A new group called Protect the Lincoln Forest launched itself early this morning when a member climbed up a tree on a quarter-acre site off Rte. 2 and created a "tree-sit" to protest an agreement between Cambridge and a Texas pipeline company to cut down at least 24 trees on a lot meant to protect a major Cambridge reservoir - so the company can park trucks and equipment there while it replaces a pipeline facility next door. Read more.
A proposal to begin charging drivers a fee to come into downtown Boston will remain in committee as its sponsors consider what are turning out to be some possibly complex issues. Read more.
The Boston City Council today agreed to look at using rodent birth-control pellets to try to control the city's burgeoning supply of rats, by building on a pilot started in Jamaica Plain last year that one councilor said had meant an 80% reduction in the gnawing, long-tailed vermin. Read more.
CommonWealth Beacon reports the former hizzoner and his long-time girlfriend, Lorrie Higgins, quietly got married on a Caribbean trip in March.
CommonWealth Beacon considers a proposal by Atlantic writer - and Boston Phoenix alum - .Mark Leibovich to rename our airport after the Celtics great and civil-rights activist.
CommonWealth Beacon analyzes the multi-billion-dollar bond bill the legislature is considering - including $1 billion or so to help the MWRA connect its water pipes to more towns as an incentive to get them to allow more housing.
Boston City Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia and Henry Santana (all at large) this week will formally propose changing the way Bostonians elect municipal officials to a more Cambridge-like system in which voters would rank candidates in order of preference. Read more.
The Boston City Council today approved a request to the state legislature for permission to temporarily increase commercial tax rates to try to shield homeowners from a potentially huge increase should downtown office-building assessments collapse as many workers continue to stay at home. Read more.
Donnie Palmer, running again as a Republican against incumbent US Rep Ayanna Pressley, says she should be executed by hanging for treason and that he'd be happy to put the noose around her neck himself. Read more.
The State House News Service reports the state has collected $1.8 billion from rich people in new taxes in the first nine months of the fiscal year - $800 million more than state revenue officials had forecast for the entire fiscal year, which could be good news for the MBTA and schools. The money comes from a 4% surcharge on income above $1 million, as approved by voters in 2022.
Megan Johnson had some spare time today, so she came up with the bill for the Boston Calling for folks who keep up with the weird and wonderful world of Boston, with a playlist that stretches from the '90s to today. See it larger.
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the first same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, under the Goodridge decision by the state Supreme Judicial Court. Read more.
CommonWealth Beacon takes a look at the controversy over ShotSpotter, the expensive system police in Boston and other cities use to locate the source of potential gunfire: BPD Commissioner Michael Cox stood by the system at a Monday hearing, but critics say it has a large number of false positives, which means people in the minority neighborhoods where the sensors are located are more likely to be grilled by police investigating false leads. Chicago announced earlier this year it's abandoning the system.
Mayor Wu and family and two BPS students are at the Vatican this week for a climate summit hosted by the Pope. Read more.
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