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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.

Less than 1% of Greater Boston nonprofit revenue helps women of color

Less than 1% of revenue for women's nonprofits went to groups serving women and girls of color.

Less than 1% of the revenue that Greater Boston nonprofits serving women, girls and gender-expansive people reported in 2024 went to groups prioritizing girls and women of color.Why it matters: Those groups&#x27; leaders reported being understaffed, overworked and less supported than other nonprofits, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bostonwomensfund.org/carryingtheweight" data-vars-content-id="d5991ea0-3ceb-4bb3-95e5-94bc39177dd1" data-vars-headline="Less than 1% of Greater Boston nonprofit revenue helps women of color" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bostonwomensfund.org/carryingtheweight" target="_blank">new report</a> from the Boston Women&#x27;s Fund and UMass Boston.<ul><li>The findings come six years after U.S. business, philanthropic and political leaders pledged to address racial inequities.</li></ul>

Mass. races to regulate the "Wild West" of e-bikes and scooters

State officials propose a new four-tier speed system to bring order to the growing wave of electric micromobility devices.

Massachusetts officials are racing to bring some legal clarity to e-scooters, e-bikes and other new electric vehicles that are growing in popularity faster than the rules meant to govern them.Why it matters: Massachusetts ranks <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fifth" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/04/metro/boston-traffic-delays-congestion/" data-vars-content-id="d5021a7b-84da-4af5-ae22-7ab22a25bec0" data-vars-headline="Mass. races to regulate the &quot;Wild West&quot; of e-bikes and scooters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/04/metro/boston-traffic-delays-congestion/" target="_blank">fifth</a> in the nation for road congestion, while <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="57% of all in-state trips" data-vars-click-url="https://www.massbike.org/micromobility_commission_report" data-vars-content-id="d5021a7b-84da-4af5-ae22-7ab22a25bec0" data-vars-headline="Mass. races to regulate the &quot;Wild West&quot; of e-bikes and scooters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.massbike.org/micromobility_commission_report" target="_blank">57% of all in-state trips</a> are three miles or shorter.<ul><li>80% of those short trips are still made by car, but small, cheap, personal electric vehicles are beginning to fill the gap.</li></ul>

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.

Federal grant jumpstarts long-delayed Old State House stabilization in Boston

A new federal grant will fund the stabilization project, which previously fell through.

History

A project to stabilize the Old State House and its plaza — where steel beams have rusted and face an increasing risk of collapse — finally received federal funding after years of starts and stops.Why it matters: The 313-year-old building and plaza&#x27;s ability to bear a heavy load, like a truck rolling by the fire lane, is compromised, according to the civic group that oversees it.<ul><li>The structural flaws will pose a danger to pedestrians in downtown Boston if left unaddressed.</li></ul>

Mass. startup aims to bring archival work into 21st century

Archives nationwide face decades-long backlogs. A startup aims to modernize their preservation.

Business

Countless records that shed light on this <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="250-year-old nation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" data-vars-content-id="1089d381-1de9-45cb-a76f-cf64bc3ec76f" data-vars-headline="Mass. startup aims to bring archival work into 21st century" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" target="_self">250-year-old nation</a> have languished in boxes and warehouses for decades.<ul><li>A Massachusetts-based startup wants to modernize the cataloguing process to help preserve those items before it&#x27;s too late.</li></ul>

250 years ago, the British left Boston — and never came back

The freeing of Boston is celebrated annually in Suffolk County as Evacuation Day.

March 17, 1776, was the only time during the Revolutionary War that a major American city was liberated from British occupation.Why it matters: The freeing of Boston — celebrated annually in Suffolk County as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Evacuation Day" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/11/south-boston-st-patricks-day-parade-2026-preview" data-vars-content-id="70afc1f0-9d26-4191-a70d-30110a3a7b82" data-vars-headline="250 years ago, the British left Boston — and never came back" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/11/south-boston-st-patricks-day-parade-2026-preview" target="_self">Evacuation Day</a> — was the turning point that demonstrated the Continental Army led by Gen. George Washington was a fighting force capable of victory.

Harvard digitizes Nuremberg Trials for 80th anniversary

80 years after the first Nuremberg trial, Harvard Law is putting history online with a searchable archive of Nazi war crimes prosecutions.

Harvard Law School Library is offering the first fully searchable digital collection of all 13 Nuremberg trials in time for the 80th anniversary of the proceedings.Why it matters: More than 750,000 pages of transcripts, briefs and evidence exhibits from the Nazi trials in the aftermath of World War II are now available at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nuremberg.law.harvard.edu" data-vars-click-url="https://nuremberg.law.harvard.edu/" data-vars-content-id="336d9f1e-c18c-4ccf-81a7-a418174855f0" data-vars-headline="Harvard digitizes Nuremberg Trials for 80th anniversary" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://nuremberg.law.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">nuremberg.law.harvard.edu</a>.

Department store, bank, university building proposed as landmarks

The building styles range from classical to mid-century modernist.

The Boston Landmarks Commission is taking up petitions to preserve three historic <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="downtown" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/09/16/michelle-wu-skyscrapers-downtown-council-at-large" data-vars-content-id="8ab34a26-ee4a-4a7f-bc36-58cf5fdad7c1" data-vars-headline="Department store, bank, university building proposed as landmarks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/09/16/michelle-wu-skyscrapers-downtown-council-at-large" target="_self">downtown</a> structures and potentially make them Boston&#x27;s newest official landmarks.

Meet the historian behind Converse's massive archives

Over 15 years, Sam Smallidge has amassed a collection exceeding 10,000 archival items at Converse.

Consider Sam Smallidge the world&#x27;s top Converse scholar.Why it matters: Smallidge has spent 15 years building the archival collection for one of the oldest shoe brands in North America — all from the company&#x27;s Boston headquarters.

6 Boston institutions unite for Autumn in the Archives event

Discover Boston's hidden historical treasures.

Some Boston-area archives and libraries are opening their collections and coordinating special exhibitions to highlight autumnal historical artifacts.Why it matters: It&#x27;s an opportunity to spend a fall day on a &quot;library crawl&quot; through some archival material that&#x27;s not always on display.

Holocaust Museum Boston to display lifesaving teddy bear

The Gruenbaum family often says Sasha the bear is the reason they're alive.

A teddy bear that saved a Jewish family from certain death in a Nazi concentration camp, including a former Boston civil engineer, will soon call Holocaust Museum Boston home.Why it matters: Sasha, an 81-year-old teddy bear, is one of several artifacts that will tell the story of those who were persecuted under Adolf Hitler&#x27;s regime, and those who managed to escape.

For Bostonians, New Edition Day is historic homecoming

All six members of New Edition will reunite in Roxbury this weekend.

Boston&#x27;s New Edition Day isn&#x27;t just the culmination of the city&#x27;s &quot;For the Culture&quot; week, but a homecoming for the group and their local fans. Catch up quick: Boston will honor the boy band&#x27;s six members — Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill, Ronnie DeVoe, Michael Bivins and Ricky Bell — by naming a street in their honor in Roxbury and declaring tomorrow &quot;New Edition Day.&quot;

Museum of African American History uses AI to share Black history

The Museum of African American History's latest AI experiment expands on the American Revolution.

The Museum of African American History is using AI to share the stories of iconic Black Bostonians. Why it matters: The museum is expanding its use of AI beyond its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Frederick Douglass hologram" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/02/01/frederick-douglass-hologram-museum" data-vars-content-id="f5f4e3d0-5d43-4fa4-91be-79298ae3264a" data-vars-headline="Museum of African American History uses AI to share Black history" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/02/01/frederick-douglass-hologram-museum" target="_self">Frederick Douglass hologram</a> in hopes of bringing new life to the museum&#x27;s artifacts — and thus to the telling of African American history in Massachusetts.