Eyes On the Street: Somerville’s New Protected Bikeways Around Porter Square

This fall, the City of Somerville is putting the finishing touches on a network of new protected bikeways that will link several bike routes between Porter and Davis Squares – a project mandated by the city’s 2024 Safe Streets Ordinance. The project renovated a 0.7-mile segment of Elm...

Cambridge parking permit changes address chronic underfunding

On December 1, Cambridge residents can start renewing their resident parking permits, and for the first time since 2013, the price is going up, from $25 to $75. Though this may seem like a large increase, the true price was never really $25. Rather, neighbors without cars were paying part of the difference.

Parking at 350 Rindge project may be tighter than thought, and loss of a grocery store causes worry

While an all-affordable apartment building proposed for North Cambridge was greeted warmly by Planning Board members on Tuesday, there’s a potential problem with its parking plan, and members of the public are worried about the multiyear absence of the area’s nearest grocery store and restaurant. The proposed 10-story...

Somerville is getting a new bagel shop from a Brookline favorite

Kupel's Bakery is opening a new café on Elm Street, with house-made cream cheese, breakfast sandwiches, coffee, and more. Kupel’s generous schmears are spreading to Somerville. The Brookline bagel shop, known for its freshly baked bagels and extensive lineup of house-made cream cheese spreads, is expanding. Kupel’s announced...

Inside Somerville's most colorful building

Editor's note: This story is an excerpt from WBUR's weekly arts and culture newsletter, The ARTery. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here. It’s hard to not stop and stare when you happen to pass by the Museum of Modern Renaissance, an extraordinary building on an otherwise ordinary residential block in Somerville.

Somerville's Only Target Gets Green Light to Add Full-Service Grocery Section

Somerville's only Target store just got the green light to tear down a wall and add a full-service grocery section inside the existing store. The city's Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously, 5-0, on November 4 to approve an expansion into vacant space next door, with the grocery section, including fresh produce, due to open in 2027.

Porter Square Sub Shop Replaces Half Shell After Nearly 30 Years on Mass. Ave.

1760A Massachusetts Ave. — Approximate Site of Sub Shop Takeover. A sandwich shop is moving into one of Porter Square's most familiar addresses. The Sub Shop plans to open its first brick-and-mortar location this month at 1760A Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, taking over the spot long occupied by The Half Shell, the pizza-and-subs institution that closed after nearly 30 years in business.

Somerville weighs stricter backyard cottage rules amid density and affordability concerns

Somerville lawmakers and planning officials are weighing citizen-led proposals to tighten rules on backyard cottages, pitting neighborhood concerns over vanishing green space and soaring home prices against state housing mandates. Four citizen petitions aimed at amending a section of the city’s zoning code were heard at a Nov. 5 public...

ABC News Live: Boston students stage walkout to call for remote learning amid surge

Averted strike at Brigham and Women's highlights ongoing tension around traveling nurses

The Massachusetts Nurses Association announced late Wednesday night that it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Mass General Brigham that includes limitations around the use of temporary nurses at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The agreement averted an indefinite strike that was set to begin early Thursday morning. While...

Hateful message targeting Dominicans and Puerto Ricans found in Boston

A message found on a wall in Boston's Back Bay expresses hate toward Dominicans and Puerto Ricans. Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn shared video after finding the graffiti, condemning it and calling for its removal. The words "Boston hates Dominicans and Puerto Ricans" and "by white people" were written on...

Old Hotels In America Known For Having Great Kitchens

Historic hotels across America have contributed some of the country's most recognizable dishes and culinary traditions. Discover the restaurants and kitchens behind iconic desserts, sandwiches, and regional specialties that continue to attract food lovers.

7 Historic Massachusetts Blizzards That People Who Lived Through Them May Never Forget

Massachusetts has experienced blizzards that stopped traffic, interrupted public transport, and changed ordinary errands into days of waiting. Their histories are not interchangeable. Some brought exceptional snow to Boston; others were most severe on the South Shore, Cape, or islands. These seven events are documented in government, climate-center, and weather...

People say dead rats are popping up more and more in this Boston neighborhood

Dead rats have been popping up around Boston's Brighton neighborhood, and they've become the talk of the town. Brighton residents say rats are nothing new but now more have been found dead on the sidewalk and around homes, and there's concern that rat poison could be playing a role. Deborah...

Things To Do in Boston This Weekend: November 13-November 15

From magic and comedy to candlelit strings and chart-topping R&B, Boston's weekend event lineup has something for every taste. Piff the Magic Dragon and his Chihuahua sidekick bring deadpan laughs and jaw-dropping illusions to City Winery Boston, while Candlelight: Tribute to Dolly Parton reimagines country classics inside a historic cathedral. GRAMMY winner Victoria Monét celebrates her new album on the Frequency of Love Tour at MGM Music Hall at Fenway. Pub comedy, a Grateful Dead tribute, late-night dancing, Celtics and Bruins matchups, a Doris Kearns Goodwin talk, and a Trippie Redd concert keep the momentum going.

$50 Million Pizza Brand Will Soon Have a New Owner, and a Big Change Is Coming

Founded in East Boston in 1961, Papa Gino’s is, for many New Englanders, a name that’s virtually synonymous with pizza. Now a prospective new owner hopes to make wings a bigger part of that identity. Craveworthy Brands has signed an agreement to acquire New England Authentic Eats LLC...

How the family-owned Wollaston’s Market became central to Northeastern culture

If you ask Northeastern students about their most frequented spots on campus, Wollaston’s Market is bound to be on the list. Wollaston’s Market is a staple of Northeastern’s Boston campus, offering convenient everyday essentials and more than 50 deli menu options beloved by students. With its two locations, Wollaston’s Market, colloquially referred to as Wolly’s, exists only on Northeastern’s Boston campus.

Cambridge can spare seniors, and many other drivers, oncoming $75 parking permit sticker shock

The price of a Cambridge residential parking permit is about to triple to $75 from $25. Senior permits will no longer be free. The exception is that there is no fee for anyone who declares themselves low-income by checking a box on the permit application; no proof of income is required.

Massachusetts retiree faces nearly triple insurance costs as his Medicare Advantage plan ends

"There's some anxiety about that."

Xi'an Cool Noodle Lands in Porter Square, Filling a Udon Bar's Old Spot

A new noodle shop has opened its doors in Cambridge's Porter Square, bringing the street foods of China's Shaanxi province to the Lesley building at 1815 Massachusetts Avenue. Xi'an Cool Noodle has set up in the space previously occupied by Yume Ga Arukara, the popular udon bar that moved to a different spot within the same building.