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MBTA looks into using falcons to clear pigeons from stations

The T is asking falconry firms how raptors could deter pigeons, seagulls and starlings at stations and maintenance campuses. No pilot is guaranteed.

Transit

The MBTA thinks one way to stop pigeons from pooping all over the stations is to have trained birds of prey ready to swoop in and regulate.Why it matters: Poo-covered subway stations like Tufts Medical and JFK/UMass could get raptor bouncers to keep the pigeons in line.

Nor'easter caused fuel shipment delays at Logan Airport

Travel

Logan Airport ran low on fuel Monday after the storm delayed fuel shipments.Why it matters: The shortage caused delays as some planes added a stop at other airports to refuel.

Boston among the nation's top walkers

The average American walked 151 miles in 2024. Bostonians walked 530, according to a new StreetLight report ranking 100 large US cities.

News

Boston residents walk about 1.5 miles a day on average, according to a new report from transportation data firm StreetLight.What they found: Bostonians walked 530 miles per person in 2024, more than residents of 98 other large cities.

AI tools not as popular on campus as the buzz suggests

A new report of nearly 19.5 million Canvas users finds no dedicated AI tool cracked the top 100 — even as commercial publishers and legacy tools still dominate.

AI may be getting a lot of buzz on campus, but AI tools remain largely absent from colleges&#x27; classroom software, according to Instructure&#x27;s first higher-ed EdTech top 40 report.Why it matters: Colleges are still working out how to formally fold AI into coursework, even as students and faculty experiment with it on their own.

Inside Boston's rat war, from the city's plan to local resistance

Boston's war on rats — or at least the Wu administration's offensive — is shaping up.

Politics

Boston officials have armed city blocks with rodent-resistant trash cans, birth control and thermal cameras that can <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="detect rat clusters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2022/12/01/rat-sightings-boston-rankings-2022" data-vars-content-id="3ec29006-8a31-4505-849a-17b1d612f517" data-vars-headline="Inside Boston&#x27;s rat war, from the city&#x27;s plan to local resistance" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2022/12/01/rat-sightings-boston-rankings-2022" target="_self">detect rat clusters</a>, but every war has its rogue vigilante.<ul><li>In the North End, that&#x27;s Lilly, a 7-year-old dachshund.</li></ul>

Mass. tries to rein in data centers but leaves open questions

Massachusetts is steering away from the moratoriums other states are considering.

Business

Gov. Maura Healey&#x27;s latest executive order will test what regulating <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data centers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/25/data-centers-ai-electricity-water-politics" data-vars-content-id="cd41bc1d-f7c7-4c07-b87f-c65a7211cb7f" data-vars-headline="Mass. tries to rein in data centers but leaves open questions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/08/25/data-centers-ai-electricity-water-politics" target="_self">data centers</a> could look like, in lieu of banning them altogether.The big picture: Massachusetts is steering away from the moratoriums <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="eight states" data-vars-click-url="https://www.ncsl.org/fiscal/which-states-are-banning-data-centers" data-vars-content-id="cd41bc1d-f7c7-4c07-b87f-c65a7211cb7f" data-vars-headline="Mass. tries to rein in data centers but leaves open questions" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.ncsl.org/fiscal/which-states-are-banning-data-centers" target="_blank">eight states</a> are considering this year for a middle-of-the-road approach to data center infrastructure, specifically for data centers with peak electricity demand exceeding 25 megawatts.<ul><li>Its success depends on whether the state will give the order&#x27;s restrictions some teeth, researchers and industry leaders say.</li></ul>

Scoop: Human composting biz plans Mass. expansion

Earth Funeral is planning to operate in Mass., but it needs lawmakers to legalize its services.

Earth Funeral, a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="human composting" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/21/human-composting" data-vars-content-id="b712a9da-655d-43b8-b5c9-25917355fedd" data-vars-headline="Scoop: Human composting biz plans Mass. expansion" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/11/21/human-composting" target="_self">human composting</a> company, plans to expand into Massachusetts, Axios confirmed.The big picture: While some companies are moving out of Massachusetts, Earth Funeral wants to break into the Bay State — as long as lawmakers legalize its work.

Mass. Senate previews rival energy savings plan

Senate president Karen Spilka previewed a plan for $10 billion in ratepayer savings over 10 years.

The Senate could be headed for a collision with the House over how to lower <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="energy costs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/27/massachusetts-electric-bills" data-vars-content-id="dff4ae43-8a78-47e5-9189-2bacb8eb419d" data-vars-headline="Mass. Senate previews rival energy savings plan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/27/massachusetts-electric-bills" target="_self">energy costs</a> for Massachusetts residents, one of the top issues for voters this year.Why it matters: Senate president Karen Spilka previewed the Senate&#x27;s new energy bill Thursday.<ul><li>It differs from the House-passed plan on how much Massachusetts should cut climate programs in pursuit of ratepayer relief.</li></ul>

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>

How to save a "stunned" sea turtle on the Cape

Mass Audubon is urging coastal residents and visitors to help sea turtles that wash ashore.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mass Audubon" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/04/09/mass-audubon-wins-bid-for-chelsea-park" data-vars-content-id="35a37ef5-a4a8-40bc-ba64-8846dd840802" data-vars-headline="How to save a &quot;stunned&quot; sea turtle on the Cape" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/04/09/mass-audubon-wins-bid-for-chelsea-park" target="_self">Mass Audubon</a> is urging coastal residents and visitors to help stunned turtles that wash ashore as temperatures dip.Why it matters: Some turtle species get &quot;cold-stunned&quot; in waters below 55 degrees Fahrenheit if they get stuck along the Cape or can&#x27;t swim south to warmer waters fast enough.

Tracy Chang makes the case for eating green crabs

Chang and The Nature Conservancy want locals to try cooking with green crabs.

Tracy Chang packed steaming hot sambus into to-go containers one chilly afternoon outside of South Station.<ul><li>With every purchase, she touted the secret ingredient in the filling: green crab broth.</li></ul>

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.

Climate

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.

How Mass. CO2 emissions changed in 18 years

The state still has farther to go to meet its climate goals, which rely on clean energy production.

Massachusetts slashed its energy-related <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="CO₂ emissions per capita" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/23/co2-emissions-state" data-vars-content-id="3cb46758-dcb1-46c3-88e9-a2c3d3492f51" data-vars-headline="How Mass. CO2 emissions changed in 18 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/23/co2-emissions-state" target="_self">CO₂ emissions per capita</a> by more than one-third over 18 years, but it&#x27;s still far from transitioning to clean energy.Why it matters: The state&#x27;s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint are working, but the Trump administration&#x27;s cuts to wind and solar energy production may keep the state from reaching its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="climate goals for 2030" data-vars-click-url="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-clean-energy-and-climate-plan-for-2025-and-2030" data-vars-content-id="3cb46758-dcb1-46c3-88e9-a2c3d3492f51" data-vars-headline="How Mass. CO2 emissions changed in 18 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-clean-energy-and-climate-plan-for-2025-and-2030" target="_blank">climate goals for 2030</a> and beyond.

Boston-area residents, ecologists fight black swallow-wort spread

Boston-area ecologists, farmers and residents are fighting its spread.

Armed with a pair of scissors, Amy Collier slashes long pod-bearing vines that encroach on Jamaica Plain sidewalks and parks while out walking.<ul><li>Workers near the Boston Nature Center and the Bell Isle March have embarked on the same mission— to stop the invasion of the black swallow-wort.</li></ul>