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The Rest Is Politics U.S. brings hosts Anthony Scaramucci and Katty Kay to The Wilbur for a live political discussion on their "The Battle for America: Midterms Tour 2026," 7:30pm.

Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators: Monday-night hockey is back at TD Garden, 7:30pm.

Foster the People brings the Good Mourning Sunshine Tour to MGM Music Hall at Fenway, with special guest Goth Babe, 8pm.

Phoebe Bridgers plays the second of two nights at TD Garden on The Lost Tour, with special guest Alex G, 7:30pm.

Note: This is a phone-free show, with devices secured in those seal-up Yondr pouches and only accessible in designated phone-use areas.

Power and Resistance at the Museum of Fine Arts examines how artists across the Americas depicted challenges to authority.

The ongoing installation is in Gallery 132.

Thursday hours are 10am–10pm, with last entry at 9:30pm.

Andrew McMahon performs a piano show on City Winery Boston's Main Stage, with guest Ivory Layne, 7pm.

The show is sold out, but the venue offers a waitlist.

Teddy Swims and The UGLY Tour are at TD Garden, with special guests St. Paul & The Broken Bones and MarcLo, 7pm.

Things to do in Boston this week: Oct. 5–9

Catch a concert, cheer on the Bruins or explore the MFA after dark. Here's what's on Boston's calendar for Oct. 5–9.

Illustration of a standing desk calendar with a blue pin, a red pin, a yellow pin, and a green pin.

Monday, 10/5<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Rest Is Politics U.S." data-vars-click-url="https://thewilbur.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" data-vars-content-id="41893bba-8a9f-4bba-8720-006916fc41a5" data-vars-headline="Things to do in Boston this week: Oct. 5–9" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://thewilbur.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">The Rest Is Politics U.S.</a> brings hosts Anthony Scaramucci and Katty Kay to The Wilbur for a live political discussion on their &quot;The Battle for America: Midterms Tour 2026,&quot; 7:30pm.<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tdgarden.com/events?utm_source=chatgpt.com" data-vars-content-id="41893bba-8a9f-4bba-8720-006916fc41a5" data-vars-headline="Things to do in Boston this week: Oct. 5–9" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tdgarden.com/events?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators</a>: Monday-night hockey is back at TD Garden, 7:30pm.

Things to Do

Boston officials are pressing the U.S. Postal Service to abandon plans that would leave Allston permanently without a post office and close a central Dorchester branch.

Why it matters: Around 87,000 Allston-Brighton residents would share one branch in neighboring Brighton, according to Council President Liz Breadon.

The city of Newton, which is about the same size, has 10.

State of play: USPS closed Allston's branch in 2019 over structural problems.

It told Mayor Michelle Wu in June 2025 that it would reopen.

Residents received letters in September saying USPS may close it permanently.

Fields Corner's Adams Street office closes Oct. 26 when its lease expires.

USPS calls the Dorchester shutdown temporary but gave no reopening timeline. 

Between the lines: USPS told lawmakers in July it must weigh multimillion-dollar spending carefully given its finances.

A regional spokesperson said no final Allston decision has been made.

Wu says the city is prepared to pursue legal action to reopen the locations.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley called the closures part of a "coordinated campaign" to privatize USPS.

Pressley, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Katherine Clark and Rep. Stephen Lynch called the closures "unacceptable" in a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner.

a letter to Postmaster General David Steiner

Officials push USPS on Allston, Fields Corner

USPS says no final decision on Allston, but Fields Corner's branch closes Oct. 26. Public comments on the Allston proposal are due Oct. 11.

Illustration of a hand making a stopping motion coming out of a USPS mailbox

Boston officials are pressing the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="U.S. Postal Service" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/09/09/mail-in-voting-massachusetts" data-vars-content-id="4d9bdcfe-2af5-4a0d-8518-98d6e6af54ed" data-vars-headline="Officials push USPS on Allston, Fields Corner" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/09/09/mail-in-voting-massachusetts" target="_self">U.S. Postal Service</a> to abandon plans that would leave Allston permanently without a post office and close a central Dorchester branch.Why it matters: Around 87,000 Allston-Brighton residents would share one branch in neighboring Brighton, according to Council President Liz Breadon.

News

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.

Gov. Maura Healey's election-season gas tax holiday is stalled, and it's her own party, not President Trump or Mass. Republicans, that is the obstacle.

Why it matters: A suspension of the 24-cent-a-gallon tax quickly became a cornerstone of Healey's reelection campaign and her pitch to voters that she's fighting to make Mass. more affordable.

But Democratic leaders show absolutely no appetite to make Healey's proposal a reality, weeks before the Nov. 3 election.

State of play: Healey wants a two-month gas tax pause, filed inside a $2.24 billion closeout budget.

She's said the $120 million hit would be covered with Fair Share surtax money. 

Reality check: The governor can file a bill. She can't make Democrats move it. With the session winding down, Healey's own party leaders have effectively killed her big election season pitch.

House Speaker Ron Mariano called a suspension "fiscally irresponsible" with no end to the Iran war in sight.

Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, whose committee is sitting on the bill, noted the House has repeatedly said no to this kind of thing, including a 25-124 vote in April against a Republican suspension amendment.

Senate President Karen Spilka hasn't rejected the idea. But the Senate's hands are tied on tax bills that can be gutted by the House before reaching the other chamber.

The other side: Republicans like gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue say the timing is a ploy, with tax relief expiring right after Election Day if it's passed.

Healey says a limited window beats open-ended cuts. In 2022, she called Charlie Baker's gas tax holiday proposal a gimmick.

Minogue's alternative has its own gap, as he'd replace the lost revenue with savings from a state audit. But he hasn't quantified those savings.

Between the lines: In late September, the Trump administration mailed $500 refund checks to nearly 1 million ACA enrollees.

They came with a letter signed by Trump that blamed Biden-era overcharges, just in time for the election.

Trump and Healey's moves share the same ingredients: visible relief, tight timing and blame aimed elsewhere.

The bottom line: Trump's checks went out. Healey's holiday is likely to stay a pipe dream, thanks to her fellow Democrats' rejection of her big campaign idea.

Spill of the Hill: Why you're not getting a gas tax holiday

Gov. Healey wants a two-month pause on the gas tax. Legislative leaders aren't buying it.

Animated illustration of a teacup made out of the Massachusetts State House dome pouring tea into the rest of the State House.

Animated illustration of a teacup made out of the Massachusetts State House dome pouring tea into the rest of the State House

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.Gov. Maura Healey&#x27;s election-season<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" gas tax holiday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/09/22/healey-gas-tax-holiday-massachusetts-minogue-suspension-2026" data-vars-content-id="55bc9628-536b-4671-bde5-6e63730f7333" data-vars-headline="Spill of the Hill: Why you&#x27;re not getting a gas tax holiday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/09/22/healey-gas-tax-holiday-massachusetts-minogue-suspension-2026" target="_self"> gas tax holiday</a> is stalled, and it&#x27;s her own party, not President Trump or Mass. Republicans, that is the obstacle.Why it matters: A suspension of the 24-cent-a-gallon tax quickly became a cornerstone of Healey&#x27;s reelection campaign and her pitch to voters that she&#x27;s fighting to make Mass. more affordable.

Politics

MIT nerds can satisfy their physical education requirements by becoming recognized pirates.

Why it matters: Undergraduates who complete archery, fencing, pistol and sailing classes can claim a Pirate Certificate.

It's an incentive to finish the four-course PE and wellness requirement for MIT students, the school says.

By the numbers: All four courses are needed for the certificate, which satisfies the four-course overall PE requirement.

How it works: Students email the PE office with their name and MIT ID once grades post for all four pirate classes. Then they get the certificate and massive street cred as the most dangerous buccaneers in Cambridge.

The pistol requirement can be met with an air pistol or rifle.

Non-MIT courses and what the PE department describes as "life experience" don't count.

Between the lines: The program is tongue-in-cheek. The office says it's for entertainment purposes only and doesn't actually license piracy.

The bottom line: These kids must be so annoying every Sept. 19.

How to become an MIT-certified pirate

Students need to complete pistol, sailing, fencing and archery classes to reach pirate status.

People gather outside MIT’s Great Dome in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with several holding up phones to take photos.

The Great Dome at MIT. Photo: Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

MIT nerds can satisfy their physical education requirements by becoming recognized pirates.Why it matters: Undergraduates who complete archery, fencing, pistol and sailing classes can claim a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Pirate Certificate" data-vars-click-url="https://physicaleducationandwellness.mit.edu/about/pirate-certificate/" data-vars-content-id="b22f8f82-4ed4-4228-a31d-1a5be50daca1" data-vars-headline="How to become an MIT-certified pirate" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://physicaleducationandwellness.mit.edu/about/pirate-certificate/" target="_blank">Pirate Certificate</a>.

Education

A local radio charity has quietly morphed into a heavy-hitting nonprofit by leveraging a generous audience and filling in the gaps where traditional crowdfunding falls short.

Why it matters: The Greg Hill Foundation, which taps into the popular WEEI broadcaster's sports talk audience, provides beneficiaries with immediate, fee-free cash relief.

Hill's group has become a case study in modern nonprofit management and community engagement built with a small, nimble staff.

What they're saying: "We want to be able to give that money to the beneficiary's family immediately," Hill told Axios.

The fast action allows families to focus on grieving or supporting injured loved ones rather than worrying about a missing paycheck.

State of play: GHF's goal is rapid financial relief in the chaotic days following local tragedies.

Hill has the unique ability to drum up support from his audience while tragedies are still in the news.

Money can be disbursed in hours or days, not weeks and months.

That's typically much faster than traditional philanthropy.

By the numbers: Over the last 16 years, the foundation has raised over $34 million for over 10,000 beneficiaries.

Average donations hover around $20, driven heavily by Hill's loyal morning radio audience.

100% of public donations go directly to the victims and their families.

Corporate partners and annual fundraising events cover the administrative fees so public donations go exclusively to recipients.

During the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, GHF wrote checks directly to survivors in hospitals within three to five days, Hill told Axios.

This allowed families to keep their cell phones on and pay rent while recovering.

Recently, the team mobilized to raise well over $100,000 for the family of a State Trooper who was killed in a head-on collision.

They launched their fundraising page the moment Trooper Kevin Trainor's name was released to the public.

Between the lines: Hill sees the foundation's agility as its defining edge in a crowded charitable landscape.

Before GoFundMe existed, Hill recognized his radio listeners wanted to help neighbors instantly, but local credit union funds often took weeks to establish.

The big picture: Ashley Hanson, who began working with GHF part-time in business development, has been appointed as the growing operation's new executive director.

Hanson leads the foundation's streamlined vetting process.

Her team reviews 10 to 15 submissions every week or two, comparing them against existing GoFundMe campaigns before presenting candidates to an uncompensated board of directors.

"She's truly the perfect person for this role," Hill said, crediting her relationship-building skills with their corporate partners.

What's next: Hanson wants to expand business partnerships while maintaining the grassroots trust of Hill's listeners.

The bottom line: Hill's foundation shows that swift, localized giving can outperform traditional platforms.

Exclusive: How the Greg Hill Foundation topped $34M and changed local giving

A local radio charity has quietly morphed into one of New England's most successful nonprofits.

Illustration of a ribbon made from a hundred dollar bill. 

A local radio charity has quietly morphed into a heavy-hitting nonprofit by leveraging a generous audience and filling in the gaps where traditional crowdfunding falls short.Why it matters: The Greg Hill Foundation, which taps into the popular WEEI broadcaster&#x27;s sports talk audience, provides beneficiaries with immediate, fee-free cash relief.

Mike Deehan

Featured stories

Exclusive: How the Greg Hill Foundation topped $34M and changed local giving

Officials push USPS on Allston, Fields Corner

Spill of the Hill: Why you're not getting a gas tax holiday

Things to do in Boston this week: Oct. 5–9

How to become an MIT-certified pirate