Massachusetts

Getting to yes on housing in Massachusetts – The Boston Globe

Published

2 months ago

December 28, 2025

Getting to yes on housing in Massachusetts – The Boston Globe

Over the next decade, state housing officials estimate that Massachusetts will need another 222,000 homes. These homes are necessary to attract young professionals, to prevent families with young children from leaving, to empty the homeless shelters, and to let seniors age in their communities.

More housing is also needed to mitigate climbing prices that are hurting not only lower-income residents, but even those who are solidly middle class. The median price of a single-family home in Massachusetts this year, as of November, was an astonishing $640,000, according to The Warren Group.

Zillow ranked Greater Boston as the fifth most expensive rental market in the country, with average rent hovering just under $3,000 a month, according to the Boston Foundation’s 2025 Housing Report Card.

But if Massachusetts is to build the housing our residents need, it will take a conscious effort to simplify the building process.

In editorials this year, the Globe has focused on specific deregulatory steps that would help cut red tape and make it easier for the state to build its way out of the housing shortage.

One aspect of this is being open to changing rules that may have made perfect sense at one point, but haven’t kept up with changing circumstances. For example, advances in fire safety technology made some of the rules regarding stairwell requirements and building height obsolete. Changing these rules to account for modern technology could make it financially feasible to build bigger buildings.

There are also well-intended rules that have had unintended consequences — like disability accessibility codes that apply more stringently in communities with lower property values than in wealthier towns.

But the biggest thing that needs to change is harder to write into law. Communities need to move from a default “no” on housing to a default “yes.”

That problem is especially hard to tackle because, officially, it doesn’t exist. There is no specific regulation saying that certain Massachusetts towns don’t want housing. But actions speak louder, and more honestly, than words.

The presumption that new housing is bad — and the burden is on developers to prove it isn’t — is implicit in many of regulations adopted across the region and in the way developers are frequently treated like unwelcome interlopers. Communities too often use approval processes to impose unreasonable requirements or arduous review processes on builders who want to create the multifamily housing the state needs.

One solution is for the state to set clear ground rules for what authority cities and towns have — and don’t have — when it comes to housing approval.

For example, the state has its own environmental standards for septic systems, but they are a minimum, not a maximum. If policy makers were to forbid towns from imposing stricter standards without proving they are environmentally necessary, it would prevent municipal officials from using overly strict rules to block denser housing. Similarly, the Legislature could impose guardrails on what municipal planning officials can consider as part of the site plan review process and how long reviews can take.

When a planning or zoning board rejects or reduces the size of an apartment project, or imposes unreasonable and costly conditions, that directly undermines the public good. They should be expected to explain why their actions were truly necessary.

After all, no housing decision occurs in a vacuum. Even allowing high-end development serves the public: If people who can afford million-dollar condos have plenty to choose from, they won’t outbid less-wealthy families for more modest housing.

Many individual regulations came from a noble instinct. Shoddy construction is dangerous; communities should make sure it’s safe. Fire safety is important. New buildings can disturb animal habitats and degrade the environment. Ensuring that people with disabilities can access housing units and public spaces is vital. There is value in soliciting public input.

But these regulations have proven too easy to co-opt as tools to stop development, rather than improve it. Often, communities have a fear of change.

Regulations that pose obstacles to housing must be expected to pass a stringent test to prove that they are actually necessary and not just convenient pretexts for NIMBYism. Policy makers must fully consider the trade-offs, because while each new housing regulation may seem minor, they add up.

Massachusetts is a great place to live. We should be seeking ways to let more people live here, not closing the gate behind us.

Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us @GlobeOpinion.

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Massachusetts

20k customers without power in Revere, Winthrop areas

Published

3 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

20k customers without power in Revere, Winthrop areas

National Grid is reporting that roughly 20,000 customers are without power due to outages in the Winthrop and Revere areas.

The utility company’s live outages map shows that 10,753 customers are without power in the Revere area and 9,261 customers are without power in the Winthrop area as of 2:25 p.m. Saturday.

The Herald has reached out to National Grid for comment. The Herald has also reached out to Eversource for information regarding any outages in their service regions, where a Herald photographer has seen some outages. Eversource’s outage map did not display any major outages at 2:25 p.m.

This is a developing story.

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Massachusetts

Eight takeaways from Friday’s high school playoffs action, including four 1,000-point scorers – The Boston Globe

Published

15 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Eight takeaways from Friday’s high school playoffs action, including four 1,000-point scorers – The Boston Globe

Find the full scoreboard here, along with everything we wrote Friday night:

Not seeing your team’s highlights in Takeaways? Here are all the ways to submit scores and stats to Globe Schools via phone, email, and social media.

▪ Cathedral senior Keyona Raines scored 15 points, including the 1,000th of her career, as the No. 5 Panthers handled No. 28 Hudson, 60-43, in the first round of the Division 4 girls’ basketball tournament.

▪ Sutton junior captain Ava Carroll netted her 1,000th career point during a 29-point effort in a 49-31 Division 4 first-round win over Easthampton.

FINAL: Sutton 49, Easthampton 31
Junior captain Ava Carroll records a game-high 22 points (including her 1,000th career point) as Sutton secured a Division 4 MIAA tournament Round of 32 win.
Business is Boomin’ for the Suzies. pic.twitter.com/vjRnzu2eLA
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) February 28, 2026
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▪ With a layup in the waning seconds of the first half, Anna Freeman became the 10th Medway player, and first since Riley Childs in 2018, to score 1,000 career points. She finished the 55-24 Division 3 first-round win over St. Paul with 17. Her father, Matt Freeman, scored 1,000 points at Bishop Feehan.

▪ Burlington boys’ basketball senior Matty Gray reached 1,000 career points during a 25-point performance in a 95-58 Division 2 first-round rout of Holliston. He reached the mark on a first-quarter layup.

Now for Matty Gray! Scores his 1000th point and no surprise on a steal! Just does it all. Such a special player and person. Humble, hard-working, kind, and tough. Lucky to coach him! A kid who certainly could have left, but chose to put his town across his chest and he’s…🧵 pic.twitter.com/UXFsEuZH6R
— BurlingtonBasketball (@Burlingtonhoop) February 28, 2026

▪ Falmouth boys’ hockey senior Kody Pokraka rode two assists to 100 career points during a 5-4 Division 2 first-round win over Plymouth South.

It was a chalky day, with only one significant upset: No. 22 Greater Lawrence girls’ basketball easily handling No. 11 Hamilton-Wenham, 65-45, in the Division 4 first round thanks to 13 3-pointers as a team and a combined 47 points from Serenity West (24) and Maliah Caban (23).

The only other lower seeds to win were No. 18 Marshfield boys’ basketball, which took out No. 15 Cambridge, 66-63, in overtime in the Division 1 first round, and No. 34 Arlington Catholic boys’ basketball, which survived No. 31 Duxbury, 64-60, in Division 2 preliminary-round action.

The finish of the night came in No. 17 South Hadley’s 61-60 win over No. 16 Madison Park. Trailing 60-59 and inbounding with 10.3 seconds left, the Tigers got an off-balance 3-pointer, but junior Noah Hambley crashed the boards and in one fell swoop secured the rebound and put it back up off the glass for the winning bucket as time expired in a boys’ basketball Division 4 first-round matchup.

The Oliver Ames boys got four free throws from Jacob Lok in the final 26 seconds to squeak past Canton, 45-42, in the first round of the Division 2 bracket. The Acton-Boxborough girls also needed overtime to complete a 53-49 Division 1 first-round triumph over Brookline.

The only overtime hockey game of the night saw the Diman boys net an equalizer in the final minute of regulation before Marlborough’s Ethan Guo supplied the heroics just 2:08 into the extra frame, propelling the No. 8 Panthers into the Division 3 second round with a 6-5 victory. Anthony Tramontozzi and Chace Lozano each scored twice for Marlborough

Caroline Arruda, Marshfield — The sophomore poured in 32 points to push the Rams to a 68-63 preliminary-round win over Westborough.

Gaby Bassett, Nauset/Monomoy — The senior capped her hat trick with the winning goal in a 4-3 Division 2 opening-round win over Burlington.

Brody Bumila and Jake Webster, Bishop Feehan — The seniors took control of an 85-67 Division 1 first-round victory, with Bumila providing 32 points and 14 rebounds and Webster going for 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Avery Gamble, Oliver Ames — The senior’s 3-point shot wasn’t falling, but she didn’t let that get in the way of a 34-point performance, 2 off her career best, during a 59-50 Division 2 first-round win over Bedford.

Eileen Lowther, Hingham — The junior controlled the glass, pulling down 15 rebounds and blocking six shots to go with 12 points in a 54-43 Division 2 first-round win.

Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan — The senior from Dighton delivered 21 points, 9 steals, and 5 assists as the No. 2 Shamrocks rolled to a 71-30 Division 1 first-round victory over Peabody.

Maura Quirk, Acton-Boxborough — The sophomore was cleaning the glass to the tune of 17 rebounds while adding 13 points in a 53-49 overtime win in the first round of the Division 1 bracket.

Senior Sophia O’Donnell made history, becoming the first St. Mary’s athlete to sign to become a Division 1 rower. O’Donnell will row for Merrimack.

Milton Academy graduate Cormac Ryan signed a two-way NBA contract with the Bucks on Thursday, making him the fourth former member of the Middlesex Magic AAU program currently in the NBA, along with The Pistons’ Duncan Robinson, Hornets’ Pat Connaughton, and Knicks’ Tyler Kolek.

Ryan, who hails from New York, was a three-time All-NEPSAC selection at Milton Academy before playing at Stanford, Notre Dame, and North Carolina. He spent the last two seasons in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue and Wisconsin Herd. He played with the Thunder’s Summer League team in 2024.

Quinnipiac junior Anna Foley, a 6-foot-3-inch Andover graduate, was celebrated for reaching 1,000 points during a ceremony Friday. She passed the mark on Feb. 12 in a 62-40 victory over Siena. A two-time All-MAAC second team selection, she’s averaging 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

8. Basketball leaderboard

Avery Gamble, Oliver Ames, 34

Caroline Arruda, Marshfield, 32

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 32

Weston Bunnell, Stoneham, 29

Joe Baraky, Duxbury, 28

Zach Georges, Pioneer Charter I, 27

Kelsi Lanza, Silver Lake, 27

Josh Roux, Andover, 26

Ava Bailey, Newburyport, 25

Allie Danis, Newton North, 25

Angie Djoko, Danvers, 25

Noah Feldman, Marshfield, 25

Matty Gray, Burlington, 25

Jackson Hines, Arlington Catholic, 25

Connor Houle, Attleboro, 25

Katelyn Troilo, Mansfield, 25

Alex Ste. Marie, Manchester Essex, 24

Serenity West, Greater Lawrence, 24

Noah Bayersdorfer, Winthrop, 23

Maliah Caban, Greater Lawrence, 23

Josh Jenkins, Barnstable, 23

Reagan Maniscalco, Tewksbury, 23

Colin Trimble, Foxborough, 23

Eva Andrews, Needham, 22

Alaysia Drummonds, Foxborough, 22

Trevor Manning, Ipswich, 22

Gia Porazzo, Foxborough, 22

Sarah Powers, Wayland, 22

Ryan Tullish, Middleborough, 22

Chase Gara, Sutton, 21

Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 21

LaDainian Rodrigues, Attleboro, 21

Rex Satter, Ipswich, 21

Jake Webster, Bishop Feehan, 21

Aboubakar Nimaka, Malden Catholic, 20

Dylan Raffle, Milton, 20

Maeve Horsman, Oliver Ames, 18

Eva Andrews, Needham, 17

Maura Quirk, Acton-Boxborough, 17

Tony Dean, Stoneham, 15

Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 15

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 14

Angie Djoko, Danvers, 12

Camden Strandberg, Bridgewater-Raynham, 11

Avery Teixeira, Bishop Feehan, 11

Sophie Gallivan, North Reading, 10

Shannon LaMorticelli, Bishop Feehan, 10

Aboubakar Nimaka, Malden Catholic, 10

Zarah Ochi, Burlington, 10

Ashley Varnum, Bridgewater-Raynham, 10

Lila Polansky, Bridgewater-Raynham, 8

Duke Cherry, Malden Catholic, 7

Sophie Gallivan, North Reading, 7

Erin Reilly, Burlington, 7

Jake Webster, Bishop Feehan, 7

Caroline Connors, Millis, 6

Egan Gill, Bishop Feehan, 6

Rex Satter, Ipswich, 6

Marcus Tayag, Pioneer Charter I, 6

Rayana Laurent, Pingree, 5

Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 9

Reagan Maniscalco, Tewksbury, 6

Ella O’Keefe, Oliver Ames, 5

Dylan Raffle, Milton, 4

Ava Sicari, Burlington, 4

Rex Satter, Ipswich, 3

Eileen Lowther, Hingham, 6

Maeve Horsman, Oliver Ames, 5

Zarah Ochi, Burlington, 4

Gaby Bassett, Nauset/Monomoy, 3

Griff Callahan, Martha’s Vineyard, 2

Max Cronen, Monomoy/Mashpee, 2

Addy Harrington, Duxbury, 2

Jaxon Hoey, Norwell, 2

Chace Lozano, Marlborough, 2

Mackenna Metell, Martha’s Vineyard, 2

Christos Rogaris, Dover-Sherborn/Weston, 2

Mark Trahon, Norwood, 2

Anthony Tramontozzi, Marlborough, 2

Bryce Campanale, Norwell, 3

Maeve Turner, Falmouth, 3

Violet Cox, Falmouth, 2

Ryan Heidt, Martha’s Vineyard, 2

Cam Long, Norwell, 2

Kody Pokraka, Falmouth, 2

Bailen Darack, Martha’s Vineyard, 22

Sammie Precourt, Dennis-Yarmouth, 16

Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.

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Massachusetts

State health officials announce two confirmed cases of measles in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

State health officials announce two confirmed cases of measles in Massachusetts – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

BOSTON (WHDH) – State public health officials have announced two confirmed cases of measles in Massachusetts this year.

The first case came from a school-aged resident who was exposed and diagnoses while out of state. This person has remained out of state during the infectious period.

The second case was diagnosed by an adult in Greater Boston. Officials say this person had recently returned from international travel with an uncertain vaccination history.

This person visited several locations. Both local and state health officials are working with the locations to identify and notify those who were potentially exposed.

“Our first two measles cases in 2026 demonstrate the impact that the measles outbreaks, nationally and internationally, can have here at home. Fortunately, thanks to high vaccination rates, the risk to most Massachusetts residents remains low,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD. “Measles is the most contagious respiratory virus and can cause life-threatening illness. These cases are a reminder of the need for health care providers and local health departments to remain vigilant for cases so that appropriate public health measures can be rapidly employed to prevent spread in the state. This is also a reminder that getting vaccinated is the best way for people to protect themselves from this disease.”

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