Government
Storm sent 1.5 million gallons of wastewater into Mystic River
The anticlimactic nor’easter from two weekends ago has raised political storm clouds over the $1.3 billion proposal to improve the region’s aging sewer system. Read more Man charged with assaulting two women in Porter Square fitness club Even though the storm brought just two inches of rain to Cambridge and Somerville over the weekend of […]
Health insurance set to rise again in 2027, locals feel squeezed
Cambridge residents and employers are heading into 2027 facing another year of steep health insurance increases, with state regulators approving a double-digit base premium increase for individual and small-group plans and national projections showing similarly sharp hikes in employer health benefit costs. Read more City and school district leaders to speak at panel for immigrant […]
Drought eases for Cambridge, but it may need to buy water
Cambridge’s drought status has been downgraded from significant to mild following recent rainfall, but the city’s primary storage reservoir remains at just 20% capacity, raising the possibility that Cambridge may have to purchase supplemental water this fall or winter for the first time in a decade. Read more Cambridge, opportunity gaps, and the lie of […]
Domestic violence survivors oppose judicial pick, challenge in Governor’s Council race
A retired trial attorney and family court reform advocate is challenging incumbent Mara Dolan in this year’s race for the District 3 seat on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council. Read more Keezer’s moving down the block; Simon’s can’t yet say what’s next The challenge means that District 3, which includes Brookline, parts of Boston and two […]
Cambridge City Council asks city to advocate for later alcohol service
When the city of Cambridge’s licensing commission loosened –then proposed tightening– its alcohol service policies earlier this summer, it faced criticism over the mixed messages it was sending to the public. Was Cambridge a fun and thriving place to go out with friends? Or was it a strict and overbearing nanny state, not just for […]
Is Beacon Hill thinking about nixing single-family zoning?
If the Senate has its way, single-family zoning in Massachusetts may soon find its days numbered. Read more Campaign 2026: Mbah, Oates and Ruseau vie to replace Barber Two years after a sweeping housing bond bill declared small accessory dwelling units could be built in any single-family district, the state Senate wants to double down […]
Tenant tries to avoid eviction by declaring bankruptcy
A tenant living in a low-income housing development in Cambridge is trying to avoid eviction for unpaid rent by filing for bankruptcy, possibly a first-time strategy for renters in Cambridge public housing. Read more “National Treasure” and other film gems “While I cannot speak to every individual record, current [Cambridge Housing Authority] staff cannot recall […]
A tale of two liquor laws
Is Cambridge getting more lax about liquor? Two policies are telling two different stories. Read more Mass. high court strikes rent control question from ballot New public drinking permissions during the World Cup suggest a more laissez-faire approach. But the same Cambridge department that fast-tracked the state’s idea to extend bar hours and offer alcohol […]
In 2nd Middlesex, a battle of the progressives
Since state Senator Patricia Jehlen announced in December she won’t seek re-election after 20 years representing the 2nd Middlesex District, candidates have stepped forward from state and municipal bodies and from all three cities in the district. The field includes State Representatives Erika Uyterhoeven and Christine Barber, Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem, Somerville City Councilor […]
Will new Cambridge buildings get cut down to size?
It took five months, but the biggest issue of last year’s city council race landed on the council’s agenda for the first time this term, as councillors defended or decried proposed changes to last year’s residential upzoning measures. Read more Cambridge robotics team makes the podium in Greece The most immediate impact will come from […]