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Massive clown heads in downtown Boston freak out tourists: ‘Very creepy’

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Massive clown heads in downtown Boston freak out tourists: ‘Very creepy’


No clowning around: this is some “creepy” art.

A public art installation of two massive clown heads in downtown Bostonhas has gotten tourists and Bostonians talking — but not everyone’s laughing.

The clowns are part of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District’s “Winteractive” walkable art experience launched this month in the hopes of giving those exploring downtown “a delightful experience around every corner.”

The clowns are one of 16 exhibits but they’ve been singled out by some passersby for being “creepy.”

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Photos and videos of the installation shared by the BID received mixed reactions, with one Instagram user receiving over 900 likes on their commentary noting the piece “looks like something out of the original Batman movie.”

The unique piece, titled “Endgame (Nagg & Nell)” features two inflatable clown heads with shocked expressions wedged between two buildings in the Harlem Place Alley.

Artist Max Streicher told Axios he was trying to make the inflatable clowns look “sort of alarmed and just stunned and shocked by the condition they’re in.”

Another Internet commentator called the red-nosed clowns “very creepy” and several Instagram users compared them to the work of Junji Ito, a Japanese horror manga artist.

Others were quick to dunk on the city, with one critic calling the piece a “perfect metaphor” for the city, while another wrote, “There’s plenty of clowns in Boston the whole city filled.”

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The inflatable clown artwork was placed downtown on Jan. 17 as part of the downtown BID’s “Winteractive” installation. Boston Globe via Getty Images

One Bostonian took to X to ponder, “Okay, whose idea was it to add creepy clowns to the already kinda threatening overall vibe…”

Another person joked, “Everyone that has ever wronged me is now a creepy clown head in downtown Boston.”

While there are always detractors, many were quick to sing “Send In The Clowns.”

Similar clown heads created by Streicher were erected in Toronto in 2010. Toronto Star via Getty Images
The clowns will remain downtown through April 14, just a week before the Boston Marathon. Boston Globe via Getty Images

“Didn’t know about this. Thanks for sharing,” one Instagram user commented along with a heart-eyes emoji. “Exciting things on the way in Downtown,” another person added.

“We saw them on Saturday, followed by a stroll into Brattle Book Shop. It was great to see everyone having such a great time with this. Boston provides so many great things to do,” another added.

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Winteractive features eight artists and design teams from Canada, England and the US, many of whom are being presented in America for the first time, Downtown Boston BID said in a press release.

“This exhibition will animate and illuminate our streets this winter, bringing internationally acclaimed artists to Boston, and punctuating visits downtown that could include shopping, dining, live performances, or office work,” the organization’s president Michael Nichols said.

The 16 installations, which were set up on Jan. 17, will remain in the city through April 14, which is the Sunday before the Boston Marathon.

Winteractive has already received an abundance of attention. The Boston Fire Department had to remove a life-like sculpture of a fisherman perched atop a Chipotle restaurant after they received several concerned calls that it looked like a real person was sitting on the roof, The Boston Globe reported.

The piece has since been moved to a one-story Macy’s building, not far from other parts of the installation.

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The Post has reached out to Streicher for comment.





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Texas A&M SS Boston Kellner suffers orbital bone fracture

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Texas A&M SS Boston Kellner suffers orbital bone fracture


(KBTX) – Texas A&M shortstop Boston Kellner suffered a fractured orbital bone after he was hit in the face with a fastball in Friday night’s series opener at Ole Miss, according to a team spokesperson.

He did not sustain a concussion, and there was no damage to his eye, a team spokesperson said.

The extent of the injury was first reported on the SEC Network+ broadcast.

The true freshman has been a starter for the Aggies since the beginning of the season, slashing .248/.432/.418. He has five home runs and 27 RBIs, typically batting at the bottom of the order. Defensively, he has a .928 fielding percentage.

Ben Royo entered in his place and was a key contributor early Saturday. The senior blasted a pair of home runs against Ole Miss on his first two hits of the season. He entered Saturday’s first game with four at-bats this season.

A&M has struggled with injuries as of late. Chris Hacopian, who also could have been an option to fill in at shortstop, has been relegated to the designated-hitter role as he recovers from a leg injury suffered during the Florida series. Third baseman Nico Partida remains out with a pulled hamstring he sustained against Auburn.

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Copyright 2026 KBTX. All rights reserved.





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What we know about wrong-way driver killed in head-on collision with state trooper in Lynnfield – The Boston Globe

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What we know about wrong-way driver killed in head-on collision with state trooper in Lynnfield – The Boston Globe


Court records show that Marrero was the father of three children, the oldest of whom is 17. The youngest two children, twins, are 13 years old; Marrero’s death came days before their 14th birthday.

Records in Middlesex Probate and Family Court also suggest that Marrero faced financial difficulties and personal troubles, stemming in part from a work injury that family members said caused a bout of depression and deteriorating behavior in his personal life.

For nearly a decade, Marrero worked at Dewberry, a Boston engineering consulting firm, court records show, obtaining a job as an architectural design apprentice in 2005. He left the company in 2014, according to a company spokesperson.

Hernan Marrero.Facebook

Throughout that time, he doubled as a bartender on the side, working at Mexican restaurants in Boston and Waltham, court records show.

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A knee injury ended Marrero’s career at Dewberry, court records show, and he left the company shortly thereafter.

That injury, according to court documents, was the catalyst for what his wife described as a “major depressive episode,” which she said contributed to the strain in their marriage. The couple, who had been married for more than 20 years, separated in 2022.

Records also show that Marrero struggled with debts to family members and credit card companies. During his divorce proceedings, it was unclear how much money he was taking home in income.

Marrero briefly owned and operated a contracting business, 109 Construction, but the corporation was administratively dissolved in 2024, according to state filings.

Marrero had lived in US since at least 2001, holding legal status. He became a naturalized citizen in March 2021, court records show.

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Social media posts suggest he was active in the tight-knit Venezuelan community in Massachusetts. Photos show him cheering on Venezuela at a World Baseball Classic watch party in Brighton earlier this year.

Court records appear to show Marrero’s interest in art and music, owning a Venezuelan guitar, conga drums, and several Venezuelan paintings, as well as homemade winemaking setup.

Marrero’s family could not be reached for comment. A close friend reached by the Globe declined to comment.

Trainor had just completed his shift at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday and was driving home when he responded to a report for a Jeep traveling south in the northbound lanes of Route 1, near the Lynnfield overpass.

Raised in Salem, Trainor began his public safety career as an Essex County correction officer before graduating from the State Police academy in 2023, State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.

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Trainor’s fiancée, Jessica D. Ostrowski, of Georgetown, posted an emotional message to social media Thursday, describing the late trooper as “my absolute best friend.”

“I am beyond proud for the amount of love you have been given by those who loved and cared about you,” she wrote.

Travis Andersen and Jeremiah Manion of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from previous Globe coverage was used.


Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.





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Funding scandal-hit Croft schools in Boston to close this summer after all

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Funding scandal-hit Croft schools in Boston to close this summer after all


Administrators at the Croft School, struggling after allegations of financial fraud, haven’t been able to find a buyer for its Boston locations, which will now close at the end of the school year, parents were told Friday.

Millions of dollars were raised by families and community members to keep the private school open for a few more months while Croft School administrators scrambled to find a buyer. But in Friday’s email, the chief restructuring officer and independent sale advisor said that two parties expressed interest but they ultimately had to pivot toward winding operations down.

“To be clear, the 2025-2026 school year will be completed based on the availability of parent funding. However, without a viable timetable for a transaction, we are faced with this difficult decision,” the email said.

About 350 students had attended the Croft School’s three campuses, two in Boston and one in Providence. Regular tuition starts at $31,000, according to the website.

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Millions were raised to keep the private school open for a few more months but the Croft School is looking for a buyer as a long-term fix to its financial problems.

More than 60 families unenrolled from the South End campus over the weekend, the email said.

News of the debt crisis surprised parents in March, when the school’s board revealed in a letter that founding Executive Director Scott Given admitted to fabricating a letter of credit regarding a possible expansion and keeping two sets of books, overstating the school’s revenue while understating its expenses.

The discovery that the school was more than $13 million in debt came after police were alerted to possible fraud. The school has said it’s cooperating with multiple investigations involving Given, who has been suspended.

The private school, with two locations in Boston and one in Providence, requires $5 million to stay open for the rest of the schoolyear.

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Given has been sued by at least one Boston parent, accusing him of running a Ponzi scheme. His legal team has said he has no comment.

Parents rallied to save the school, raising enough funds to keep classes going.

The officials in charge of the sale noted “how hard many of you worked to maintain The Croft School as you know it,” but added that the “difficult circumstances, uncertain financials and condensed timeframe made this a trying environment for purchasers to timely make a binding offer for the schools.”



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