Massachusetts news

• Opioid-related overdose deaths in state fall under 1,000 for the first time in over a decade


  12-06-2026 16:48 via beaconhilltimes.com
  For the first time in over a decade, total annual opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts fell below 1,000, according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) preliminary 2025 data recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

  There were 978 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths among Massachusetts residents last year – marking the first time since 2013 (992 deaths) that Massachusetts recorded fewer than 1,000 annual o
  
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• Community Boating marks 80-years with 24-hour Sail-a-thon on the Charles


  12-06-2026 16:50 via beaconhilltimes.com
  The oldest public sailing organization in the U.S., Community Boating, Inc., will celebrate its 80th birthday beginning Saturday, June 20, with a 24-hour Sail-a-thon on the Charles River to support CBI’s continuing mission of providing equitable access to sailing for people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

  ​For the Sail-a-thon, participants assigned to a specific boat will sail around the Charles River for a full 24 hours beginning at 10 a.m. on June 20, completing as
  
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• Boston Police searching for suspect in arson at Museum of African American History


  12-06-2026 16:49 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Boston Police are still searching for a suspect wanted in connection with an act of arson on the morning of Wednesday, June 3, targeting a package containing Juneteenth decorations found behind the Museum of African American History on Joy Street.

  ​The incident, which is being investigated as a possible hate crime, occurred at about 8:07 a.m, when the male suspect was caught on security camera opening an Amazon package containing the decorations and attempting to light it on fire be
  
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• Wu highlights City’s readiness for summer events
and announces coordinated preparation efforts across Boston


  12-06-2026 16:48 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Mayor Michelle Wu joined City leaders and public safety officials at the Boston Summer Events Command Center (BSECC) to provide an update on the extensive planning and coordination efforts underway to prepare for a summer that will bring millions of residents and visitors together for major events across Boston.

  This summer, Boston will host multiple major events: FIFA World Cup, Sail Boston and Boston 250. With the World Cup set to begin in a few days and Tall Ships arriving in Boston Ha
  
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• Massachusetts House passes landmark data privacy
legislation with strong consumer protections


  12-06-2026 16:48 via beaconhilltimes.com
  The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed comprehensive legislation establishing essential consumer data privacy rights for residents of the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Consumer Data Privacy Act provides consumers with greater control over their own data. The bill increases accountability for companies and grants user data privacy protections to residents of and those present in Massachusetts. Highlights include strong privacy protections for minors and a blanket ban on the sale
  
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• MAAM announces summer 2026 outdoor programming


  12-06-2026 16:48 via beaconhilltimes.com
  The MassArt Art Museum (MAAM) announces its Summer 2026 season, featuring a dynamic lineup of free, outdoor programs and community-centered events that celebrate creativity in unexpected places.

  While MAAM hits pause on indoor programming this summer as it transitions and prepares its spaces for the fall season, the museum will continue to offer a robust schedule of outdoor experiences that center the people, natural beauty, and cultural vitality of the neighborhood. Visitors are invited
  
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• June programming at The West End Museum continues


  12-06-2026 16:48 via beaconhilltimes.com
  The West End Museum celebrates Pride and learn about the LGBTQIA+ history of the neighborhood at the Queer History West End Exhibition Opening on June 17 at 6 p.m. This exhibition was made in partnership with Queer History Boston and is exclusively sponsored by Massachusetts 250th and Massachusetts LGBT Chamber of Commerce. 

  On June 19 at 5 p.m., The West End Museum’s Scotland Versus Morocco Watch Party will take place at The Pennyweight Hotel. This event is hosted by founder of Bos
  
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• Commonwealth Shakespeare Company names
Victoria Townsend producing director 


  12-06-2026 16:48 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) has named Victoria Townsend as its new producing director.

  From her early years with CSC as an Artistic/Management Intern (2011–2012) and Artistic Associate/Management Assistant (2013–2015), to joining the organization full-time as Artistic Programs Coordinator (2016–2018) and later serving as Artistic Programs Manager (2018–present), Townshend has built a remarkable career as an empathetic and decisive arts administrator, edu
  
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• Beacon Hill Garden Club holds its Spring Soiree

  05-06-2026 17:20 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Photos by Marianne SalzaThe Beacon Hill Garden Club, founded in 1928, held its Annual Spring Soireé on May 20 in anticipation of its 97th Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill Annual Tour, held the following day. Attendees enjoyed cocktails in the King’s Chapel Parish House garden, and a sample of the tour. Proceeds from the Soireé benefit the organization’s education and conservation projects, urban landscape improvements, and grant program. 
  
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• Beacon Hill Art Walk returns this Sunday

  05-06-2026 17:11 via beaconhilltimes.com
  50+ artists will transform Beacon Hill into Boston’s most unique art show One of Boston’s most unique celebrations of the arts returns June 7, when the Beacon Hill Art Walk takes over the quiet streets and alleys of the beautiful, cobblestoned neighborhood. The one-of-a-kind Boston tradition serves as an unofficial start to the summer for many artists in and around Boston as Beacon Hill transforms into a fantastical art gallery where walls and gardens are adorned with beautiful
  
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• Wu cuts ribbon on restored Copley Square Park at Neighborhood Coffee Hour

  05-06-2026 17:10 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Mayor Michelle Wu joined elected and city officials and other stakeholders to cut the ribbon the newly renovated Copley Square Park on Wednesday, May 27, during her annual Neighborhood Coffee Hour for the Back Bay and Beacon Hill​“Situated between the Copley Library and Trinity Church as well as the home to events such as First Night, the Boston Marathon and the Copley Farmers Market — Copley Square is a treasured part of our city,” said Mayor Wu. “The restoration o
  
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• From Heartbreak to Hope: A morning blessing for the Esplanade’s newest swan family

  05-06-2026 17:08 via beaconhilltimes.com
  For anyone who loves the wildlife that graces our local waters, the memory of our 2022 swan family carries a deep, lingering ache. As a photographer, I spent hours capturing their tragically short journey. My camera lens didn’t just document their lives; it bound my heart to them. When their story ended in heartbreak, it left a wound that made me deeply hesitant to open my heart to the river’s swans again.So, when a friend messaged me with the news—”There is a nest, and h
  
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• Wu announces World Cup community watch parties 

  05-06-2026 17:05 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Mayor Michelle Wu has announced that the City of Boston will host six community watch parties for residents, families, and visitors this summer. Together with the FIFA Fan Festival hosted by Boston 26, these neighborhood celebrations will bring the excitement, energy, and spirit of the World Cup directly into communities across Boston.“Boston is proud to welcome the world this summer, and these watch parties will help bring the excitement and spirit of the World Cup directly into our commu
  
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• Congratulations, Class of 2026

  05-06-2026 17:04 via beaconhilltimes.com
  High school graduation season is upon us, the time of year when communities across America celebrate the accomplishments of young people receiving their high school diplomas.Graduation is a bittersweet occasion, marking both an ending and a beginning. For the grads, they will realize that the past four years, which they began as adolescents, are now culminating as they step into adulthood. They will be saying goodbye to their friends, teachers, and mentors who guided them through their formative
  
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• The Liberty Hotel kicks off summer Yappier Hour with ‘Dog Days of Summer’ party

  05-06-2026 17:03 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Located at 215 Charles St. at the foot of Beacon Hill, The Liberty Hotel has officially kicked off the summer season by inviting guests and their four-legged friends to a “Dog Days of Summer” party on Wednesday, June 3. The event marked the seasonal return of the hotel’s popular Yappier Hour series.The kickoff gathering brought guests and their dogs together in The Yard for a relaxed summer social experience. Attendees enjoyed several event highlights, including:• Refreshi
  
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• USS Constitution Museum launches Boston’s most revolutionary mini golf course

  05-06-2026 17:02 via beaconhilltimes.com
  The USS Constitution Museum has launched USS Constitution Mini Golf, a new free 9-hole course on the Charlestown Navy Yard designed to give residents and visitors a fun, accessible way to engage Boston’s role in the story of American independence.Celebrated with a ceremonial First Putt event, the new course opened with a ribbon cutting by sword before civic leaders took the first putt. The newly designed course offers a fresh summer activity on Boston Harbor while inviting players to exper
  
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• Bphc encourages Mpoxvaccinations in light of uptick in cases nationally and in Boston 

  05-06-2026 17:01 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and partners at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health are monitoring an uptick in mpox cases in Boston and are encouraging at-risk individuals to get vaccinated. There is no widespread public health threat from mpox at this time, but at-risk residents, including gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men are encouraged to protect themselves and their communities by getting vaccinated. The mpox vaccine is two doses given 28 days apart.&
  
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• Gov. Healey Announces New State Funding for Fenway Forward’s Hancock Street Project

  29-05-2026 07:16 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Courtesy of Office of governor Maura T. Healey
  Rep. Jay Livingstone thanks supporters of the 27/29 Hancock St. project.
  
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• Memorial Day Flag Garden Returns To Common

  29-05-2026 07:14 via beaconhilltimes.com
  D. Murphy Photo Volunteers again planted more than 37,000 American flags – one in honor of each of the Commonwealth’s fallen veterans – at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Boston Common to commemorate Memorial Day. Every year since 2010, the Massachusetts Military Heroes
  Fund has led the effort behind the annual Memorial Day Flag Garden.
  
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• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Encourages Visitors to Make Water Safety a Priority this Summer

  29-05-2026 07:12 via beaconhilltimes.com
  USACE manages more than 400 lake and river projects nationwide and welcomes millions of visitors each year. While those visits create opportunities for recreation and family memories, preventable tragedies still occur on public waters annually, many involving people not wearing life jackets.Statistics from the last five years regarding public recreation fatalities at USACE lake and river projects show that 91% of victims were not wearing a life jacket, 92% were male, 88% were age 18 or older, an
  
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• Kumiko Panel Workshop held in Boston

  29-05-2026 07:11 via beaconhilltimes.com
  By Eowyn MichaelsOn the third Thursday of each month, Makers Gallery Boston, located in the South End, holds one of the few Kumiko Panel workshops in the area.Kumiko is a centuries-old Japanese woodworking technique that requires no nails or adhesives to create intricate patterns, said Ian Labich, founder and member of the gallery.It first emerged in Japan during the Asuka period, between the years of 538 and 710 C.E., and has since spread worldwide according to Smithsonian Magazine. It is used
  
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• Fishweir Project returns to Boston Common

  29-05-2026 07:11 via beaconhilltimes.com
  By Dan MurphyThe 23rd annual Ancient Fishweir Project has returned this month to Boston Common, again paying tribute to a time when Native Americans once lived off this land.The fishweir, which is currently installed near the Charles Street entrance to the park, along the central pathway, is a fence-like structure comprising interlaced brush wood (invasive buckthorn) that closely resembles the fishweirs used by early Native Americans to catch fish, such as herring and other smaller catch.Again t
  
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• BHAC Gives Final Approval for Ambitious Project Proposed for Charles and Cambridge Streets

  29-05-2026 07:11 via beaconhilltimes.com
  By Dan MurphyThe Beacon Hill Architectural Commission unanimously approved the last four remaining details of a design review application for an ambitious redevelopment project planned for the intersection of Charles and Cambridge streets, which is now home to CVS Pharmacy, during the commission’s monthly public hearing held virtually on Thursday, May 21.The revised project  proposes razing an existing-single story structure to make way for a five-story, mixed-use building, with a &ls
  
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• Wu Announces the 2026 Open Streets Series Schedule

  29-05-2026 07:10 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Special to the TimesMayor Michelle Wu announced the 2026 Open Streets Series, a car-free event series that transforms roadways into vibrant, pedestrian-only public spaces during the summer and fall. Now in its fifth year, Open Streets Boston will return to Allston-Brighton, Jamaica Plain, and Mattapan. In addition, the City will bring Open Streets to Corinth and Poplar Streets in Roslindale for the first time on October 18.“The warmer months provide the perfect backdrop for our Open Street
  
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• The Otis House Hosts Three Programs this June

  22-05-2026 15:42 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Special to the TimesOn Saturday, June 7, Historic New England’s sites across the region are open and free to the public. Visitors can enjoy a fun day of fantastic storytelling from architecture and fine art to New Englanders of the past. The Otis House features the young Otis family’s life in the Federal era and the later history of the house when it served as a clinic and a middle-class boarding house. Tour times vary across sites and the Otis House will be open 11:00 am &ndash
  
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• New Free App for iPhones Assists Driving – and Parking – on the Hill

  22-05-2026 15:42 via beaconhilltimes.com
  By Dan MurphyThe StreetSweep app for iPhones shows the current user the status of their next scheduled street cleaning at a glance.Photos Courtesy of Adam Harper
  Adam Harper, an attorney living on Revere Street who coded the StreetSweep app for iPhones as a free service for his neighbors in his spare time.Thanks to a new free app for iPhones called StreetSweep, Beacon Hill residents can now more easily find parking, remember where they park, and navigate the neighborhood’s street cleaning
  
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• Geraldine O’Hagan Receives Annual Beacon Award

  22-05-2026 15:42 via beaconhilltimes.com
  By Dan MurphyPhoto Courtesy Isabella Thurlow
  Geraldine O’Hagan, the winner of this year’s 29th annual Beacon Award is seen inside Rugg Road Paper Co. – one of two stores she presently owns and operates on Charles Street.During the Beacon Hill Civic Association annual members meeting held Thursday, May 21, at Hampshire House,  Geraldine O’Hagan was the recipient of the 29th annual Beacon Award, which each year, publicly recognizes an individual or group whose leadersh
  
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• BoatUS Foundation Reminds Boaters to Prepare for Season

  22-05-2026 15:40 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Special to the TimesBoatUS Foundation encourage boaters to be responsible and prioritize safety ahead of the start of boating season.The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water, a national leader that promotes safe, clean and responsible boating recommends these safety tips for boaters:Before You Boat … Check your fit: Take a few minutes to ensure you have enough right-sized life jackets for everyone aboard and that they are readily available in case of an emergency. While on
  
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• Beacon Hill Women’s Forum hold Spring Stroll on May 12

  22-05-2026 15:40 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Story and Photos by Marianne SalzaExploration was prioritized at the top of many-a-lady’s wish lists during the Beacon Hill Women’s Forum (BHWF) Spring Stroll on May 12, held in lieu of the organization’s traditional fashion show and bazaar. Sipping on Prosecco with a Beacon Hill Women’s Forum tote bag slung in the crook of their arms, ladies visited over 27 participating boutiques that offered refreshments and exclusive deals.“Hanging out with my friend, Donna, see
  
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• Wu Kicks Off 2026 Neighborhood Coffee Hour Series

  22-05-2026 15:39 via beaconhilltimes.com
  Special to the TimesMayor Michelle Wu, the Office of Neighborhood Services, and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department announced the 2026 Mayor Wu’s Neighborhood Coffee Hours series in partnership with Dunkin’® and Star Market. The City’s annual Coffee Hours will kick off on May 18 in public spaces across the city and continue through the fall.The series will also include a ribbon-cutting celebration for the newly renovated Copley Square Park during the May 27 Neighborh
  
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