Boston

blue

Axios Boston Partners

Axios Boston

Standard

Boston Alerts

Alert

Axios Boston Thought Bubble

Thought Bubble

Boston Members

Membership

Shooting suspect released from hospital days before Cambridge shooting

Tyler Brown left McLean Hospital just three days before making suicidal statements over FaceTime before allegedly opening fire on Memorial Drive, wounding two people critically.

News

Tyler Brown, 46, had left McLean Hospital in Belmont just three days before police say he opened fire and wounded two people on Memorial Drive Monday.<ul><li>Brown allegedly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="made suicidal statements" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/tyler-brown-cambridge-shooting-memorial-drive-hospital/" data-vars-content-id="fd732ec2-96da-4f0a-bd9f-837e5cf8c864" data-vars-headline="Shooting suspect released from hospital days before Cambridge shooting" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/tyler-brown-cambridge-shooting-memorial-drive-hospital/" target="_blank">made suicidal statements</a> to his parole officer over FaceTime and brandished a rifle on the call before police could locate him.</li><li>Authorities said a state trooper and an armed civilian ultimately shot and wounded him.</li></ul>

2 customers accuse Harvard Pilgrim of having "ghost networks"

Two people are suing Point32Health, accusing it of misleading Harvard Pilgrim policyholders.

Health

Two Massachusetts residents filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Harvard Pilgrim" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2018/05/04/partners-healthcare-harvard-pilgrim-acquisition-1525445206" data-vars-content-id="0ccb29d0-17ee-4393-9188-245b3359e222" data-vars-headline="2 customers accuse Harvard Pilgrim of having &quot;ghost networks&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2018/05/04/partners-healthcare-harvard-pilgrim-acquisition-1525445206" target="_self">Harvard Pilgrim</a> is skirting laws requiring accurate provider directories.Why it matters: State and federal laws ban &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ghost networks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.propublica.org/article/ghost-networks-health-insurance-regulators" data-vars-content-id="0ccb29d0-17ee-4393-9188-245b3359e222" data-vars-headline="2 customers accuse Harvard Pilgrim of having &quot;ghost networks&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/ghost-networks-health-insurance-regulators" target="_blank">ghost networks</a>,&quot; but <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="several reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.propublica.org/article/ghost-networks-health-insurance-regulators" data-vars-content-id="0ccb29d0-17ee-4393-9188-245b3359e222" data-vars-headline="2 customers accuse Harvard Pilgrim of having &quot;ghost networks&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.propublica.org/article/ghost-networks-health-insurance-regulators" target="_blank">several reports</a> in recent years have found that they <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="haven&#x27;t gone away" data-vars-click-url="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-sweeping-reforms-improving-access-mental-health" data-vars-content-id="0ccb29d0-17ee-4393-9188-245b3359e222" data-vars-headline="2 customers accuse Harvard Pilgrim of having &quot;ghost networks&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-sweeping-reforms-improving-access-mental-health" target="_blank">haven&#x27;t gone away</a>.<ul><li>Now two Bay Staters are pointing the finger at the insurer owned by Canton-based Point32Health.</li></ul>

Scoop: DiZoglio will limit audit suit scope — but says it's just the opening move

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio will refile her complaint limited to four document categories — chamber budgets, audits, balance-forward transactions, and employee settlements — but insists the concession doesn't cap her broader authority.

Politics

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.State Auditor Diana DiZoglio will agree to narrow the categories of documents she&#x27;ll investigate in her pursuit of the legal authority to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="audit the legislative branch" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/10/massachusetts-legislative-audit-standoff-heads-to-court" data-vars-content-id="2fa059a3-1bed-4cac-9227-da115bac54dc" data-vars-headline="Scoop: DiZoglio will limit audit suit scope — but says it&#x27;s just the opening move" 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/massachusetts-legislative-audit-standoff-heads-to-court" target="_self">audit the legislative branch</a>, she tells Axios.Why it matters: It&#x27;s a concession from DiZoglio that allows her suit against legislative leaders to proceed.

What Ireland's 1926 census release means for Irish Bostonians

The new records are connecting Bostonians to their ancestors.

History

A century after Ireland&#x27;s first census as a free state, Boston College provost David Quigley got his hands on copies of census forms his relatives filled out.<ul><li>They were among the 2.9 million people who participated in 1926 and whose records were recently made public.</li></ul>

Boston's 30-year soccer blind spot

Boston ranks second-to-last in soccer knowledge among World Cup host cities.

Boston is a soccer city — it just doesn&#x27;t know it yet.<ul><li>A new analysis of five years of Google search data ranks Boston second-to-last in soccer knowledge among all 11 U.S. World Cup host cities.</li><li>That&#x27;s despite our pro soccer team, the New England Revolution, having played in the region for 30 years.</li></ul>

Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates

New research identifies 259 enslavers among Harvard leadership and staff.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Harvard University" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/05/11/harvard-faculty-vote-grade-inflation-cap-a-grades-ivy-league" data-vars-content-id="577adbfe-5b30-492a-82da-e0f915e266ff" data-vars-headline="Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/05/11/harvard-faculty-vote-grade-inflation-cap-a-grades-ivy-league" target="_self">Harvard University</a> named 1,613 people enslaved by university affiliates in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a sweeping new database" data-vars-click-url="https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/supporting-descendants/harvard-slavery-remembrance-program/" data-vars-content-id="577adbfe-5b30-492a-82da-e0f915e266ff" data-vars-headline="Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/supporting-descendants/harvard-slavery-remembrance-program/" target="_blank">a sweeping new database</a> released Tuesday.Why it matters: It marks the most significant documented expansion of Harvard&#x27;s ties to slavery since it identified roughly 70 enslaved individuals in a 2022 report.

Mass. income tax cut ballot question faces legal threat

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

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>

Mass. races to regulate the "Wild West" of e-bikes and scooters

State officials propose a new four-tier speed system to bring order to the growing wave of electric micromobility devices.

Massachusetts officials are racing to bring some legal clarity to e-scooters, e-bikes and other new electric vehicles that are growing in popularity faster than the rules meant to govern them.Why it matters: Massachusetts ranks <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="fifth" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/04/metro/boston-traffic-delays-congestion/" data-vars-content-id="d5021a7b-84da-4af5-ae22-7ab22a25bec0" data-vars-headline="Mass. races to regulate the &quot;Wild West&quot; of e-bikes and scooters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/04/metro/boston-traffic-delays-congestion/" target="_blank">fifth</a> in the nation for road congestion, while <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="57% of all in-state trips" data-vars-click-url="https://www.massbike.org/micromobility_commission_report" data-vars-content-id="d5021a7b-84da-4af5-ae22-7ab22a25bec0" data-vars-headline="Mass. races to regulate the &quot;Wild West&quot; of e-bikes and scooters" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.massbike.org/micromobility_commission_report" target="_blank">57% of all in-state trips</a> are three miles or shorter.<ul><li>80% of those short trips are still made by car, but small, cheap, personal electric vehicles are beginning to fill the gap.</li></ul>

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.

King family demands body cam video release as both sides lawyer up

King family demands body cam video release as civil rights attorney Ben Crump and Karen Read defense attorney David Yannetti take opposite sides of the Stephenson King shooting case.

The family of Stephenson King Jr., the Dorchester man fatally shot by a Boston police officer last month, demanded body camera footage of the incident be released.State of play: The case is drawing high-profile legal firepower on both sides.

Critics warn social media ban goes too far, could ban YouTube, Wikipedia

A sweeping definition of "social media" has critics warning it could rope in nearly the entire internet — including sites children rely on every day.

The Massachusetts House wants the Commonwealth to become <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the most restrictive state in the country" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/08/massachusetts-house-senate-cellphone-ban-social-media-youth-children-schools-healey-bill" data-vars-content-id="ca294bc7-c03c-477f-9644-fa6f102fbbb7" data-vars-headline="Critics warn social media ban goes too far, could ban YouTube, Wikipedia" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/08/massachusetts-house-senate-cellphone-ban-social-media-youth-children-schools-healey-bill" target="_self">the most restrictive state in the country</a> for young people on the Internet, but some worry the bill goes much too far.Why it matters: Critics argue the House&#x27;s bill trades child safety for a surveillance state and may accidentally ban platforms children use every day.

Less than 1% of Greater Boston nonprofit revenue helps women of color

Less than 1% of revenue for women's nonprofits went to groups serving women and girls of color.

Less than 1% of the revenue that Greater Boston nonprofits serving women, girls and gender-expansive people reported in 2024 went to groups prioritizing girls and women of color.Why it matters: Those groups&#x27; leaders reported being understaffed, overworked and less supported than other nonprofits, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bostonwomensfund.org/carryingtheweight" data-vars-content-id="d5991ea0-3ceb-4bb3-95e5-94bc39177dd1" data-vars-headline="Less than 1% of Greater Boston nonprofit revenue helps women of color" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bostonwomensfund.org/carryingtheweight" target="_blank">new report</a> from the Boston Women&#x27;s Fund and UMass Boston.<ul><li>The findings come six years after U.S. business, philanthropic and political leaders pledged to address racial inequities.</li></ul>

Haymarket station in limbo as Bulfinch Crossing project drags on

The transit hub has been torn apart for over four years and there's no word on when the project will be done.

One of downtown Boston&#x27;s busiest <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="transit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/transit" data-vars-content-id="5d2b4d09-6b81-4786-ae5a-daf754b3d9a5" data-vars-headline="Haymarket station in limbo as Bulfinch Crossing project drags on" 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">transit</a> hubs has been torn apart for over four years and there&#x27;s no word on when the project will be finished.Why it matters: The demolition of the former Government Center Garage has repeatedly disrupted Orange and Green Line service at the Haymarket station and shuttered the bus terminal indefinitely, forcing riders onto a makeshift busway for years.

News 🗞

Boston's 30-year soccer blind spot

Blockbuster gorilla trade

Harvard just identified over 1,600 people enslaved by its affiliates

Shooting suspect released from hospital days before Cambridge shooting

Seaport gets string of new restaurants