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Haymarket station in limbo as Bulfinch Crossing project drags on

The transit hub has been torn apart for over four years and there's no word on when the project will be done.

News

One of downtown Boston&#x27;s busiest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="transit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/transit" data-vars-content-id="5d2b4d09-6b81-4786-ae5a-daf754b3d9a5" data-vars-headline="Haymarket station in limbo as Bulfinch Crossing project drags on" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/transit" target="_self">transit</a> hubs has been torn apart for over four years and there&#x27;s no word on when the project will be finished.Why it matters: The demolition of the former Government Center Garage has repeatedly disrupted Orange and Green Line service at the Haymarket station and shuttered the bus terminal indefinitely, forcing riders onto a makeshift busway for years.

Mass. lawmakers reach deal on cannabis reform bill

Lawmakers agreed to increase cannabis purchase limits, add a tip portal and other changes.

Politics

Massachusetts lawmakers plan to send a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="cannabis reform" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/06/04/massachusetts-cannabis-overhaul-bill" data-vars-content-id="e3ef788c-e51a-4ed2-a093-f75a356570e3" data-vars-headline="Mass. lawmakers reach deal on cannabis reform bill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/06/04/massachusetts-cannabis-overhaul-bill" target="_self">cannabis reform</a> bill Monday and plan to vote on the proposal later this week.Why it matters: The proposal makes several long-awaited changes to medical cannabis dispensaries, purchase limits and the beleaguered Cannabis Control Commission as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="wholesale flower prices" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/13/massachusetts-cannabis-cultivation-sites" data-vars-content-id="e3ef788c-e51a-4ed2-a093-f75a356570e3" data-vars-headline="Mass. lawmakers reach deal on cannabis reform bill" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/13/massachusetts-cannabis-cultivation-sites" target="_self">wholesale flower prices</a> hit an all-time low.

Mass. House pushes nation's toughest youth social media ban

Mass. House pushes nation's toughest youth social media ban — while the Senate version stops at the schoolhouse door. Here's where the two chambers and Gov. Healey agree, and where they don't.

Beacon Hill is moving toward some of the nation&#x27;s toughest restrictions on young people using technology, but the &quot;Big 3&quot; Democrats in charge aren&#x27;t entirely on the same page.Why it matters: Unless Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Gov. Maura Healey align, there won&#x27;t be a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="youth tech law" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/28/cell-phones-in-schools-ban-social-media-healey-massachusetts" data-vars-content-id="74b09ffb-06e7-41a3-aeca-0ed8a33edda5" data-vars-headline="Mass. House pushes nation&#x27;s toughest youth social media ban" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/28/cell-phones-in-schools-ban-social-media-healey-massachusetts" target="_self">youth tech law</a> passed before the start of the next school year.

Critics warn social media ban goes too far, could ban YouTube, Wikipedia

A sweeping definition of "social media" has critics warning it could rope in nearly the entire internet — including sites children rely on every day.

The Massachusetts House wants the Commonwealth to become <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the most restrictive state in the country" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/08/massachusetts-house-senate-cellphone-ban-social-media-youth-children-schools-healey-bill" data-vars-content-id="ca294bc7-c03c-477f-9644-fa6f102fbbb7" data-vars-headline="Critics warn social media ban goes too far, could ban YouTube, Wikipedia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/08/massachusetts-house-senate-cellphone-ban-social-media-youth-children-schools-healey-bill" target="_self">the most restrictive state in the country</a> for young people on the Internet, but some worry the bill goes much too far.Why it matters: Critics argue the House&#x27;s bill trades child safety for a surveillance state and may accidentally ban platforms children use every day.

Greater Boston's sewage problem may continue through 2050

A state proposal would reduce, but not eliminate, combined sewer overflows in major storms.

Environment

Cambridge and Arlington residents find themselves running and pushing strollers through sewage-tainted waters every time heavy rains flood the Alewife Brook Reservation.<ul><li>A state proposal would reduce, but not eliminate, the amount of sewage overflow from certain pipes into Boston-area waterways by 2050.</li></ul>

Blizzard dumps 2 feet of snow over Greater Boston

Flight cancellations, power outages and other disruptions may take several days to fully resolve.

Climate

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="blizzard" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/17/winter-storms-boston" data-vars-content-id="37929781-6095-4982-b396-7cc6beb43788" data-vars-headline="Blizzard dumps 2 feet of snow over Greater Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/17/winter-storms-boston" target="_self">blizzard</a> is over, and now comes the hard part: digging out, getting power back and resuming the work week.Why it matters: Flight cancellations, power outages and other storm-related disruptions may take several days to fully resolve, state officials say.

Bostonians slashed tires and egged cars over parking spots after snowstorm

Tensions heated up on Boston's streets in the two weeks after the Jan. 25 storm.

Public Safety

To say Bostonians lost their cool after <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="last month&#x27;s snowstorm" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/26/massachusetts-snowfall-storm" data-vars-content-id="f8fe85d3-e46e-46a8-8f59-a5130a4015dc" data-vars-headline="Bostonians slashed tires and egged cars over parking spots after snowstorm" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/26/massachusetts-snowfall-storm" target="_self">last month&#x27;s snowstorm</a> is an understatement.<ul><li>Dozens of people got involved in spats over shoveled spaces, with some finding their tires slashed, cars egged or other damage, per records reviewed by Axios.</li></ul>

Boston area braces for back-to-back storms this week

Greater Boston is in for back-to-back storms across six days.

Boston-area residents should brace for messy commutes Wednesday night and Thursday morning as the first of three storms passes through Massachusetts.The big picture: Greater Boston is in for back-to-back storms across six days, and forecasts suggest they will bring wetter snowfall than the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="previous storms" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/26/massachusetts-snowfall-storm" data-vars-content-id="0343aacd-c267-461e-bd96-74ac6ef8deeb" data-vars-headline="Boston area braces for back-to-back storms this week" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/26/massachusetts-snowfall-storm" target="_self">previous storms</a>.

Utilities change course on charging interest on winter relief

Utilities asked state regulators early this week to let them charge interest on the deferred amount.

The Healey administration fended off an attempt by utility companies to charge interest on energy costs deferred under the governor&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="winter relief plan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/22/healey-energy-bill-cut-massachusetts-winter-electric-gas-relief-fund" data-vars-content-id="06acfa04-cbd0-4312-bd58-5c95341bd51d" data-vars-headline="Utilities change course on charging interest on winter relief" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/22/healey-energy-bill-cut-massachusetts-winter-electric-gas-relief-fund" target="_self">winter relief plan</a>.Why it matters: The relief plan could have cost households more in the long run if utilities charged interest on the deferred amount.

Winter storm dumps over a foot of snow on Greater Boston

The snow storm shuttered Massachusetts schools and workplaces Monday.

The snow storm has lived up to the hype and halted the Monday morning commute for most in eastern Massachusetts, shuttering schools and workplaces across the state. The big picture: The storm has dumped more than a foot of snow across Greater Boston since late Sunday morning.

MGB study shows racial disparities in extreme temperature-related deaths

Extreme weather events and temperature shifts may only expose more vulnerable populations to health risks.

Health

Extreme heat and cold have led to more than 69,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past 25 years, a new study led by investigators at Mass General Brigham suggests.Why it matters: Climate change is contributing to extreme weather events and temperature shifts, which may only expose more vulnerable populations to health risks.

How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners

Nearly 15% of homes are at severe risk for extreme or severe wind damage.

Nearly 15% of homes in the Boston metro area face severe or extreme risk of hurricane wind damage, according to a Realtor.com <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.realtor.com/research/climate-risk-2025/" data-vars-content-id="04f439a6-b035-4d82-a2b1-98b10cb70367" data-vars-headline="How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.realtor.com/research/climate-risk-2025/" target="_blank">analysis</a>.Why it matters: Climate change is intensifying extreme weather — hiking <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="home insurance" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/26/home-insurance-premiums-cost-map" data-vars-content-id="04f439a6-b035-4d82-a2b1-98b10cb70367" data-vars-headline="How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/26/home-insurance-premiums-cost-map" target="_self">home insurance</a> premiums in especially storm-prone areas and driving some insurers to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="retreat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/20/home-insurance-policy-dropped-climate-risks" data-vars-content-id="04f439a6-b035-4d82-a2b1-98b10cb70367" data-vars-headline="How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/20/home-insurance-policy-dropped-climate-risks" target="_self">retreat</a>.

Mass. Gov. Maura Healey takes on utility bills

Healey wants a line-by-line review. It's up to utility regulators to make that happen this fall.

No matter what&#x27;s happening in the world, Massachusetts can rely on two constants each fall: unpredictable weather and, in recent years, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="sky-high energy bills" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/05/13/mass-gov-maura-healeys-energy-power-utility-bills-cost" data-vars-content-id="48d8cfc6-5b1f-44b8-b5da-26e0230a1621" data-vars-headline="Mass. Gov. Maura Healey takes on utility bills" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/05/13/mass-gov-maura-healeys-energy-power-utility-bills-cost" target="_self">sky-high energy bills</a>.Why it matters: Gov. Maura Healey can&#x27;t control the weather, but she can direct regulators to rein in utility costs — at least, that&#x27;s what she&#x27;s trying to do.

Boston's roofs, roads, parking lots boost temps by up to 14 degrees

The city's hottest neighborhoods experience heat emergencies sooner and for longer.

Boston&#x27;s roofs, roads and parking lots drive up temperatures in some neighborhoods by up to 14 degrees compared with less-developed areas, a new analysis suggests.Why it matters: The city&#x27;s hottest neighborhoods experience heat emergencies sooner and for longer than their cooler counterparts.<ul><li>That leaves residents in those areas more susceptible to heat stroke, dizziness and other side effects. </li></ul>

Climate 🌿

Greater Boston's sewage problem may continue through 2050

Blizzard dumps 2 feet of snow over Greater Boston

Bostonians slashed tires and egged cars over parking spots after snowstorm

Boston area braces for back-to-back storms this week

Utilities change course on charging interest on winter relief