Choose your location
Axios Boston
Massachusetts' new EV rebates cover used cars and down payments
Massachusetts now offers rebates for residents buying used electric cars, thanks to last year's climate law.Why it matters: The rebates are one of several ways Massachusetts is trying to wean residents off fossil fuels and meet its climate goals, including a 2025 deadline to reach 300,000 zero-emission vehicles.Massachusetts had nearly 50,000 registered in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.What's happening: The state is now offering $3,500 for purchases or leases of used electric cars through participating dealerships.As of Sept. 1, electric car buyers can use the rebate to help cover a down payment at the point of sale,...
Zildjian cymbals celebrates 400 years with a concert
One of the world's preeminent cymbal manufacturers, Zildjian will celebrate its quadricentennial Wednesday with a concert at Roadrunner hosted by drummer and comedian Fred Armisen.In the 20th century, the Zildjian family made its way to Boston and eventually to Norwell, where the company is now headquartered.Flashback: In 1623 New England, Plymouth colony was only 3 years old, and Boston wouldn't exist for another seven years.Meanwhile, in the Armenian sector of Constantinople, metalsmith Avedis Zildjian founded what would become a world famous musical instrument company.What's happening: The concert will feature homages to Zildjian Hall of Fame inductees like Ringo Starr, Omar Hakim, Terri Lyne Carrington and Sheila E.18 drummers, including Gorden Campbell, Marc QuiΓ±ones, Jamie-Leigh Schultz and Devon Taylor, will pay tribute to the musicians who have helped make Zildjian a household name.Be smart: Tickets are available for $50.
Boston Unity brings women's soccer back to town
It's official. Boston will have professional women's soccer again.Driving the news: The Boston Unity Soccer Club will take the field in 2026 as part of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), Jennifer Epstein, controlling manager of Boston Unity Soccer Partners said on Tuesday.Why it matters: The league will bring professional women's soccer back to Boston for the first time in nearly a decade. The new team's owners plan to repair the dilapidated, 78-year-old White Stadium in Franklin Park, which is still used for summer camp, football games and track meets.Flashback: The Women's United Soccer Association brought in the Boston Breakers...
The number of new businesses opening around Boston is increasing
Data: Yelp; Chart: Axios VisualsMore than 700 new businesses were registered on Yelp across the Boston metro area in July 2023, per the company, up 21.5% year over year.Why it matters: New business openings are a good measure of economic sentiment β people generally don't take the risk of spinning up a new venture if they foresee economic peril ahead.The big picture: Business openings nationwide have exceeded 2019 levels every month this year, thanks to a surge in travel, events and get-togethers, Axios's Hope King reports.California, Florida, Texas, New York and Georgia have seen the largest total number of new...
Where Bay Staters would go if they left Massachusetts
Data: Data: Axios research; Chart: Mike Deehan/Axios; Chart: Axios VisualsYou guys seem to like the far southwest and far northeast corners of the country.What's happening: Yesterday, we asked you where you'd most likely move to if you had to leave Massachusetts.Over 500 of you answered and the top destination was California with 12%, followed closely by our lovely northerly neighbor Maine.Vermont and New York (City and upstate) came in third and fourth. Colorado and New Hampshire tied for fifth.What you're saying: California wins for easy access to the beach, liberal politics and sunshine."Everyone is so chill and the stress level is minimal. The weather isn't something you have to constantly think about and plan for. You can just...go outside...and be comfortable. Imagine that," one reader told us.The intrigue: You have to wonder how all those snowy states would fare if the survey was conducted in, say February, instead of a 70-degree September.π Reality check: Bay Staters may be dreaming of California, but they're settling for Florida.The sunshine state, New Hampshire and New York were the top three states for out-migration from Massachusetts in 2020 and 2021, according to IRS data.
How to get free Paxlovid in Massachusetts
π Steph here. When I tested positive for COVID-19 last week, I assumed the state's hotline and resources had all vanished at this stage of the pandemic.Fortunately, I was wrong.Why it matters: COVID-19 cases are on the rise again, and the state can get you Paxlovid with just a couple steps on your part.What's happening: High-risk adults with COVID-19 who want the medication can do a free telehealth consultation with a contractor for the state.If you qualify for Paxlovid, they'll send it to you for free.How it works: The service runs 8am-10pm daily in 17 languages. You fill out a...
Boston apartment construction's steady decline
Roughly 5,593 new apartment units are expected in the greater Boston area this year, just over half the units that were built in 2020, according to a new report. Driving the news: Boston has seen a steady decline in new apartment construction in the last three years, per a RentCafe analysis of data from real estate intelligence service Yardi Matrix.
Poll: Your Massachusetts backup plan
Obviously Massachusetts is the best place to live β but if you couldn't call the Commonwealth home anymore, where would you go?. Driving the news: Our colleagues in the Twin Cities recently asked readers to name their second-place state, and Colorado came in first with 13% of the responses.
A guide to Boston's hidden gem restaurants
Some of Boston's best restaurants are hidden neighborhood spots or low-key hangs you won't find on a trendy list of what's hot and new. What's happening: Local Redditor "lightskintastebud" asked the Boston subreddit community for their favorite underrated restaurants, and it resulted in one of the best eating tours you could want.
The Big E returns with New England's finest fried food
The Big E, New England's multi-state fair opens Friday with all the deep-fried nonsense food, carnival rides and aging rock stars you could wish for. Why it matters: The Eastern States Exposition is a showcase for New England's agricultural exports and local products. One of the highlights of the Big...
What Hurricane Lee could mean for Massachusetts
A tropical storm warning is in effect in Boston, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard as Hurricane Lee makes its way through the Atlantic toward New England and Canada.Driving the news: Massachusetts is outside Lee's likely path, but Cape Cod residents are preparing for the worst.Axios' Andrew Freedman writes that Lee may swipe eastern Massachusetts on Friday night and Saturday. Lee could pass the Cape at full hurricane strength, bringing heavy rain and strong winds."Friday night Hurricane Lee will be knocking on our doorstep," meteorologists at the NWS Boston forecast office wrote early Thursday morning.Additionally, a storm surge watch has been...
Boston's first passive single-families preview greener future
A new West Roxbury residential development has been certified as "passive." They are the first single-family houses in Boston to join a global green building trend reshaping design and construction.Why it matters: As municipalities in Greater Boston tighten building codes and energy efficiency rules, design methods and certifications like passive homes will become the norm to limit energy use and emissions.Driving the news: The Brucewood Homes project in West Roxbury was designed from the ground up to reduce energy use in cooling and heating and to limit the structure's carbon impact.The three single-family homes are essentially air-sealed with high-efficiency HVAC...
Boston boots scrutinized City Councilors
Two embattled incumbent Boston City Councilors conceded their races in yesterday's preliminary election, setting up November showdowns between newcomers in the District 5 and 6 races.Why it matters: The rare incumbent upsets appear to indicate the scandals plaguing Councilors Kendra Lara and Ricardo Arroyo were too much for voters to take.What's happening: According to unofficial District 6 results, Lara finished a distant third behind labor attorney Ben Weber and IT director William King. She conceded last night.District 5 incumbent Arroyo also conceded his seat after challengers Enrique PepΓ©n and Jose Ruiz finished in the first and second spots, according to...
Where the Avengers assembled for a Mass. wedding
Sudbury's own Chris Evans presumably wasn't wearing stars or stripes when he married Portuguese actress Alba Baptista this weekend.What happened: People reports Evans' famous friends from the Marvel troupe were around Boston for the ceremony at Evans' home and a party at a private estate on the Cape. Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky, Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan, plus Jeremy Renner, were spotted at Contessa on Newbury Street.Newton native John Krasinski and wife Emily Blunt also attended the wedding.Plus: Downey was spotted again Sunday night at Puritan & Company dining with costar Scarlett Johansson and her husband Colin Jost.Johansson and Downey even had time to enjoy the Museum of Fine Arts.
Gaming is on the rise in Boston's nightlife scene
ποΈ This story is part of Axios' collaboration with GBH News about Boston's nightlife. The Boston area has seen a rise in nightlife options for gamers and other hobbyists in the last decade.But members of the community say there's an even greater need for things to do in the city at night beyond bars and clubs.Why it matters: An inclusive nightlife industry also speaks to locals who are into gaming, escape rooms, live action role playing, reading and other hobbies.Catch up fast: At least two gaming cafes have opened over the past decade: Knight Moves, a cafe in Brookline, and...
Massachusetts' average outage hours grows
Data: U.S. Energy Information Administration; Chart: Axios VisualsLast weekend's storms reminded thousands in Massachusetts of how vulnerable our aging electrical infrastructure is in severe weather.And its vulnerability has become more apparent over the past decade.Driving the news: The average Massachusetts electric customer experienced 8.7 hours of power outages in 2021, the most recent year of data available from the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration.That's up from 5.3 in 2020 and from 7.1 in 2013.Of note: The data shows a massive spike in 2018, the same year that gas explosions in the Merrimack Valley killed one person, injured dozens and...
What to expect from foliage season in Massachusetts
Data: SmokyMountains.com; Map: Simran Parwani/AxiosPeak fall foliage in New England will be here before you know it.Why it matters: Your window to view the bright hues might be trickier to predict, as climate change impacts when leaves change β and how colorful they get.Driving the news: Using historical weather reports, tree species info and user data, travel brand SmokyMountains.com put together 2023 foliage prediction maps of the U.S.In and around Massachusetts, leaves are predicted to start changing color next week and reach peak foliage season around Oct. 9.The Bay State will likely be past its peak fall colors by the week after.Be smart: The best places to view fall foliage in Massachusetts include:The drive down Route 2 and Route 20 through Concord, Sudbury and Waltham, according to a state guide.The bogs around Carver and Wareham and of course Route 9 in the Pioneer Valley.Data: SmokyMountains.com; Map: Simran Parwani/AxiosBetween the lines: The green color in leaves comes from chlorophyll, the pigment that helps plants turn sunlight into energy via photosynthesis.As nights get longer and there's less sunlight in the fall, leaves stop making chlorophyll.The green color fades and the yellows, oranges, reds or purples become visible.
Zadie Smith, new art exhibits and more happening in Boston week
It's a five-day week again, and there's plenty happening around Boston that's worth putting on your calendar.π¨ The ICA is free to all this and every Thursday from 5 to 9pm.Check out the 2023 James and Audrey Foster Prize exhibit showcasing local artists.The Invisible Ground of Sympathy exhibit, curated by Boston artist Taylor Davis, is also on display. It's the first time an artist has been invited to curate an exhibit from the ICA's permanent collection.π Novelist, essayist and playwright Zadie Smith will be at the First Parish Church in Harvard Square on Friday night to discuss her latest novel...
Boston colleges lack economic diversity, according to Times report
The Massachusetts colleges with the most economic diversity are nowhere near Boston.That's according to the latest College-Access Index published by the New York Times. The index measures the share of freshmen receiving federal Pell Grants, which are awarded to low-income students.Why it matters: The end of affirmative action plus new scrutiny on legacy admissions have put a spotlight on colleges' efforts to consider wealth in acceptance decisions, the Times' David Leonhardt and Ashley Wu write.Driving the news: The Massachusetts school with the most economic diversity in its freshmen class is Hampshire College in Amherst, which ranks 16th in the country...
Betting (legally) on the Patriots
This NFL season will not only be a major test for New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, but also for sportsbooks in Massachusetts.Why it matters: The gaming industry is closely watching how the pro football season influences Massachusetts' first year of legalized sports betting.Driving the news: Bets are pouring in for the Patriots, though the Philadelphia Eagles are favored to win Sunday's game by four points, according to Boston-based DraftKings.State of play: The Patriots are favored to make it to the playoffs and are one of the most likely teams to win the Super Bowl, per DraftKings' projections.Yes, but: So...
Axios Boston
1K+
Posts
8M+
Views
Axios Boston is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. Itβs essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.