Boston officials want to take another swing at Faneuil Hall Marketplace — and this time, they say locals, not just tourists, will be a priority.

Why it matters: Despite foot traffic to the historic hall and neighboring Quincy Market building returning to pre-pandemic levels, consumer spending at the marketplace is still down 30%.

• What was once Boston's iconic downtown hub is now seen by Bostonians as a tourist trap.

The city recently wrapped a two-day workshop with design experts, developers and planners for a formal revitalization effort.

• Boston planning director Kairos Shen said a task force plans to share progress with the public in the coming months.

The big picture: Mayor Michelle Wu frames the effort as part of a broader downtown comeback ahead of the city's 400th birthday in 2030.

• Wu said she wants the marketplace to "reflect every corner of Boston" through authentic local flavor and more small businesses.
• Wu wants vendors to have access to smaller, less-expensive stalls to lower the barriers to entry.

State of play: Wu and her staff envision Faneuil Hall as an anchor "play" destination downtown.

• She's called for expanding the city's residential and entertainment footprint fourfold.

Flashback: The 1976 redevelopment of Faneuil Hall was a landmark public-private partnership under Mayor Kevin White.

Between the lines: The city owns the land beneath Faneuil Hall but doesn't control the property directly.

• It operates under a long-term lease with J. Safra Real Estate, which acquired the marketplace two years ago.

Zoom out: Community advocates are also pressing the city to reckon with the marketplace's ties to the transatlantic slave trade and its namesake, Peter Faneuil.

• Wu has not indicated support for a name change, but knows it's a significant question.

What's next: Wu said minor changes could come within weeks and more substantive improvements are expected by summer.

Yes, but: A full overhaul, Wu acknowledged, will take years.

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The manslaughter charge filed against Boston Police Officer Nicholas O'Malley for the on-duty shooting death of a carjacking suspect has ignited two separate political firestorms.

• One is directed at Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden for bringing charges, the other inside the Boston City Council chamber.

Why it matters: The case has revived longstanding tensions over police accountability in Boston while scrambling the Suffolk DA race.

State of play: Multiple figures are now weighing challenges to Hayden, according to the Herald, including former City Councilor Michael Flaherty, ex-DA and ex-U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins and former First Assistant DA Kevin Mullen.

• Mullen called the decision to charge O'Malley without a grand jury review a "snap decision" driven by politics.

The intrigue: Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, which backed Hayden four years ago, is now openly encouraging candidates to run against him.

Meanwhile: City councilors Erin Murphy and Miniard Culpepper are taking very different stances on the O'Malley case..

• They both agree that body camera footage should be released, but diverge on how to frame the incident that resulted in the death of Stephenson King.
• Murphy wants the focus to be on the carjacking victim and O'Malley's family, while Culpepper brings up community trauma surrounding the police killing of a Black man.

What's next: The primary is this fall.

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🎰 A Boston Globe investigation found New England's largest casinos, including Encore Boston Harbor, Mohegan Sun, and Foxwoods, are systematically targeting Asian communities through free shuttle services, predatory lending and cultural marketing. (Globe)

• The paper says that's driving disproportionate rates of gambling addiction.
• More than 80% of patrons sued by Encore for gambling debts since 2019 are of Asian descent, though Asian Americans make up roughly 8% of New England's population.

🧬 Cambridge biotech Quotient Therapeutics secured a $2.2 billion research partnership with Merck for new drugs targeting inflammatory bowel disease. (BBJ)

🏗️ A Woburn developer scrapped plans for 900,000 square feet of life sciences and manufacturing space at the Vale, a 107-acre mixed-use site, in favor of 504 additional residential units.

• Developer Leggat McCall Properties cited collapsed demand for lab and R&D space.

🔬 A Cambridge property owner paused plans to convert a former Lesley University building in Porter Square into lab space, seeking a two-year extension from the city's planning board.

• Greater Boston's lab vacancy rate climbed to roughly 34% heading into 2026, per Colliers data.

🏘️ The Boston Globe examined why the Revere side of the Suffolk Downs redevelopment is under active construction while the Boston side sits idle, pointing to a $15 million tax break Revere Mayor Patrick Keefe offered developer HYM Investment Group.

If you tell someone to "touch grass" in Virginia, Delaware or Hawaii around Easter, they might think you're talking about candy.

Why it matters: DoorDash analyzed which Easter basket treats over-index by state — and Haribo Sour Easter Grass uniquely dominates in those three.

The big picture: Reese's is the national MVP, with Peanut Butter Bunnies uniquely popular across the country — and in Massachusetts.

• Let this serve as a reminder to stock up before April 5.

The Holi Mela Festival of Colors brought people out to Adams Park on Saturday.