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MBTA's Red Line fleet replacement might not be finished until the 2030s

The MBTA's latest capital plan puts completion in fiscal 2032. So far, 68 of 252 new cars have been accepted into revenue service.

Transit

Replacing all of the MBTA&#x27;s Red Line train cars could now take until at least the early 2030s, according to its latest spending plan.Why it matters: Supply chain problems, international economic winds and other tensions with the Chinese manufacturer have delayed the replacement cars that were originally expected to be in place by the end of the 2010s.

Mass. fraud scheme made $6M off "sham" marriages, feds say

Authorities charged six people in connection with the alleged immigration marriage fraud ring.

Politics

Federal authorities accused six Massachusetts residents of orchestrating a decade-long marriage fraud ring, marrying themselves off to immigrants repeatedly to help them obtain green card status.The big picture: The charges put a spotlight on Massachusetts&#x27; status as a welcoming state for immigrants regardless of legal status, weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.<ul><li>The lead defendant, Jennifer Gonzalez of Fall River, allegedly exploited the state&#x27;s reputation, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said.</li><li>Gonzalez allegedly told a witness, whom she believed to be an undocumented immigrant, &quot;Massachusetts is the best place for you to be.&quot;</li></ul>

GOP lieutenant governor nominee Shawn Oliver suspends campaign after OUI arrest

Oliver stepped aside Sunday after a Saturday night crash in New Bedford and an OUI charge. His name will remain on the ballot.

Shawn Oliver, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, suspended his campaign Sunday after being charged with drunk driving in New Bedford.Catch up quick: Police say Oliver&#x27;s vehicle hit five parked cars on Dartmouth Street around 11:40pm Saturday and overturned.

Healey calls GOP ticket "chaos" after Oliver's arrest

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Shawn Oliver was arrested Saturday on an OUI charge.

Gov. Maura Healey said her Republican rival Mike Minogue&#x27;s campaign is in &quot;chaos&quot; after his running mate&#x27;s arrest.Why it matters: The fallout comes less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 election, when Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll face Minogue and Shawn Oliver, who <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="was arrested Saturday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/18/shawn-oliver-oui-arrest-lieutenant-governor-massachusetts-suspends-campaign-minogue-new-bedford-crash-healey-driscoll-election" data-vars-content-id="00be2064-20c5-471d-8d6d-3bd0b7b98a3a" data-vars-headline="Healey calls GOP ticket &quot;chaos&quot; after Oliver&#x27;s arrest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/18/shawn-oliver-oui-arrest-lieutenant-governor-massachusetts-suspends-campaign-minogue-new-bedford-crash-healey-driscoll-election" target="_self">was arrested Saturday</a> on an OUI charge.

Boston Calling's future in doubt as organizers remain silent

Organizers remain completely silent on the 2027 festival.

News

Boston Calling is officially set to return June 4–6 next year, but there&#x27;s little real evidence the festival is actually going to happen.Why it matters: It&#x27;s still early, but festival organizers have offered no lineup, ticket sales or substantive update since announcing the cancellation of the 2026 event.

El Gran Combo comes to Boston as salsa nears crossroads

Jerry Rivas talks salsa in Boston, Bad Bunny's influence and the future of the genre.

Music

When Jerry Rivas first joined <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="El Gran Combo," data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/08/25/el-gran-combo-boston-embrace-masso-festival" data-vars-content-id="891e87d8-ceb2-45cf-867e-eda70677c37b" data-vars-headline="El Gran Combo comes to Boston as salsa nears crossroads" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/08/25/el-gran-combo-boston-embrace-masso-festival" target="_self">El Gran Combo,</a> he was called &quot;el nene,&quot; or the kid, of the world-famous salsa band.<ul><li>Nearly 50 years later, he&#x27;s coming to downtown Boston as the veteran of the group.</li></ul>

El Gran Combo to headline Boston Embrace Massó Festival

It will be the Puerto Rican band's first outdoor show in Boston in decades.

Downtown Boston is about to get a lesson from &quot;The University of Salsa.&quot;<ul><li>El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico will headline the Embrace Massó ¡Con Salsa! Ritmo y Sonido Block Party next month.</li></ul>

Remembering Daddy's Junky Music

Nearly 15 years after its closure, Boston musicians are flocking to Reddit to share fond memories of the beloved Daddy's Junky Music store.

Daddy&#x27;s Junky Music has been gone for nearly 15 years.<ul><li>Boston musicians have been trading memories of Daddy&#x27;s, the discount instrument chain that once anchored Massachusetts Avenue near Berklee&#x27;s campus.</li></ul>Why it matters: For decades, the Boston shop was a rite of passage for students, working musicians and wannabe guitar gods pining over a shiny new-to-you Strat or Les Paul.

Boston-area Colombians mobilize to support earthquake relief efforts 

An earthquake has killed hundreds and displaced thousands in western Colombia.

Culture

Boston-area Colombians are raising funds and collecting supplies to support relief efforts after a 7.4-magnitude <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="earthquake" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/08/14/how-miamians-can-help-colombia-earthquake-relief-efforts" data-vars-content-id="68ef0d29-7920-4be5-a844-e5a30a59ec8b" data-vars-headline="Boston-area Colombians mobilize to support earthquake relief efforts " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2026/08/14/how-miamians-can-help-colombia-earthquake-relief-efforts" target="_self">earthquake</a> rocked the Latin American nation.The big picture: Massachusetts is home to an estimated <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="42,000 residents," data-vars-click-url="https://www.neilsberg.com/insights/lists/colombian-population-in-massachusetts-by-city/" data-vars-content-id="68ef0d29-7920-4be5-a844-e5a30a59ec8b" data-vars-headline="Boston-area Colombians mobilize to support earthquake relief efforts " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.neilsberg.com/insights/lists/colombian-population-in-massachusetts-by-city/" target="_blank">42,000 residents,</a> the nation’s sixth-largest Colombian population.<ul><li>East Boston is unofficially considered New England’s “Little Colombia.”</li></ul>

Boston's biggest concerts this spring and summer

Boston is packed with concerts this spring and summer despite Boston Calling's hiatus.

Things to Do

Some of the world&#x27;s biggest acts are coming to Boston this spring and summer.The intrigue: Boston is drawing stars like R&amp;B singer Ari Lennox to jam band Phish, even as Boston Calling takes a hiatus in 2026.

BoriCorridor brings Puerto Rican arts to Boston

BoriCorridor returns with a rallying cry for Puerto Ricans in Massachusetts: Don't let go.

Puerto Rican arts series BoriCorridor returns to Boston this year with a rallying cry: &quot;No sueltes la bandera&quot; — Spanish for &quot;Don&#x27;t let go of the flag.&quot;Why it matters: It&#x27;s not only a lyric in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bad Bunny&#x27;s song" data-vars-click-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvfDaZ4ZT80&amp;list=RDuvfDaZ4ZT80&amp;start_radio=1" data-vars-content-id="2437e2cc-4f49-4048-a64e-89e536e97a9c" data-vars-headline="BoriCorridor brings Puerto Rican arts to Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvfDaZ4ZT80&amp;list=RDuvfDaZ4ZT80&amp;start_radio=1" target="_blank">Bad Bunny&#x27;s song</a> about Puerto Rican displacement, but a call to action to keep <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Puerto Rico&#x27;s spirit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/05/bad-bunny-massachusetts" data-vars-content-id="2437e2cc-4f49-4048-a64e-89e536e97a9c" data-vars-headline="BoriCorridor brings Puerto Rican arts to Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/05/bad-bunny-massachusetts" target="_self">Puerto Rico&#x27;s spirit</a> alive.<ul><li>It comes amid struggles with American imperialism and gentrification — even more than 1,600 miles away in Massachusetts.</li></ul>

Lobster roll lover Dua Lipa double dips at Boston North End hot spots

The pop star covered, and ate, Boston's best.

Pop superstar Dua Lipa enjoyed some of the North End&#x27;s finest eats and paid homage to Boston with some Hub-specific cover songs during her &quot;Radical Optimism Tour&quot; stop at TD Garden last week.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lipa covered" data-vars-click-url="https://www.masslive.com/boston/2025/09/pop-stars-cover-of-disco-icons-hit-gives-fans-at-boston-show-goosebumps.html" data-vars-content-id="934c607e-ae47-4334-a384-b175a72ad494" data-vars-headline="Lobster roll lover Dua Lipa double dips at Boston North End hot spots" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.masslive.com/boston/2025/09/pop-stars-cover-of-disco-icons-hit-gives-fans-at-boston-show-goosebumps.html" target="_blank">Lipa covered</a> Aerosmith&#x27;s &quot;I Don&#x27;t Want to Miss a Thing&quot; on Monday and followed that up with Dorchester native Donna Summer&#x27;s &quot;Bad Girls&quot; the next night.

Allston-Brighton festival puts arts (and rats) in the spotlight

One part arts fest, one part rat education initiative

Just like the armies of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="rodents" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2024/12/04/rats-with-cars-research" data-vars-content-id="cf264446-3b55-4493-8bfe-dd85bdaa7d76" data-vars-headline="Allston-Brighton festival puts arts (and rats) in the spotlight" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2024/12/04/rats-with-cars-research" target="_self">rodents</a> that rule Boston&#x27;s neighborhoods, the annual Rat City Arts Festival is back, bigger and better each year.Why it matters: More than 800 people will attend. In its fourth year, the Allston-Brighton-based fest will see significant upgrades and relocate to the Charles River Speedway.

Boston R&B legends New Edition get an official day

The 1980s boy band that gave us Bobby Brown and Bel Biv Devoe will be honored Aug. 30

Aug. 30 will be New Edition Day in Boston, honoring the homegrown R&amp;B group on the 42nd anniversary of its founding.