempt to find a franchise quarterback following the departure of...

Local Coverage

Apr 25, 2024

An MBTA commuter rail train leaves Lynn station. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

MBTA extends commuter rail contract into 2027

The MBTA Board voted unanimously Thursday to extend the agency's contract with Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the authority's commuter rail network, for one year to mid-2027. MBTA General Manager...

Local Coverage

Apr 25, 2024

View of the Massachusetts State House from the corner of Tremont and Park Streets. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

House, Senate approve plan to cap family shelter stays at 9 months and up budget by $251 million

The agreement would pull another $251 million from the so-called Transitional Escrow Account to help pay for fiscal 2024 shelter system costs, with another $175 million available in the budget...

Health

Apr 25, 2024

Police and pro-Palestinian supporters face off after the Emerson College Palestinian protest camp was cleared by police in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 25, 2024. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

108 arrested as police forcibly clear Emerson encampment protesting war in Gaza

Boston police arrested more than 100 people near Emerson College overnight as officers forcibly cleared a tent encampment. Demonstrators had set up their tents in solidarity with a broader movement...

Local Coverage

04:42Apr 25, 2024

The Massachusetts State House on a sunny winter morning. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

What to know about the Mass. compromise on shelter spending, stay limits and takeout drinks

Massachusetts lawmakers are slated to vote Thursday on a compromise bill that would keep the state’s shelter system funded through the end of June and limit the time people can...

Local Coverage

Apr 25, 2024

Berklee College of Music on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Chinese former Berklee student given 9-month prison sentence for harassing person posting democracy leaflets

The U.S. Attorney's office says a Chinese former student at Boston's Berklee College of Music has been sentenced to nine months in prison for stalking and threatening a person who...

Local Coverage

Apr 25, 2024

Radio Boston

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One layer of sidewalk is all the water left behind on a section of Chestnut Street in Leominster, where flood waters from torrential rain swept away the road in 2023. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

How organizations are centering equity in fighting climate change

Radio Boston

15:11Apr 24, 2024

WBUR explores why Boston police waited years to charge an alleged 'serial rapist'

WBUR reporter Walter Wuthmann joins Radio Boston to discuss his reporting on Alvin Campbell.

Radio Boston

12:37Apr 24, 2024

Gov. Maura Healey speaks to the news media. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Healey on climate, her budget and the future of Steward Health

Radio Boston

34:36Apr 23, 2024

Mayor Michelle Wu speaks during a press conference in Roxbury. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Wu spoke with police leaders after report on alleged serial rapist

Radio Boston

46:54Apr 22, 2024

More Boston Headlines

The Clover Food Lab, on Cambridge Street, Cambridge, Mass. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Clover Food Lab exits bankruptcy with plans to expand around New England

Veggie-focused eatery Clover Food Lab is exiting Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week, the company announced Wednesday. The popular vegetarian fast food chain has restructured its business and is looking to...

Business

Apr 24, 2024

Massachusetts officials are preparing contingency plans to avoid closures at Steward Health Care facilities, which include the Carney Hospital in Dorchester. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Steward's leases make hospitals 'less attractive' to buyers, Mass. health secretary says

The Healey administration's top health care official said the property and leasing of Steward Health Care hospitals is complicating efforts to find a buyer.

Local Coverage

Apr 24, 2024

Beacon Hill negotiators say the have a deal on shelter funding

Top Democrats expect to file a compromise Wednesday on a bill designed to continue funding the state's overrun emergency family shelter and implement reforms to cut costs by limiting how...

Local Coverage

Apr 24, 2024

Harvard University police patrol the scene where protesters set up tents in front of the John Harvard Statue in Harvard Yard during a rally in support of the suspended pro-Palestinian group. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Harvard students prop up tents to protest war in Gaza and suspension of campus group

The events at Harvard unfolded as similar activism across campuses in Greater Boston and the U.S. drew national attention and comparisons to Vietnam-era student protest movements. The actions largely called...

Education

04:53Apr 24, 2024

WBUR cuts up to 14% of staff, including buyouts and layoffs

Two dozen employees have applied for voluntary buyouts. Seven people will be laid off, while nine currently vacant jobs will be eliminated.

Local Coverage

Apr 24, 2024

Sen. Elizabeth Warren talks to the press in 2020. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Quincy Republican Ian Cain joins Senate race to unseat Warren

Ian Cain, a Quincy City Councilor and co-founder of a blockchain technology incubator company, announced his candidacy Tuesday in a video posted on social media. He joins Republican and crypto...

Local Coverage

Apr 24, 2024

Beach and waterfront houses at Ellis Landing Beach in Brewster. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Looking for a Cape Cod summer rental? It might be easier this year

Even though vacationers are still flocking to Cape Cod in high numbers, real estate experts say the number of rentals available this summer on the Cape has rebounded to higher...

Local Coverage

Apr 24, 2024

Female singer strumming a guitar on stage in Worcester, Massachusetts. She is wearing a short black dress and a navy blue jacket with bell sleeves.

Singer Cara Brindisi wants to talk

The singer-songwriter is seeking deeper conversation in new concert series called "Life & Lyrics."

Arts & Culture

Apr 24, 2024

Former Weymouth police officer pleads guilty to punching man in custody about 13 times

A former Weymouth police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to assaulting a man in his custody nearly two years ago by punching him about a dozen times without justification.

Local Coverage

Apr 23, 2024

A woman passes a "We're Hiring!" sign while entering a clothing store in the Downtown Crossing of Boston, May 18, 2016. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Poll: Small businesses in Mass. say it's hard to hire and get capital

Many small businesses across Massachusetts are looking to grow but say it's difficult to fill open jobs and access capital, according to a new survey released Tuesday from MassInc Polling...

Business

Apr 23, 2024