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House wants to spend Fair Share cash on the MBTA, schools

House wants to spend $1.8B in Fair Share cash and tax dollars on the MBTA and schools — here's where every dollar would go.

News

The state has over $1 billion in &quot;Millionaire&#x27;s Tax&quot; money to spend and House leaders want it to go the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="MBTA" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/transit" data-vars-content-id="ee839a21-85bf-4f0e-b240-bd79c152bfb5" data-vars-headline="House wants to spend Fair Share cash on the MBTA, schools" 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">MBTA</a>, special education and early childcare.Why it matters: If passed into law intact, it would be one of the largest single deployments of Fair Share revenue since voters approved <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the income surtax" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/04/29/millionaires-massachusetts-income-surtax-increase" data-vars-content-id="ee839a21-85bf-4f0e-b240-bd79c152bfb5" data-vars-headline="House wants to spend Fair Share cash on the MBTA, schools" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/04/29/millionaires-massachusetts-income-surtax-increase" target="_self">the income surtax</a> in 2022.

What we know about The Croft School's financial troubles

A month ago, The Croft School was planning to expand. Now, it's struggling to keep its doors open.

Education

A month ago, The Croft School was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="discussing expansion plans" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/10/foodies-market-south-end" data-vars-content-id="ffd83883-b38a-40ca-a47d-2c15a406e25f" data-vars-headline="What we know about The Croft School&#x27;s financial troubles" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/10/foodies-market-south-end" target="_self">discussing expansion plans</a> in the South End.<ul><li>Now, the private school is struggling to keep its doors open amid allegations that its founder hid $13 million in debt.</li></ul>

AI-generated attack ads are already slopping up Mass. races

AI attack ads are already showing up in Massachusetts races — and the 2026 cycle is just getting started.

Politics

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Artificial intelligence" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/24/ai-biggest-threats-2028-election" data-vars-content-id="5ae6c8eb-8ab5-4404-af1a-e50396c6af3a" data-vars-headline="AI-generated attack ads are already slopping up Mass. races" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/24/ai-biggest-threats-2028-election" target="_self">Artificial intelligence</a> is becoming an active political weapon in Massachusetts.Why it matters: Two recent cases show that candidates are willing to use the technology as lawmakers struggle to regulate it.

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>

Housing permits dip while prices remain high, report says

Mass. may see even slower housing construction in the next few years, while prices stay high.

Real Estate

Let&#x27;s start with the good news: Massachusetts has added nearly 98,000 new housing units in the past five years, including 71,000 in Greater Boston.<ul><li>The bad news: Permits for future house construction have dropped, and most renters can&#x27;t afford to buy a home here, per a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Boston Foundation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2025/2025-gr-boston-housing-report-card-final-2025.pdf" data-vars-content-id="059e28db-432e-469d-8406-919460bfa663" data-vars-headline="Housing permits dip while prices remain high, report says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2025/2025-gr-boston-housing-report-card-final-2025.pdf" target="_blank">Boston Foundation</a> report.</li></ul>

How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners

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

Climate

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>.

Former Celtics owner's $11M Back Bay brownstone on the market

Stephen Pagliuca, former co-chairman of Bain Capital and until recently an owner of the Boston Celtics, has put the stunning 362 Marlborough Street on the market.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="single-family brownstone" data-vars-click-url="https://www.elliman.com/listing/362-marlborough-st-boston-ma-02115/17465816" data-vars-content-id="a883d5eb-4278-417e-9d6c-fa298a6b2ed0" data-vars-headline="Former Celtics owner&#x27;s $11M Back Bay brownstone on the market" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.elliman.com/listing/362-marlborough-st-boston-ma-02115/17465816" target="_blank">single-family brownstone</a> on one of Boston&#x27;s most prestigious blocks is a real showstopper and a peek into how the ultra-rich get by in Boston.

Massachusetts rent control ballot proposal clears first hurdle

Attorney General Andrea Campbell certified 44 ballot initiatives this week.

A ballot measure <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="proposing rent control" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/08/06/rent-control-massachusetts-ballot-question" data-vars-content-id="1e5c4bbc-dad2-4f72-a64c-4a6159336aed" data-vars-headline="Massachusetts rent control ballot proposal clears first hurdle" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/08/06/rent-control-massachusetts-ballot-question" target="_self">proposing rent control</a> in Massachusetts cleared its first hurdle to get on the 2026 ballot. Why it matters: The state&#x27;s housing crisis continues to worsen despite efforts to change local zoning laws and spur housing creation.

Mega-landlord settles with DOJ for Mass. price fixing claims

Authorities accused Greystar of using an algorithmic rent-setting software for price fixing.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the landlord Greystar Management Services reached a deal to settle their legal fight over claims that the company used an algorithmic software to fix rental prices.Why it matters: Greystar, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nation&#x27;s largest landlord" data-vars-click-url="https://www.greystar.com/business/about-greystar/newsroom/greystar-takes-crown-as-top-us-apartment-owner" data-vars-content-id="2d422c1b-2a75-4fbd-b016-56ccef73b19d" data-vars-headline="Mega-landlord settles with DOJ for Mass. price fixing claims" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.greystar.com/business/about-greystar/newsroom/greystar-takes-crown-as-top-us-apartment-owner" target="_blank">nation&#x27;s largest landlord</a>, runs apartment complexes across Massachusetts, including in Brighton, Revere and East Boston.

Greater Boston's median single-family home price hits $1M

The median price for a single-family home hit a record $1 million in June.

Greater Boston&#x27;s housing market reached new heights last month, with the median price for a single-family home topping $1 million. Why it matters: The higher home prices climb, the less feasible homeownership becomes for Boston-area residents, housing advocates say.

Massachusetts' new broker fee law, explained

The new statute clarifies existing laws on incoming tenant payments.

Massachusetts&#x27; new law eliminates renter-paid broker fees except when the tenant specifically hires a broker.Why it matters: Renting in a high-cost city is hard enough without tacking another month&#x27;s worth of rent to pay a broker they didn&#x27;t contract before starting the apartment hunt.

It's a homebuyer's market — except in Boston

Despite Boston's high price of living, slightly more people are looking to buy than sell.

It may be a homebuyer&#x27;s market in other U.S. cities, but home sellers had a slight upper hand in Boston this spring, per Redfin estimates.The big picture: There are nearly 500,000 more <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="home sellers" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/19/mortgage-rate-state" data-vars-content-id="2b46d0fe-e4e9-428e-bc28-c60b6344ccd3" data-vars-headline="It&#x27;s a homebuyer&#x27;s market — except in Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/19/mortgage-rate-state" target="_self">home sellers</a> than buyers in the U.S. housing market — the widest gap on record, Axios&#x27; Sami Sparber and Emily Peck <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reported" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/03/homes-buyers-sellers-redfin" data-vars-content-id="2b46d0fe-e4e9-428e-bc28-c60b6344ccd3" data-vars-headline="It&#x27;s a homebuyer&#x27;s market — except in Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/06/03/homes-buyers-sellers-redfin" target="_self">reported</a>.

Rentals in burbs grow faster than in Boston

It's the latest sign that it's gotten harder to find affordable housing in the city proper.

Boston is one of five U.S. metro areas where the suburbs are gaining renters faster than the city itself is.Why it matters: The increase in suburban renters is the latest sign that it has gotten harder to find affordable housing in Boston, per a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.point2homes.com/news/research/renters-outnumber-owners-in-203-suburbs.html" data-vars-content-id="f936c1da-c478-4b85-9896-69d7f3ea6647" data-vars-headline="Rentals in burbs grow faster than in Boston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.point2homes.com/news/research/renters-outnumber-owners-in-203-suburbs.html" target="_blank">report</a> from rental listings website Point2Homes.

Boston's commercial property poised to lose more value, and more city revenue, report says

The report says falling office values could require the city to raise taxes or reduce spending.

Boston&#x27;s tax revenue from office buildings could fall further in the next five years than previous estimates predicted, a report released Thursday says.Why it matters: The tax revenue drop would leave just two options for city leaders to cover the shortfall — raise property taxes or reduce spending, per the report by the Tufts University Center for State Policy Analysis and the Boston Policy Institute.

Real Estate 🏠

Housing permits dip while prices remain high, report says

How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners

Former Celtics owner's $11M Back Bay brownstone on the market

Massachusetts rent control ballot proposal clears first hurdle

Mega-landlord settles with DOJ for Mass. price fixing claims