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Massachusetts voters keep legal marijuana and gun law, add public records, as starter homes question hangs in balance

Nine questions covered records, voting, taxes, marijuana, guns and housing. Here is where each stands in AP results with about 80% of votes counted.

Politics

Voters approved several ballot questions yesterday that will affect how government operates in Massachusetts, covering public records, voter registration and conservation funding.

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News

Think you&#x27;re up to speed on the week&#x27;s news? <ul><li>Take our quiz to prove it.</li></ul>

All 9 Mass. ballot questions in 4 minutes: What to know

Keeping it all straight is tough. Here's what each question would do.

Bay State voters will face a record-tying <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nine statewide ballot questions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/26/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2026-november-election-beacon-hill-legislature-voters" data-vars-content-id="2e484781-cce3-4033-b808-bc69da9d3007" data-vars-headline="All 9 Mass. ballot questions in 4 minutes: What to know" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/26/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2026-november-election-beacon-hill-legislature-voters" target="_self">nine statewide ballot questions</a> Tuesday, covering elections, taxes, housing, marijuana, guns and government transparency.Why it matters: Keeping it all straight as you head into the voting booth is tough. Here&#x27;s what each question would do.

Celtics owners give record $200M to Boston Children's

The money will fund a pediatric mental health facility, nurse training and childhood disease research. Half comes from Rob and Karen Hale's earlier pledge.

The owners of the Celtics are giving $200 million to Boston Children&#x27;s Hospital, the largest gift in the hospital&#x27;s history.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="money from the Celts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/celtics-owners-donation-boston-childrens-hospital/" data-vars-content-id="037f6404-dfbd-4a53-b6b9-a735c29b62ac" data-vars-headline="Celtics owners give record $200M to Boston Children&#x27;s" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/celtics-owners-donation-boston-childrens-hospital/" target="_blank">money from the Celts</a> will fund a pediatric mental health center, research and nurse training at the region&#x27;s premier children&#x27;s hospital.

Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan

Banyan officially called it quits, while Saus and Cambridge Common will close soon.

Food and Drink

The CEO of Banyan Bar + Refuge officially<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" called it quits" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" data-vars-content-id="a2326de3-47c0-40e9-adea-51c5a35a7d29" data-vars-headline="Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" target="_blank"> called it quits</a> for the Asian gastropub this week, more than a year after a kitchen fire forced it to close. Catch up quick: The wait on insurance dragged on long after the June 2025 kitchen fire, while Rebecca Roth Gullo charted plans to expand her other business, Blackbird Doughnuts. <ul><li>&quot;The time has come for us to focus all of our time and energy on Blackbird&#x27;s growth,&quot; she wrote on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Instagram" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" data-vars-content-id="a2326de3-47c0-40e9-adea-51c5a35a7d29" data-vars-headline="Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DfQxMK2N2d7/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. &quot;It&#x27;s an exciting next chapter, but one that comes with a great deal of emotion about what we&#x27;re leaving behind.&quot;</li></ul>

The Boston-area restaurants to visit (or skip) this Halloween

Dozens of restaurants promote Halloween specials and pop-ups. Three stood out.

Business

Steph here. Halloween is as good an opportunity as any to draw new customers, but few Boston-area restaurants go all out.The intrigue: Spooky season demands more than some orange streamers and a skeleton posted up at the host stand.I sifted through countless influencer reels and pitch emails and found three that stood out:

Women's sports bar The Sports Bra prepares to open downtown

The franchise at 2 Broad St. will have 100-plus seats and a full kitchen, but no opening date has been announced.

The city&#x27;s first women&#x27;s sports bar is preparing to open downtown.Why it matters: The venue at 2 Broad St. would give Boston&#x27;s growing lineup of women&#x27;s pro teams a dedicated gathering spot.

Restaurant roundup: Smashed by BRED comes to Faneuil Hall Marketplace

BRED plans to open Smashed next month, and Fort Point has a new restaurant.

🍔 BRED, the Boston-based restaurant group, is opening shop in Faneuil Hall Marketplace next month. <ul><li><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Smashed by BRED" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/smashedbybred/" data-vars-content-id="12ce2d38-9211-4fde-a871-96c39a447b2b" data-vars-headline="Restaurant roundup: Smashed by BRED comes to Faneuil Hall Marketplace" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/smashedbybred/" target="_blank">Smashed by BRED</a> will sell burgers, chicken, fries and &quot;dirty sodas.&quot;</li></ul>

Celine opens in former Blue Dragon space in Fort Point

The French-Canadian restaurant breathes new life into a corner of Fort Point.

Celine, a French-Canadian restaurant, opened last week in the space once occupied by the Blue Dragon in Fort Point. The intrigue: It&#x27;s the latest restaurant launched by the Coda Restaurant Group, which owns SRV, the Salty Pig and Gufo.

Market Basket registers go offline

The company said the "technical glitch" has been resolved.

The cash registers went offline at some Market Basket locations Wednesday afternoon.Why it matters: The outage disrupted midday shopping for some in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, per <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="NBC Boston" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/market-basket-outage-leaves-some-shoppers-stranded/4027443/" data-vars-content-id="6526e2e4-228a-417b-85e2-90851b090258" data-vars-headline="Market Basket registers go offline" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/market-basket-outage-leaves-some-shoppers-stranded/4027443/" target="_blank">NBC Boston</a>.

Mass. couple wants to bring Bolivian food back to Boston

Sandra Roque and her husband sell Bolivian and Dominican food in Raynham. But Boston's home.

Sandra Roque was hard-pressed to find empanadas and other dishes from her native Bolivia.<ul><li>So, she started selling them herself.</li></ul>

Charlie's Kitchen sells off steins, menus and signs while in limbo

The owner started selling off pieces of the dive bar's history in hopes of saving it long term.

Charlie&#x27;s Kitchen was packed this weekend — not for its signature burgers and beers, but for an emergency sale.Why it matters: The 75-year-old dive bar&#x27;s best chances of survival, after suffering severe water damage in January, is to sell its historic decor, glasses and furniture, chef-owner David Oshima said.

Boston runs on iced coffee, data shows

Square data of 10 major U.S. cities suggests Boston is the ultimate iced coffee hub.

Boston is already known as an iced coffee city, but new sales data from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Square" data-vars-click-url="https://squareup.com/us/en/press/caffeinated-cities" data-vars-content-id="09a311bd-c440-49e2-b418-559d686fa566" data-vars-headline="Boston runs on iced coffee, data shows" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://squareup.com/us/en/press/caffeinated-cities" target="_blank">Square</a> confirms it.The intrigue: The Boston metro area is the only one in which the iced latte and iced coffee show up in its top five coffee products.

Axios Social Club brings mystery dinners to Boston

Meet fellow locals over dinner at a restaurant we hand-picked.

Things to Do

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios Social Club" data-vars-click-url="https://axiossocialclub.dnnr.io/" data-vars-content-id="c4f765dd-234c-4f41-8701-353ba6b6ca1d" data-vars-headline="Axios Social Club brings mystery dinners to Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://axiossocialclub.dnnr.io/" target="_blank">Axios Social Club</a> is bringing readers together for dinner in Boston&#x27;s South End neighborhood on Tuesday, Oct. 6.Why it matters: Your city is full of interesting people you haven&#x27;t met yet. We&#x27;re making it easier to change that.

Food and Drink 🍽

Boston-area restaurants closing: Saus, Cambridge Common, Banyan

The Boston-area restaurants to visit (or skip) this Halloween

Women's sports bar The Sports Bra prepares to open downtown

Restaurant roundup: Smashed by BRED comes to Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Celine opens in former Blue Dragon space in Fort Point