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Healey backs Frank's Democratic warning

The governor aligns with his push for pragmatic politics over progressive litmus tests.

Politics

Gov. Maura Healey is backing Barney Frank&#x27;s dying message to the Democratic Party to focus primarily on the economy over social issues.Why it matters: Frank, now in hospice care in Ogunquit, Maine, is using his final days to push a blunt argument: Democrats are losing voters because the party&#x27;s left flank imposes &quot;litmus tests&quot; on issues most Americans don&#x27;t support.

First look: Novo Marketplace, opens in Allston

The food hall opens May 1 with cuisine ranging from Indian to Korean to Indonesian.

Business

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Novo Marketplace" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/24/allston-food-hall-vendors-seek-alcohol-licenses" data-vars-content-id="d877f31e-9a20-492f-993b-145f5c37e432" data-vars-headline="First look: Novo Marketplace, opens in Allston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/24/allston-food-hall-vendors-seek-alcohol-licenses" target="_self">Novo Marketplace</a> opens Friday, bringing a gathering space with a dozen Asian food vendors to Allston. Why it matters: Some U.S. food halls are struggling to turn a profit — the latest example being <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Time Out Market" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/time-out-market-food-hall-boston-not-closing/" data-vars-content-id="d877f31e-9a20-492f-993b-145f5c37e432" data-vars-headline="First look: Novo Marketplace, opens in Allston" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/time-out-market-food-hall-boston-not-closing/" target="_blank">Time Out Market</a>— but owner Winson Chen is betting on the demand for gathering spaces and Asian cuisine in the Allston-Brighton area.

Mass. income tax cut ballot question faces legal threat

The SJC could pull the question from the November ballot entirely.

News

Massachusetts voters may be asked this November to decide whether to cut the state <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="income tax" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/03/28/state-tax-rates-massachusetts" data-vars-content-id="0501ee62-92f0-42a7-bf1a-a72617c4a0d4" data-vars-headline="Mass. income tax cut ballot question faces legal threat" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/03/28/state-tax-rates-massachusetts" target="_self">income tax</a> rate from 5% to 4%, a move that would have huge consequences for state spending.<ul><li>But a legal challenge heard Monday could pull the question from the ballot entirely.</li></ul>

The MAGA millionaire looking to turn deep blue Massachusetts

Mike Minogue's landslide win sets up a high-stakes 2026 race, testing if a MAGA-aligned Republican can win in Massachusetts.

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.Biotech multimillionaire <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mike Minogue" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/28/minogue-governor-campaign-ad-massachusetts-gop-momentum" data-vars-content-id="3bfc90ff-6837-4f63-8e6a-be484fc15648" data-vars-headline="The MAGA millionaire looking to turn deep blue Massachusetts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/28/minogue-governor-campaign-ad-massachusetts-gop-momentum" target="_self">Mike Minogue</a>&#x27;s landslide victory at the Mass. Republican Convention last month set up what promises to be a costly and very unlikely run to unseat Gov. Maura Healey in November.The big picture: Minogue&#x27;s win goes a long way to settle the GOP field and lays bare one of the central questions of the 2026 cycle: Can a Trump-aligned Republican come anywhere close to winning in Massachusetts?

Inside La Casa, the South End's new arts and community center

When it opens in May, La Casa will be the largest Latino performing arts center in New England.

Development

When Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción&#x27;s arts center opens, it will host concerts, youth arts programming, workshops and maybe a quinceañera (a traditional 15th birthday celebration for Latinas).The big picture: La Casa, a $33 million project, will be the largest Latino arts center in New England.

Massachusetts housing market's spring thaw begins

Still, the total number of houses on the market remains lower than this time last year.

Massachusetts saw more new homes for sale listed last month, per data released Monday by the state&#x27;s real estate agents association.The intrigue: Listings and sales typically increase in the spring, but the increase comes amid persistent high interest rates and rising costs.

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>.

🏗️ Going up: A slow decline in vacancies

Boston-area office vacancies drop slightly in Q1 2026

Three U.S. maps show the share of homes at severe or extreme climate risks among the 100 largest U.S. metro areas as of August 2025. The charts show risks from flooding, wildfire and extreme heat. Metros in the Southwest and mountain range have the highest fire risk, while cities in the Southeast and Gulf Coast have the highest flood and wind risk.

2025-09-09-metro-climate-risks

Data: Realtor.com; Map: Jacque Schrag/Axios

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Real Estate 🏠

Inside La Casa, the South End's new arts and community center

Boston-area office vacancies drop slightly in Q1 2026

Massachusetts housing market's spring thaw begins

Housing permits dip while prices remain high, report says

How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners