Mountain View
Axios Boston
Boston Tourist Traps to avoid for newcomers
Boston is chock-full of tourist attractions that the rest of us often forget about.Some might be worth recommending and some might be a waste of time and money.Driving the news: Here's our take on what to avoid — and what to make time for. Cheers - Beacon StreetTV's most famous pub.Zoom in: There's a bar that passes for a replica of the TV set at street level, while the former Bull & Finch Pub, the inspiration for the show, is down the iconic cellar stairs.Both bars are glorified gift shops for a show that ended its run over 30 years ago.Details:...
Boston Tourist Traps to avoid for newcomers
Boston is chock-full of tourist attractions that the rest of us often forget about.Some might be worth recommending and some might be a waste of time and money.Driving the news: Here's our take on what to avoid — and what to make time for. Cheers - Beacon StreetTV's most famous pub.Zoom in: There's a bar that passes for a replica of the TV set at street level, while the former Bull & Finch Pub, the inspiration for the show, is down the iconic cellar stairs.Both bars are glorified gift shops for a show that ended its run over 30 years ago.Details:...
Massachusetts' transportation secretary is stepping down
Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca is stepping down.Why it matters: Fiandaca will become the first official to leave Gov. Maura Healey's cabinet, just over seven months into the job.Driving the news: Fiandaca's last day is Sept. 11, though she will stay on in an advisory role through the end of the year, according to Healey's office.Monica Tibbits-Nutt, the transportation undersecretary and a former MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board member, will fill in as acting transportation secretary.In an internal email provided to Axios, Fiandaca told employees yesterday morning that she had decided to step down, though she did not say...
Despite rising home values, Boston homeowners pay among lowest property taxes
Data: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Note: Among the largest cities in each state, as well as Washington, D.C., Aurora, Ill. and Buffalo, N.Y.; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosWhile the overall amount of property taxes Americans paid rose in 2022, effective property tax rates — a homeowner's tax bill as a percentage of a property's value — dropped slightly in large cities last year on average.That's according to a new report from the nonprofit Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence.Driving the news: The effective property tax rate for a median-valued home in Boston was 0.49% in...
Mayor Wu to file ordinance to "empower" police action at Mass. & Cass
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu plans to file an ordinance Monday to "empower" police to remove tents and tarps in the encampment at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.Why it matters: Wu's proposal comes as reports of violence and public drug use at Mass. & Cass have increased.The city has seen more than twice as many weekly EMS calls between May and July than it did in the same time frame last year, CBS Boston reported.Driving the news: Wu told reporters on Friday that the proposal would only let police take down tents if people living there have...
New public art project honors history-makers Black women
Hundreds of banners featuring iconic Black Boston women will soon line the sign posts of Blue Hill Avenue.What's happening: 212 banners highlighting these historic change makers are scheduled to go up next month in Dorchester and Roxbury as part of the new Black Women Lead public art project.The mile-long display will feature women of the present and the past, including Phillis Wheatley, considered the first African American author of a published book of poetry, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and lesser-known historical figures.Why it matters: Many of the women on this list have made history but aren't necessarily covered in history...
East End Books aims to open Seaport store in October
Provincetown's East End Books plans to open the doors to its Seaport location later this fall.Why it matters: Adding a bookstore would bring new life to a neighborhood known for multimillion-dollar condos and corporate offices.Catch up fast: The bookstore was supposed to open earlier this year at 300 Pier 4 Boulevard with novels, tapas, wine and events.But the team faced "unanticipated delays," owner Jeff Peters tells Axios.Driving the news: Peters is raising money to complete the buildout and open by October.The bookstore needs to raise $20,000 from at least 20 donors to get a $40,000 grant from the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation. In the meantime, East End Books is hosting talks in the Pier 4 building's event space.The bookstore will host Julia Glass, who wrote "Vigil Harbor" and Tom Perrotta, author of "The Leftovers" and "Tracy Flick Can't Win," in a talk on Sept. 14.What they're saying: "We're very excited to get the store open and be a part of the Boston community," Peters told Axios. " This really is a bookstore for everyone."Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Troopers in overtime fraud scandal left out of new state disciplinary database
Newly released police disciplinary records show dozens of previously unreported timesheet violations across Massachusetts in the last two decades. But some of the biggest-known violators don't appear in the state's new database.Why it matters: The reported violations give the public a glimpse into alleged abuses of taxpayer-funded work, a problem that transcends any one agency or group.Catch up fast: The police oversight commission released a database containing disciplinary records for 2,165 officers dating back to 1984.Driving the news: The records show that 56 officers faced repercussions for violations related to false timesheets between 1999 and 2022 in agencies across the...
Boston ranked one of America's safest cities
Data: Gallup; Note: Each city rated by half of the sample; Chart: Axios VisualsAmericans consider Boston one of the country's safest cities, according to a poll measuring the reputations of 16 large U.S. municipalities.Why it matters: Much of Massachusetts' economy relies on tourists and college students coming to the area. If the city's reputation for safety falters, it would reverberate financially.Boston's reputation for safety is in line with recent declines in the reported crime rate.Driving the news: 72% of respondents to a new Gallup poll thought of Boston as safe.Only Dallas scored higher, at 74%.Details: Gallup asked respondents to judge...
What's happening with COVID hospitalizations in Massachusetts
Data: CDC; Chart: Axios VisualsInfections tied to COVID-19 continue to increase, but hospitalizations are ticking down in Massachusetts.Driving the news: The Bay State saw an estimated 2.47 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in July, a 2% decline from a month earlier, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Flashback: Hospitalizations were more common last summer. The state saw nearly 10 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in July 2022.The big picture: COVID-19 is on the rise again nationwide, and a new variant, EG.5, is now the dominant form in the U.S., Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report.But it's unclear if that...
Boston gets federal money to help migrant families with shelter, transportation
Boston and the state will share a $1.9 million award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for shelter and transportation services for migrant families.Why it matters: The grant comes as the Healey administration and volunteers scramble to meet the increasing demand for shelter, especially amid the influx of migrants coming to Massachusetts.Driving the news: Boston is one of nearly three dozen cities and counties to receive funding under FEMA's Shelter and Services program. Flashback: The city received $877,351 in humanitarian relief funding earlier this year under another FEMA program.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Boston gets federal money to help migrant families with shelter, transportation
Boston and the state will share a $1.9 million award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for shelter and transportation services for migrant families.Why it matters: The grant comes as the Healey administration and volunteers scramble to meet the increasing demand for shelter, especially amid the influx of migrants coming to Massachusetts.Driving the news: Boston is one of nearly three dozen cities and counties to receive funding under FEMA's Shelter and Services program. Flashback: The city received $877,351 in humanitarian relief funding earlier this year under another FEMA program.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Lego chooses new Boston building above MassPike for HQ
The Lego Group is moving its headquarters to the new building above the MassPike, the company announced yesterday.What's happening: Lego will start unpacking at 1001 Boylston St. in mid-2025 and plans to finish the move by the end of 2026, the company said in a press release.The toy giant is leasing more than 100,000 square feet across five floors.Zoom in: Lego has some 740 employees in Enfield, Connecticut, and expects about 400 of them to move here.The company plans to employ up to 750 workers in Boston once the company is settled in, a spokesperson told Axios.Of note: The new HQ's perks will include a fitness center, on-site parking, bike storage and a parent room. There will also be Bluebikes on site.The big picture: Lego employs more than 3,000 people nationwide. The company has more than 100 stores across the country, including four in Massachusetts.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Scoop: New Mass. law shields rejected vanity plate records
Every year Massachusetts drivers apply for customized "vanity" plates featuring words like "PISSA," "BONG" and "SLOWAF," only to be rejected by the state.But we may never again learn what ridiculous plates people failed to get past the Registry of Motor Vehicles due to a new state law.What's happening: When Axios requested the 2022 database of rejected plates, a MassDOT spokesperson replied that the information is no longer publicly available.The driver's license law that took effect July 1 shields plate requests from public view, per the spokesperson.She cited the statute and recent regulations, but could not immediately respond to questions about...
"FOMO," "cugar" and "Latina": These are the vanity plates the RMV rejected
The Registry of Motor Vehicles rejected nearly 900 requests for customized "vanity" license plates last year for being too vulgar, hostile or hard to understand, according to a database published by the Cape Cod Times.Driving the news: As of July 1 this information is no longer available for public release because of a new driver's license law, a MassDOT spokesperson told Axios. That's even though the law's sponsor says it wasn't intended to affect vanity plates.Details: Vanity plates must begin with two letters and can't be over six characters.There's a $50 vanity plate fee, and it costs $20 to swap...
Gufo, Cambridge's new Italian eatery has good pizza for Boston
👋🏼 Steph here. Gufo, the new Italian restaurant in Cambridge, has fresh pasta and lightly fried dough with prosciutto and garlic butter.But what won me over was the pizza.The big picture: If you don't know by now, I'm a pizza snob. But I'm from New Jersey, so can you blame me?The meal: A roasted mushroom pizza with fontina and roasted garlic.This pie had a smidge of oil in every slice, and the greens and mushrooms complemented each other well.The cost: $18Zoom out: To me, most Boston-area pizzas pale in comparison to this. They're usually too greasy or too bready.Pro tip: I also recommend the fried dough, the mortadella cappelletti and the spaghetti puttanesca.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Massachusetts bill aims to loosen liquor license citizenship rules
Restaurants of all kinds can buy a liquor license in Massachusetts, a document that could cost well over a quarter-million dollars.But the business owner can't be listed as the manager of record unless they're a U.S. citizen.Driving the news: A bill aims to change that state law to let non-citizens who have legal status become the manager listed on a liquor license, a crucial requirement for businesses seeking approval from licensing boards.Why it matters: Small business owners supporting the proposal say current law effectively excludes immigrant-owned enterprises and hamstrings American business owners who want to promote non-citizens to management positions.The...
A new ferry is launching between Watertown and downtown Boston
There could soon be another option for commuting downtown: a water ferry down the Charles River.What's happening: A local software developer plans to launch roundtrip water shuttle service from the Galen Street Dock on Watertown Square to the Hatch Shell on Beacon Hill within the next two months.The Wada Hoppah will stop at multiple docks along the route, seven days a week.Why it matters: Boston automobile traffic is terrible, and Wada Hoppah founder Drew Rollert thinks utilizing the river is a way to decrease congestion and emissions.Details: The all-electric ferry boat is being specially built to sail on the Charles, which is as shallow as 18 inches in some spots.Organizers say the 47-foot trimaran will hold around a dozen passengers and won't create a wake.The route from Watertown Square to Beacon Hill would run around 67 minutes, slightly longer than public transit options, but passengers are guaranteed a seat, owner Rollert tells Axios.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Massachusetts' Congressional delegation's average age is 60
Note: Overall U.S. data based on 2021 resident population estimates; Includes non-voting Congress members; Data: Quorum, U.S. Census Bureau, Axios research; Chart: Simran Parwani/AxiosBaby Boomers make up nearly half of Congress — despite that generation representing just 21% of the American population, according to data from Quorum.Massachusetts lawmakers have an even higher ratio, with Boomers making up 63.4% of the House and Senate delegation.Why it matters: The aging post-World War II generation has an outsized role in crafting laws that will affect the lives of younger Americans, including policy on AI, social media and other emerging technologies.The big picture: The...
Boston parents spending more than average on back-to-school shopping
Boston-area parents will likely spend more than most American households on back-to-school shopping this year, according to new survey data from Deloitte.Why it matters: While back-to-school shopping is a tradition for many families, it's also a reminder of how expensive supplies have become.Driving the news: Boston families plan to spend on average $650 per child on back-to-school shopping this year, compared to a national average of $597. The big picture: Both figures are actually down compared to last year, Anthony Jardim, a Boston-based principal for Deloitte tells Axios. The national average dropped 10% from last year, but the company declined...
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.
It’s 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. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.