Massachusetts news

• Making a Home on the Hill

  23-10-2026 07:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Not long ago, Bridget Weir stood in her Anderson Street apartment and took inventory. “I was just looking around and I’m like, that’s from that store, this is from that store,” she says, then laughs. “How did I get all this stuff?”
  The answer is a one-minute walk away. For three years, Bridget has worked the floor at J. Grady Home (“Grady”), the bright, color-soaked shop at 133 Charles Street run by husband and wife Joan and Jeff Grady. It is filled to the brim with the things th
  
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• Spirit Of America Council’s inaugural Thomas A. Kershaw Scouting Entrepreneur Award presented to namesake

  30-10-2026 06:05 via Beacon Hill Times
  Scouting America Greater Boston — the Spirit of Adventure Council (formerly the Boy Scouts) has bestowed its inaugural 2026 Thomas A. Kershaw Scouting Entrepreneur Award upon its namesake, Thomas A. Kershaw, for his entrepreneurial spirit, civic leadership, generosity, and lifelong embodiment of the ideals of Scouting.
  The award is being presented annually to a Scouting alumnus who has distinguished themselves through entrepreneurial leadership, business achievement, and an enduring commitment
  
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• Councilor Flynn again calls for city ‘rat czar’ at special hearing on rodents

  30-10-2026 06:04 via Beacon Hill Times
  Amid persistent reports of rodent sightings throughout the city, District 2 Councilor Ed Flynn again pointed to the urgent need for a ‘rat czar’ during a special City Council City Services hybrid hearing held Oct. 22 at City Hall, as well as virtually.
  “We need to get this right, so people stay in the city – it’s that serious,” he said. “Pest control is critical to our quality of life as rats and rodents are not only a nuisance but also affect public health.”
  Councilor Flynn, who
  
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• Beacon Hill comes alive for Halloween

  30-10-2026 06:03 via Beacon Hill Times
  Beacon Hill residents are known to go all out for Halloween, with ghoulish decorations that attract the masses. Brownstones are outfitted with 10-foot-tall skeletons, ghosts and that hang from balconies. Not everything is devilish, though: A butterfly-themed display has attracted spectators and taken the Internet by storm.“Halloween’s honestly one of the best times,” Beacon Hill resident Max Marchetti told the Beacon Hill Times recently. “It feels like people from outside the city come
  
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• BCHA Community Corner 10-30-26

  30-10-2026 06:02 via Beacon Hill Times
  Halloween + Clean-up
  As in years past, the Beacon Hill Civic Association is working with the City and local police to barricade many of the upper streets on Beacon Hill to provide a safe area for neighborhood families to trick or treat and enjoy the amazing decorations. Please note that we will flyer cars in the restricted areas well in advance with the details.
  These are the streets that will be restricted with no vehicle movement from 4-9pm on Saturday, October 31st:
  • All of Branch Street
  �
  
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• Boston residents taking advantage of early voting

  30-10-2026 06:01 via Beacon Hill Times
  With one week left for early voting, Boston residents have been turning out at sites across the city to ensure their voices are counted.
  Boston resident Tom Ouellette cast his ballot at the Boston Architectural College voting site on Boylston Street on Oct. 17, the first day of early voting. He said he was scared to vote by mail, alluding to the current political climate that invokes doubts about mail-in voting and election integrity.
  “I think politics have gotten very scary lately, and I want
  
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• Wu announces record year for street lighting upgrades citywide

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Mayor Michelle Wu joined residents, City officials and Public Works staff to celebrate the completion of 7,202 street lighting upgrades across Boston so far this year—nearly triple the 2,483 upgrades completed in all of 2025 and the highest annual total recorded since 2016.
  The City’s Street Lighting Division completed the upgrades at approximately one-third the cost of outside contractors, accelerating improvements to major transportation corridors, business districts, and residential stree
  
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• Only two-dozen of Central BPL’s iconic green reading lamps left to be named

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Via the Boston Public Library Fund’s ‘Illuminating Bates Hall’ initiative, donors now have a chance to dedicate one of the reading room’s iconic, green-shaded reading lamps in tribute to a loved one, and each dedication includes a brass plaque engraved with an inscription of the donor’s choice.
  “Every lamp tells a story,” said Paula Sakey, executive director of the Boston Public Library Fund, in a statement. “We’ve been moved by the deeply personal reasons people choose to part
  
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• NeighborHealth expands access to breast cancer screening during two-day community event

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  NeighborHealth hosted a two-day series of community events on October 13 and 14 in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, bringing breast health education, preventive care and no-cost mammograms for eligible patients directly to its East Boston and South End communities.
  Held in partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Ellie Fund, the events took place at NeighborHealth’s 10 Gove Street location in East Boston and 1601 Washington Street location in the South End. Along with
  
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• Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund kicks off at annual breakfast

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund, or MAGoodNeighbor, launched its 2026-2027 “Give the Gift of Warmth” campaign during its 41st Annual Kickoff Breakfast at The Tirrell Room in Quincy. The event brought together state leaders, participating energy companies, nonprofit partners and community stakeholders to support Massachusetts households experiencing temporary financial hardship.
  Administered by The Salvation Army Massachusetts Division, MAGoodNeighbor provides home energy assistan
  
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• Mass General history walking tour: two centuries in 45 minutes

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Experience Mass General History: Two Centuries in 45 minutes on November 6, and December 4, from 12-12:45 p.m.
  Tour the Ether Dome, the historic operating theater where surgical anesthesia was first successfully, publicly demonstrated in 1846, and other points of historical interest in the hospital’s main complex. If you have more time, follow us back to the hospital’s Russell Museum of Medical History and Innovation just down the block.
  Registration is required. Tickets are limited to 16 pe
  
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• Holocaust Museum Boston announces $2 million gift from Davis Family Charitable Foundation

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Holocaust Museum Boston announced a $2 million gift from the Boston-based Davis Family Charitable Foundation, representing one of the largest philanthropic commitments to the Museum and the largest gift from the Davis Family Foundation to date. The Davis Foundation gift brings total fundraising to date to $81 million against a $110 million total goal.
  Currently under construction on Tremont Street, overlooking Boston’s historic Freedom Trail, Holocaust Museum Boston will be New England’s fir
  
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• Halloween comes to the Hill this weekend

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Residents of Beacon Hill spared no effort or expense this year in decorating their homes for Halloween.
  
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• Generosity takes flight at Chrysalis Butterfly Ball Becca Hannah brings her Boston spirit to LA

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  A butterfly’s transformation is a quiet process of patience, perseverance, and possibility; a fitting metaphor for an organization devoted to helping individuals find their footing and begin anew.
  On October 10, that spirit of transformation took center stage at the annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball, this year held at The Beehive in Los Angeles, where Hollywood stars, philanthropists, and business leaders gathered for an evening of celebration and giving. The gala raised over $2.7 million to sup
  
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• Composer André Previn turns a classic American drama into a searing opera of desire, illusion and two worlds colliding

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Next up in its 50th Season, Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) presents André Previn’s acclaimed opera adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre. A co-production with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Streetcar plays three performances November 5-8. Coupled with a libretto by Philip Littell, Previn’s lyrical score brings new dimension to Williams’s iconic drama, illuminating through music the story’s volatile tensi
  
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• Christopher “Chris” Weir

  30-10-2026 06:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Christopher “Chris” WeirProminent Beacon Hill ResidentChristopher “Chris” Weir, a resident of Beacon Hill, Boston, passed away peacefully at Mass General Hospital on October 2, 2026, after a brief illness. He was 92 years old.
  Born on January 12, 1934, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Chris was the eldest of seven children born to the late Walter and Kathryn (Ternan) Weir. He was raised in Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania, where he attended George School. After graduating from Duke Universit
  
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• ‘Discovery Day’ on Nov. 3 opens Athenaeum’s first floor to the public

  23-10-2026 07:05 via Beacon Hill Times
  ‘Discovery Day,’ coming Tuesday, Nov. 3, will offer the public a rare opportunity to tour the first floor of the historic Boston Athenaeum – one of the nation’s oldest independent libraries.
  Non-members will then be allowed access to the Norma Jean Calderwood Gallery, special collections and art installations, and the library’s stunning reading rooms.
  ‘Explore Where’s Boston? 50 Years Later,’ features photographs by Constantine Manos originally commissioned for the Where’s Bost
  
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• Councilor Flynn to hold hybrid hearing to discuss city’s Rodent Action Plan on Oct. 23

  23-10-2026 07:04 via Beacon Hill Times
  City Councilor Ed Flynn will chair a hybrid City Services hearing to discuss the current status of the Boston Rodent Action Plan on Friday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m. in the Iannella Chamber on the fifth floor of City Hall, as well as virtually.
  Although Councilor Flynn said he thinks positive steps have been outlined in the BRAP, he still believes the plan falls short of the recommendations made by the study’s author, renowned rodent urbanologist, Dr. Bobby Corrigan, and himself. Among their other s
  
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• BHAC approves all applications with some provisos at Oct. 15 hearing

  23-10-2026 07:03 via Beacon Hill Times
  The Beacon Hill Architectural Commission (BHAC), at its monthly hearing Oct. 15, approved more than seven proposed exterior changes to buildings amid lively discussion about historical preservation in the modern day.
  While some residing in the Beacon Hill community were requesting paint color change, others looked to restore historical accuracy to the buildings. All the applications heard by the commission were approved, although some passed pending provisions for resubmissions and subsequent ap
  
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• BHCA Community Corner 10-23

  23-10-2026 07:02 via Beacon Hill Times
  Block Captains
  Our new team of over 40 Block Captains has been out and about cleaning up litter and dog waste on Beacon Hill streets. You’ll recognize them with their fluorescent BHCA vests. These volunteers are looking for other neighbors to join the effort, so reach out to the BHCA if you’d like to know who is in charge of your street to connect with them! Block Captains are helping us keep Beacon Hill clean by picking up trash and litter and reporting missing bricks to 311. Let us know if
  
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• You can make soup

  23-10-2026 07:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  For those new to cooking at home, soup is a great place to start. Food writer Ruth Reichl said, “If you’ve got chicken stock, you’ve got a meal.” And it doesn’t have to be chicken stock. You can make soup with water or make your own stock from what you have on hand. Some cooks even freeze their peelings and vegetable scraps until they have enough to make a vegan soup stock.
  Unlike fussy preparations, soup is very forgiving. If you don’t have one ingredient, you can usually substitute
  
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• Massachusetts Office of the Veteran Advocate releases first five-year strategic plan

  23-10-2026 07:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Special to the TimesThe Massachusetts Office of the Veteran Advocate (OVA) announced the release of its first five-year Strategic Plan, establishing a roadmap to guide the independent state agency’s work from Fiscal Year 2027 through Fiscal Year 2031.
  The plan identifies five strategic priorities focused on strengthening the OVA’s capacity, improving access to veterans’ benefits and services, examining housing and employment opportunities, and building trust and collaboration among organiz
  
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• Healey-Driscoll Administration launches new workforce training opportunities

  23-10-2026 07:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the opening of applications for expanded Pathmaker workforce training programs across advanced manufacturing, AI, defense, climatetech and life sciences. The coordinated initiative will help Massachusetts businesses build skilled talent pipelines while connecting residents with career opportunities in some of the state’s fastest-growing industries.
  “We want Massachusetts businesses to have access to the incredible workforce our state has to
  
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• Executive Director of the Boston Public Art Triennial Kate Gilbert guest speaker at BHWF

  23-10-2026 07:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Public art champion, Kate Gilbert, first became aware that art has the potential to spark dialogue during a drive with her parents to a Hamden, Connecticut, supermarket in the late 1970s. She remembers her father expressing his displeasure upon seeing what he felt had been beautiful cars covered in asphalt in the parking lot; while her mother defended the art installation as a comment on the environment. Then eight-years-old, Gilbert was simply happy to climb the structures.
  “It stopped us in
  
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• Details unveiled for proposed 31 St. James Ave. redevelopment project

  23-10-2026 07:00 via Beacon Hill Times
  Details of a proposed office-to-residential redevelopment project that would transform an 11-story, block-long building at 31 St. James Ave. in the Back Bay into 476 residential units were discussed during a city-sponsored meeting held virtually on Oct. 14.
  The Vanbarton Group, a New York-based real estate firm that specializes in office-to-residential redevelopment projects, intends to convert the building into housing while maintaining 12,000 square feet of existing ground-floor restaurant spa
  
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• Flynn to hold hybrid hearing to discuss city’s Rodent Action Plan

  22-10-2026 16:13 via Beacon Hill Times
  City Councilor Ed Flynn will chair a hybrid City Services hearing to discuss the current status of the Boston Rodent Action Plan on Friday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m. in the Iannella Chamber on the fifth floor of City Hall, as well as virtually.Although Councilor Flynn said he thinks positive steps have been outlined in the BRAP, he still believes the plan falls short of the recommendations made by the study’s author, renowned rodent urbanologist, Dr. Bobby Corrigan, and himself. Among their other su
  
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• Tom Kershaw to receive first-ever Entrepreneurship Award from Scouting America Greater Boston

  16-10-2026 07:06 via Beacon Hill Times
  Scouting America Greater Boston will present the first-ever Kershaw Award for Entrepreneurship to Tom Kershaw, owner of Boston’s historic Hampshire House and an Eagle Scout, during its annual STEM Innovation & Education Forum on October 22. The event will also feature Nobel Laureate Dr. Gary Ruvkun and leading Boston surgeon Dr. Carl Harper, both Distinguished Eagle Scouts, discussing the future of science, technology and innovation in medicine.
  The inaugural Kershaw Award for Entrepre
  
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• Park Street School holds Block Party community event

  16-10-2026 07:05 via Beacon Hill Times
  Over 300 students and their families, staff, faculty, and neighbors gathered on Chestnut Street for the Park Street School’s (PSS) Block Party on October 3. Families enjoyed Blue Ribbon BBQ for lunch, and fall treats from Wilson Farms, as well as an afternoon of arts and crafts, such as making jewelry and painting faux stained-glass leaves.
  “It was a great day all around,” said Head of School Tracy Bradley. “There was so much joy – a perfect New England Day, our PSS
  
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• Moore Support offers concierge personal assistance to residents

  16-10-2026 07:04 via Beacon Hill Times
  Homeowners, busy professionals, frequent travelers, and other residents of Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and the South End who might need a little help managing their day-to-day responsibilities can now turn to Moore Support for personalized assistance.
  Rebecca Moore, a Back Bay resident, launched her one-woman concierge company in June, offering support services in those three Boston neighborhoods.
  “Our mission is to deliver reliable, trustworthy, and detail-oriented service that gives clients p
  
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• BHCA Community Corner 10-16-2026

  16-10-2026 07:02 via Beacon Hill Times
  Block Captains
  Our new team of over 40 Block Captains has been out and about cleaning up litter and dog waste on Beacon Hill streets. You’ll recognize them with their fluorescent BHCA vests. These volunteers are looking for other neighbors to join the effort, so reach out to the BHCA if you’d like to know who is in charge of your street to connect with them! Block Captains are helping us keep Beacon Hill clean by picking up trash and litter and reporting missing bricks to 311. Let us
  
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