The Latest
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Volunteers mobilize to offer mental health support for victims of Helene
As the death toll from Hurricane Helene continues to rise, the urgent need to support survivors has prompted a nationwide call for help. Volunteers from across the country are mobilizing to assist. Officials have reported more than 100 deaths and say hundreds more remain unaccounted for after the devastating storm. Many New Englanders, including members of the Red Cross and…
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Here's what Boston's doing to prevent flooding if disaster strikes
The City of Boston on Friday tested out removable flood barriers in case of emergency — the same barriers that had just helped keep storm surge from swamping a hospital in Tampa amid the devastation of Hurricane Helene. Friday was Boston’s first Deployables Day, a training and demonstration event where, under sunny skies, buildings and city workers practiced putting up…
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Will Boston homeowners be on the hook for city's budget problem? Wu hopes not
Mayor Michelle Wu is sharing details about her proposal to balance Boston’s budget and the need to shore up decreasing revenue from commercial property taxes. Wu’s proposal involves a three-year tax increase for commercial properties. She says this is an alternative to increasing residential property taxes. “If our residents were to have a sudden shock or increase in housing...
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Boston City Councilors ask state education officials to look into late buses
Two Boston City Council members say the morning pickup and afternoon drop off delays involving Boston school buses to start the school year have reached a breaking point, and they went before the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday to demand something be done about it. This after claiming their initial efforts went unnoticed. City councilors Ed…
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Man slashed parents, then fled Reading home, officials say
A man was arrested on suspicion of cutting his mother and father with a razor blade in Reading, Massachusetts, authorities said. Christian Alexander asked officers who tracked him down, after he fled his family’s residence on Bond Street, “Is everyone at the house okay?” prosecutors said as the man appeared in court Tuesday to face assault and battery charges....
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Police chase ends when stolen car crashes into Mass. fire station
Three teens were taken into custody after a car allegedly fleeing police crashed into a fire station in Kingston, Massachusetts, on Monday, damaging part of the building and its power systems. Police said the three suspects are teenagers and they believe the vehicle was stolen from the driver’s family. The driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries...
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Large fire in Lowell sends 4 firefighters and 1 resident to hospital
A large fire burned through a multi-family home in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Thursday afternoon, injuring 11 firefighters and one resident. The fire was reported on Aiken Avenue around 11:30 a.m., and flames were still showing as of 1:30 p.m. Numerous area fire departments were called to the scene to provide mutual aid. Over 50 firefighters in all helped battle the…
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After days of late buses, Boston Public Schools working to speed service
Boston Public School families experienced significant school bus delays during the first week of the new school year. On the first day of school, 66% of buses were late, according to data provided by BPS. (See the chart below.) This comes as BPS implements a new bus-tracking technology called Zum, a mobile app allows parents to track their child’s rides…
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MBTA launches new reduced fare program for low-income riders
The MBTA’s income-eligible reduced fare program is launching Wednesday, potentially cutting transit costs in half for about 60,000 riders. It offers reduced fares to riders between the ages of 18 and 64, at or below 200% of the federal poverty level – that’s $30,120 a year for a single person or $62,400 for a family of four. Previously, reduced fares…
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Over 100 Stoughton students are without a seat on the school bus
Families of 150 secondary students in the Stoughton Public Schools system learned last week that their children will not have bus transportation for the upcoming school year. The district says they already notified those families who applied but must seek other arrangements. The district’s superintendent stated in a press release that the public school system experienced a significant increase in…