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Boston Common criminal activity prompts city councilor to call for public safety hearing

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Boston Common criminal activity prompts city councilor to call for public safety hearing


BOSTON – A Boston city councilor is calling for more resources to be put into the Common area, following increasing reports of drug use and criminal activity.

Drug use and violence

It’s an area teeming with history, but even a tour guide dressed as a patriot who prefers not to be identified, said he moves his tours through the Common pretty quickly.

“I try to get out of the Common within 10 minutes not to deal with that, it’s unfortunately the only thing I can do for now. Luckily there’s enough to talk about in Boston for revolution,” he said.

It hasn’t gone unnoticed by those who travel through the popular park.

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“Certainly, the drug use and it’s pretty uncomfortable sometimes,” said Nicole Pedraca, who’s visiting from Puerto Rico.

“You have to be watchful where you are and watch your surroundings and be sensible about it,” said Darlene Ballbach, visiting with a friend from Cape Cod. “I would probably come down here certain times of the day.”

People avoiding area

It’s the kind of responses City Councilor Ed Flynn said he’s constantly receiving as he plans to schedule a hearing on the public safety issues. Boston Police said they’ve increased patrols at least 25% in the last several months, but Flynn insists people, including tourists, are avoiding the area.

“There’s drug trafficking and drug use on Tremont Street, and a lot of people are not even walking down Tremont Street because of the constant drug use,” said Flynn.

Kiosk worker Gerry Mayo sees it, but also thinks police have had an effective presence, though could do more than just patrols.

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“If they put a little police kiosk down here, that’s what they need, it would solve a lot of problems,” said Mayo.

Businesses hurting

Some say it’s having a financial impact, like kiosk worker Bill Peruse.

“Instead of making over $1,000, we’re barely making like $100 a day,” said Peruse. He said people are not just wary of the area, but issues like lighting are also making them nervous. “A lot of tourists, they won’t come in between the buildings at night because it’s dark.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city is committed to ensuring the safety of the area.

“Everywhere across the city Police Commissioner [Michael] Cox and police are in close communication with neighborhood groups and following statistics of what’s happening,” said Wu.

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Boston, MA

Boston has one of the best public markets in the country, says USA TODAY

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Boston has one of the best public markets in the country, says USA TODAY


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Looking for a new marketplace to shop at this spring? You’re in luck – Boston is home to one of the best public markets in the country, according to USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.

The annual 10BEST awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. In the 2026 food awards, highlighting the top food tours, food cruises, farmers markets and more from across the country, Boston Public Market ranked third in the best public market category.

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Here’s what to know before you go to Boston’s top-ranked public market.

Why Boston Public Market ranked third

A year-round indoor marketplace in Downtown Boston, Boston Public Market celebrates the bounty New England has to offer with fresh groceries, prepared meals, crafts and specialty items from over 30 local artisans and food producers, with a focus on seasonal items.

Along with browsing through groceries and goods, guests are invited to join the public market for a variety of special events, including trivia, live music, magic shows and face painting.

Boston Public Market is located at 100 Hanover St. on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, directly above the Haymarket MBTA station. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

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What other markets made the list?

Here is USA TODAY’s full ranking of the top 10 public markets in the country:

  1. Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA
  2. Milwaukee Public Market – Milwaukee, WI
  3. Boston Public Market – Boston, MA
  4. Eastern Market – Detroit, MI
  5. West Side Market – Cleveland, OH
  6. Essex Market – New York City, NY
  7. Lancaster Central Market – Lancaster, PA
  8. Midtown Global Market – Minneapolis, MN
  9. Grand Central Market – Los Angeles, CA
  10. North Market Downtown – Columbus, OH



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Boston, MA

MBTA Green Line trains out from Kenmore to Boston College on B branch through April 30

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MBTA Green Line trains out from Kenmore to Boston College on B branch through April 30


The Green Line B branch trains will not run between Kenmore and Boston College through April 30, according to the MBTA.

The nine-day outage will allow T officials to work on several infrastructure improvements and maintenance, the installation of Green Line Train Protection System (GLTPS) infrastructure, replacement of 130-year-old wooden overhead catenary wire “trough” near the Green Line portals and more.

The MBTA announced free, accessible shuttle buses between the two stops, Kenmore and Boston College during the outage. The buses will not stop at Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner due to “accessibility issues,” T officials said.

During the weekend of April 25 and 26, the outage will extend through Copley, and shuttle buses will skip Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner during the same weekend.

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Throughout the shutdown all Green Line frequency will be reduced between Copley and Government center.

The MBTA urged riders to use the Orange Line at Back Bay during the outage. The agency also noted riders can transfer to Copley from Back Bay, an approximately five-minute walk.

The route 57 bus will also be free from April 22 through 24 and April 27 through 30 for alternate service between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner, the MBTA stated. During the April 25 and 26 weekend, the T noted the bus will not be a good alternate with not Green Line service at Kenmore.



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Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2

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Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe flex in Boston: Takeaways from Celtics-76ers Game 2


Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers looked like a completely different team against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.

And unlike Game 1, the Sixers’ defense also showed up, holding Boston to 43 second-half points and 39 percent shooting for the game in a 111-97 road win to tie this Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1.

Edgecombe scored a team-high 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting, and Maxey added 29 points and nine assists. The Sixers’ backcourt duo combined to shoot 11-for-22 from 3-point range. The Sixers were 19-for-39 from 3 after going 4 of 23 from that distance in Game 1.

Boston was led by Jaylen Brown’s game-high 36 points, but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player who scored in double figures with 19. Boston shot 13-for-50 from 3-point range.

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Here are some takeaways with Game 3 set for Friday in Philadelphia.

Celtics offense falls flat

The Celtics knew to expect a different effort from the 76ers.

One adjustment from Philadelphia likely didn’t take Boston by surprise. After taking just 23 3-pointers in Game 1, the 76ers sought out more long balls in Game 2.

Maxey called his own number more often. Edgecombe was aggressive from the start. As a team, the 76ers played with more freedom, firing plenty of shots that they might have turned down in the series opener. Philadelphia made plenty of those looks while shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc.

Still, the Celtics would have been all right if they had played their usual offensive game. Instead, their offense was their biggest issue. They shot just 39.3 percent on field goal attempts. They missed 37 of 50 3-point attempts. They committed an atypical 13 turnovers.

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Trying to come back in the fourth quarter, they had too many empty offensive possessions. Jaylen Brown got blocked while trying to beat the shot clock buzzer and picked up an offensive foul while hitting Maxey in the face. Jayson Tatum missed a contested pull-up 3-pointer early in the shot clock on one possession and threw away a pass on another. Derrick White was left wide open in the left corner but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. The 76ers left the door open early in the fourth quarter by missing several shots, including a couple of layups, but the Celtics couldn’t fully capitalize. Eventually, Maxey sank a series of baskets to create more separation for Philadelphia, and the Celtics largely went away down the stretch. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer

Sixers bounce back in Boston

This is the way the 76ers have to play if they want to extend this series as far as possible.

Maxey and Edgecombe have to dominate their guard matchups, which is exactly what they did in Tuesday night’s Game 2. Paul George needs to be a deterrent to Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He doesn’t have to eclipse them, because that would be difficult. But he does have to give them a bit of pause. Most of all, the 76ers have to play the focused brand of basketball they exhibited in Game 2 rather than the sloppy and slapstick kind of hoops they played in Game 1.

The Celtics are such a good team that the above equates to near-perfect basketball. But that’s the task the Sixers are facing, particularly without star center Joel Embiid. On Tuesday night, this was a team up to the task. They were focused. They executed on both ends of the floor. They got much better play from their role players. Maxey and Edgecombe were absolutely dominant.

Overall, on both ends of the floor, this is the best game the 76ers have played in months. And they got it at just the right time. Now we have a 1-1 series heading back to Philadelphia. — Tony Jones, Sixers beat writer 

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