Boston, MA
Boston Mayor Wu says she would support rent control ballot question
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said this week that if a proposed ballot question implementing rent control statewide made it to a vote this fall, she would vote in support.
“It’s not perfect,” she said of the ballot question during an interview on GBH’s Boston Public Radio on Tuesday. “But I’m not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good in this case when there is so much urgency and pressure from housing costs on our residents.”
As written, the ballot question would limit annual rent hikes statewide to the cost of living increase measured by the Consumer Price Index, with a maximum cap of 5%. It includes exemptions for owner-occupied buildings with less than five units and for the first 10 years that a newly constructed building is open.
Rent control was banned in Massachusetts in 1994 by a ballot question. Renters, advocates and legislators have repeatedly tried to reinstate it without success.
A previous effort to get rent stabilization on the 2024 ballot was abandoned after its proponents failed to get enough signatures to qualify.
The proposal is one of 12 initiative petitions currently in the running for the 2026 ballot, 11 of which are currently before the state Legislature. Legislators can choose to enact any of the proposed laws, or compromise versions of them, rather than letting voters decide in November. The deadline for the Legislature to do so is May 5.
For any that are not acted on by Beacon Hill lawmakers, supporters will need to gather and file 12,429 additional signatures from registered voters by July to officially make it onto the ballot.
Wu has been a strong supporter of rent control in the past, campaigning on the promise of bringing it back when she first ran for mayor in 2021. In her first term, she filed a home rule petition to implement rent control in Boston, which passed the City Council but failed to get the necessary approval from the Legislature.
Wu said in 2023 that she did not support the rent control question proposed for the next year’s ballot, saying she didn’t feel the initiative petition was the right process to use. However, she said this week that the city had tried on multiple occasions to create policies that would reduce the burden of housing costs on residents, only to be blocked by the Legislature.
She said she did not like that the language of the ballot question would put the same regulations in place everywhere, instead of allowing each city and town to decide what would work best for its community.
“Something’s got to give,” she said. “There’s always a better solution that comes out of legislating and being able to pass something with nuance than the kind of hammer of a ballot initiative. But we need to see something happen.”
A 20-year-old Boston man is facing a series of charges after prosecutors say he shot at Boston Police officers during an attempted stop in Dorchester before leading them on a foot chase through neighborhood backyards.
Rasiel Carbuccia was arraigned in Dorchester District Court Thursday on a list of charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying without a license and possession of a large capacity firearm, stemming from the Wednesday night incident near Devon and Laredo streets.
Opened fire with ghost gun, prosecutors say
According to prosecutors, Boston Police officers attempted to stop Carbuccia when he pulled out a gun and began shooting, striking a Boston police cruiser before fleeing the scene.
Investigators said Carbuccia ran through backyards and hopped fences before he was taken into custody. Officers did not fire their weapons during the encounter.
Prosecutors said investigators later recovered the firearm along the path where Carbuccia had been running.
“It was determined that the firearm was a ghost gun, and it did not possess a serial number,” Suffolk County prosecutor Jacqueline Martinelli said in court.
Union says “everyone should be outraged”
Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, said the shooting is part of what he believes is a troubling trend of violence this summer and renewed his call for more officers on Boston streets.
“Everybody should be outraged. Bullets flying in the city’s streets at uniformed police officers. How can we possibly convince the general public that they’re safe to walk around their own neighborhoods?” Calderone said.
“We have teenagers pulling firearms and stealing mopeds from others in broad daylight. We have shots being fired at police officers in uniform, officers being attacked, people being shot daily that we can’t solve the crimes,” he added.
No one was injured in the shooting, but Calderone said the outcome could have been much worse.
“Thank goodness, neither officer or a pedestrian, an innocent child or somebody in the middle of the evening did not get killed last night. Just as thankful, at least they caught him. They recovered the weapon,” he said.
After the arraignment, Carbuccia’s attorney declined to discuss the case in detail but indicated mental health issues could become part of the proceedings.
“Ultimately as you guys know this is a process that has to play out and he’s presumed innocent and there’s going to be a number of things that are going to come out in respect to mental health and potentially the investigation, I don’t really have much more to say beyond that,” attorney Bob White told reporters.
According to prosecutors, Carbuccia had two open assault cases and an active warrant at the time of his arrest.
He’s being held in jail without bail and is scheduled to return to court later this month for a dangerousness hearing.
The Boston Red Sox will return to action on Friday to kick off the second half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season with a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The last few weeks have been incredible for Boston and have really gotten the organization right back into the thick of the playoff race. Beforehand, the Red Sox looked like one of the worst teams in baseball. Now, Boston is 46-48 and has won 14 of its last 16 games. It’s why you play the games. The MLB season is long and full of ups and downs. Sure, the first few months of the season were full of many down moments for the Red Sox, but they flipped a switch, got hot, and now are right back in the mix.
Now, there are just over two weeks to go until the 2026 trade deadline and Boston should be looking to add. But who should the Red Sox be targeting? Here are four intriguing options for Craig Breslow and the Red Sox’s front office to target.
Gleyber Torres — Detroit Tigers
The former longtime New York Yankee is a member of the Detroit Tigers and was slashing .280/.395/.395 with a .790 OPS, four homers and 18 RBIs before the All-Star break. Torres is on the Injured List, but has already begun a rehab assignment. Torres has the type of right-handed pop Boston’s lineup needs. Plus, he’s just 29 years old.
Luis Arráez — San Francisco Giants
Luis Arráez isn’t a right-handed bat and doesn’t have much power, but this is a guy with three batting titles under his belt and has a shot at another one. He’s batting .330 right now and would go a long way for Boston by getting on base towards the top of the lineup.
James Wood — Washington Nationals
This would be a pipe dream type of move. Wood is under team control for four more seasons and is just 23 years old, and yet he’s already a two-time All-Star. He blasted 31 homers last year and already has 28 this season in 97 games played. If the Red Sox could get a bat like his, they’d be all set. But it would cost quite a bit to pry him from Washington.
Isaac Paredes — Houston Astros
There are few players who were connected to Boston more this past offseason than Isaac Paredes. The Astros don’t look like a team that is going to sell, but Paredes is still worth a call. Houston traded Lance McCullers Jr. to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in a salary dump.
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A man was flown to a Boston hospital after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday evening in Norwood, Massachusetts, and the driver has been arrested.
Norwood police responded shortly after 7:30 p.m. to the intersection of Washington Street and St. John Avenue.
The victim was found seriously injured. Fire crews treated him at the scene before he was taken by ambulance to a landing zone to be airlifted by medical helicopter.
Police said the woman driving the vehicle was taken into custody. She is facing charges including operating under the influence of liquor.
The crash is under investigation.
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