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Expect big crowds at Mass. "No Kings" protests

Over 160 "No Kings" protests are scheduled across Massachusetts Saturday.

News

Organizers behind the nationwide <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;No Kings&quot; protests" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/24/bruce-springsteen-joan-baez-no-kings-twin-cities" data-vars-content-id="7c110bfe-5fc6-42de-84b0-f027ab4b95df" data-vars-headline="Expect big crowds at Mass. &quot;No Kings&quot; protests" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/24/bruce-springsteen-joan-baez-no-kings-twin-cities" target="_self">&quot;No Kings&quot; protests</a> claim more than 160 rallies are scheduled across the Commonwealth tomorrow.Why it matters: Massachusetts is playing a big role in the nationwide mobilization organizers describe as possibly the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

What's proper doggy bag etiquette? Vote in our poll

Take the poll and let us know what you think.

Spotted in the South End: A full doggy bag sitting on the windshield of a car.Zoom in: We don&#x27;t know if it belonged to the owner of the car, who planned to return and throw it out later, or a stranger using the car as a dumping ground.

A casual fan's guide to the 2026 Red Sox season

The Sox have finished 3rd in the AL East two years in a row.

Sports

The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Red Sox" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/03/26/a-casual-fans-guide-to-the-2025-red-sox" data-vars-content-id="e135207b-a071-4288-a4c2-574526f8b911" data-vars-headline="A casual fan&#x27;s guide to the 2026 Red Sox season" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/03/26/a-casual-fans-guide-to-the-2025-red-sox" target="_self">Red Sox</a> kick off their 2026 season Thursday with an emerging superstar and strong pitching they hope will lead to title contention.Why it matters: The Sox have finished third in the AL East two years in a row, and the division again looks to be <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="one of the best in baseball" data-vars-click-url="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48287373/opening-day-2026-mlb-season-preview-rankings-every-team-playoff-odds-world-series-chances#bos" data-vars-content-id="e135207b-a071-4288-a4c2-574526f8b911" data-vars-headline="A casual fan&#x27;s guide to the 2026 Red Sox season" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48287373/opening-day-2026-mlb-season-preview-rankings-every-team-playoff-odds-world-series-chances#bos" target="_blank">one of the best in baseball</a>.<ul><li>Outdueling the Yankees and American League champion Blue Jays will require big contributions from Boston&#x27;s offseason acquisitions.</li></ul>

Boston cop's shooting charge roils DA race, divides city councilors

Boston cop shooting charge roils DA race, with Rollins, Flaherty and Mullen weighing runs against Hayden — while councilors split on how to frame King's death.

The manslaughter charge filed against <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Boston Police Officer Nicholas O&#x27;Malley" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/21/metro/officer-arrest-strong-message/" data-vars-content-id="ed38ac76-c5b5-46d8-b8d0-8a959f075308" data-vars-headline="Boston cop&#x27;s shooting charge roils DA race, divides city councilors" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/21/metro/officer-arrest-strong-message/" target="_blank">Boston Police Officer Nicholas O&#x27;Malley</a> for the on-duty shooting death of a carjacking suspect has ignited two separate political firestorms.<ul><li>One is directed at Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden for bringing charges, the other inside the Boston City Council chamber.</li></ul>Why it matters: The case has revived longstanding tensions over <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="police accountability" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/02/21/database-federal-police-misconduct-trump-deletes" data-vars-content-id="ed38ac76-c5b5-46d8-b8d0-8a959f075308" data-vars-headline="Boston cop&#x27;s shooting charge roils DA race, divides city councilors" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/02/21/database-federal-police-misconduct-trump-deletes" target="_self">police accountability</a> in Boston while scrambling the Suffolk DA race.

How over 27,000 Mass. residents got medical debt wiped out

The $42 million total amounts to an average of $1,560 per recipient.

Business

Some 27,000 eastern Massachusetts residents are getting letters in the mail with rare good news: They&#x27;re the latest beneficiaries of a debt relief initiative, and some, if not all, of their medical debt has been wiped out.Why it matters: One in eight Massachusetts residents has <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="medical debt" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/14/medical-debt-united-states" data-vars-content-id="3aeb954c-e0ae-49fd-afcb-538690df0655" data-vars-headline="How over 27,000 Mass. residents got medical debt wiped out" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2024/02/14/medical-debt-united-states" target="_self">medical debt</a>, per the state&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Center for Health Information and Analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chiamass.gov/assets/docs/r/pubs/2025/Understanding-Medical-Debt-in-Massachusetts.pdf" data-vars-content-id="3aeb954c-e0ae-49fd-afcb-538690df0655" data-vars-headline="How over 27,000 Mass. residents got medical debt wiped out" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chiamass.gov/assets/docs/r/pubs/2025/Understanding-Medical-Debt-in-Massachusetts.pdf" target="_blank">Center for Health Information and Analysis</a>.<ul><li>Among Black residents, that number is one in five. </li></ul>

Why Mass. hasn't reformed cannabis workplace safety since worker's death

It's been four years since Lorna McMurrey died at a Holyoke cultivation site.

Four years since a Holyoke worker&#x27;s death after inhaling cannabis dust, Massachusetts <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="regulators" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/13/massachusetts-cannabis-cultivation-sites" data-vars-content-id="2e7dba20-ef69-40b3-80a3-d8ea4783a09c" data-vars-headline="Why Mass. hasn&#x27;t reformed cannabis workplace safety since worker&#x27;s death" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/13/massachusetts-cannabis-cultivation-sites" target="_self">regulators</a> haven&#x27;t imposed new rules or penalties to prevent exposure to the workplace hazard.<ul><li>And they don&#x27;t have the power to do so unilaterally.</li></ul>

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>

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

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

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>

Here's how much the Dubliner, Carrie Nation owed workers, per AG

Two Boston restaurants settled with the state to resolve allegations of wage law violations.

Two downtown Boston restaurants owed workers thousands of dollars in unpaid wages before the eateries settled with the state attorney general&#x27;s office, per the settlement agreement.Catch up quick: The AG&#x27;s office investigated allegations that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Dubliner and Carrie Nation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/10/carrie-nation-dubliner-settle-wage-theft-violations-with-mass-ag" data-vars-content-id="67daa121-98a2-4bb5-bfef-4b73de93a35d" data-vars-headline="Here&#x27;s how much the Dubliner, Carrie Nation owed workers, per AG" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/03/10/carrie-nation-dubliner-settle-wage-theft-violations-with-mass-ag" target="_self">The Dubliner and Carrie Nation</a> charged customers a 3% service fee and pocketed the money instead of giving it to its restaurant workers.

32BJ, airport workers sue Trump admin. for revoking security clearances

The workers are TPS holders, asylum seekers and green card applicants.

Immigration

The union 32BJ SEIU is suing <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="U.S. Customs and Border Protection" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/noem-dhs-contracts-backlog" data-vars-content-id="ac1c0e3f-000a-4a39-87ef-0fc1216ea602" data-vars-headline="32BJ, airport workers sue Trump admin. for revoking security clearances" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/03/11/noem-dhs-contracts-backlog" target="_self">U.S. Customs and Border Protection</a> after workers with temporary immigration protections were kicked off their jobs at Boston&#x27;s Logan International Airport.Why it matters: Union leaders say the Trump administration is ostracizing foreign-born workers with legal permission to work in the U.S.

FIFA, Kraft Group agree to cover World Cup security costs at Gillette Stadium

Foxborough has refused to issue World Cup organizers an event license without a funding commitment.

FIFA and the Kraft Group have reached a deal to cover security costs for the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="2026 World Cup matches" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/18/world-cup-foxborough-funding-security" data-vars-content-id="e4b67d5c-2057-498c-a0c6-d71250c73d36" data-vars-headline="FIFA, Kraft Group agree to cover World Cup security costs at Gillette Stadium" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/18/world-cup-foxborough-funding-security" target="_self">2026 World Cup matches</a> at Gillette Stadium.Why it matters: Foxborough officials refused to issue World Cup organizers the license to host the seven soccer matches without an assurance that the town wouldn&#x27;t be stuck footing the $7.8 million bill, threatening the future of the Massachusetts games.

Mass. medical cannabis patients ask lawmakers to consider "universal" access

Patients and advocates want lawmakers to let them get medical cannabis at any dispensary.

As Massachusetts lawmakers negotiate an overhaul of the cannabis industry, some <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="medical patients" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/05/29/massachusetts-medical-cannabis-parks-dcr" data-vars-content-id="3f9e3b03-a23e-4d77-a68b-6c59311471b3" data-vars-headline="Mass. medical cannabis patients ask lawmakers to consider &quot;universal&quot; access" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2025/05/29/massachusetts-medical-cannabis-parks-dcr" target="_self">medical patients</a> are urging an option no state has undertaken — letting any dispensary sell medical cannabis. Why it matters: Massachusetts is home to 79,000 medical cannabis patients, and some of the most vocal ones say their access to tax-free cannabis is diminishing as more medical facilities close.

RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin'. Mass. residents threatened revolts

RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin's sugary coffee drinks. Massachusetts residents blew up.

The United States&#x27; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="250th anniversary" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" data-vars-content-id="c892d6ba-a617-43da-98dc-fc962d4a2d41" data-vars-headline="RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin&#x27;. Mass. residents threatened revolts" 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">250th anniversary</a> may be remembered as the year a Kennedy declared war on Massachusetts.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dunkin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/25/dunkin-boston-iced-coffee-mitten-bucket" data-vars-content-id="c892d6ba-a617-43da-98dc-fc962d4a2d41" data-vars-headline="RFK Jr. took aim at Dunkin&#x27;. Mass. residents threatened revolts" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/25/dunkin-boston-iced-coffee-mitten-bucket" target="_self">Dunkin</a>&#x27;, the Bay State&#x27;s beloved coffee chain, is the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy&#x27;s latest target.

Boston-area things to do, 2/23-3/1

The Femmes bring back "Gay Prom" and the Museum of Science talks psychedelics.

Things to Do

Monday, 2/23🎤 Tracy Palandijan, CEO and cofounder of the nonprofit Social Finance, discusses how investing and partnerships can drive change in education, workforce development, housing and more at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Kennedy Institute," data-vars-click-url="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-person-event-tracy-palandjian-on-investing-in-opportunity-tickets-1980734758984" data-vars-content-id="f14c517e-43cb-456f-a692-0a282a56020e" data-vars-headline="Boston-area things to do, 2/23-3/1" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/in-person-event-tracy-palandjian-on-investing-in-opportunity-tickets-1980734758984" target="_blank">Kennedy Institute,</a> 5:30pm-6:30pm.

Business 🏦

How over 27,000 Mass. residents got medical debt wiped out

Why Mass. hasn't reformed cannabis workplace safety since worker's death

What we know about The Croft School's financial troubles

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

Here's how much the Dubliner, Carrie Nation owed workers, per AG