Massachusetts
Massachusetts woman gives up career to follow dream of becoming artist
LYNN – A Lynn woman gave up a stable career to follow her dream of becoming a watercolor artist. Now, Diana Morgan is finding beauty in neighborhoods all around New England.
Morgan isn’t your typical house painter. Water is the key element in her toolbox.
The artist understands homes are much more than just brick and mortar.
“My dad is a real estate appraiser, and when I was a kid he would point out the architecture of all the houses and show me why they were beautiful,” Morgan said. “So I’ve been looking at houses in a way that showcases why they’re beautiful my whole life.”
Becoming a professional artist
Being a professional artist is challenging. In the U.S., only one in six earn $25,000 a year, one in ten make $100,000 or more.
Becoming an artist wasn’t always Morgan’s plan.
Morgan was a philosophy major in college and worked in graphic design and marketing for a decade. But she says everything changed in 2020.
“I had so many dreams about painting that I realized I had to try it. And then I tried it and I was hooked,” Morgan said.
While many artists rely on social media to sell their work and to raise their profiles, Morgan focuses on making connections in the local community.
Art on display in Lynn
She has an exhibit up at a Lynn coffee shop, sets up booths at outdoor markets, and works closely with several realtors, who commission her work as closing gifts to buyers and sellers.
Under the name Sophia Diana Creations, Morgan has painted more than 400 pieces in the past two years, everything from $6 greeting cards to larger works that sell for more than $1,000.
Morgan said the opportunity to always try something new is one of the best things about it, saying “Being an artist and being paid to do it is freedom in a lot of ways.”
Massachusetts
Massachusetts High School Football 2025 Playoff Brackets, Schedule (MIAA) – November 2, 2025
The 2025 Massachusetts high school football playoffs begin on Friday, November 7, and go into Saturday, November 8, with 64 games in the round of 16.
High School On SI has brackets division in the Massachusetts high school playoffs.
Round of 16
No. 1 Nashoba Valley Tech vs. No. 16 Sabis International – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 8 Frontier Regional vs. No. 9 KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 4 Randolph vs. No. 13 Oxford – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 5 Hoosac Valley vs. No. 12 Blackstone-Millville – 11/08 at 12:00 p.m.
No. 2 Lee vs. No. 15 Narragansett Regional – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 7 Cathedral vs. No. 10 Prouty – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 3 West Boylston vs. No. 14 Bartlett – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 6 Bourne vs. No. 11 Lynn Vo-Tech – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
Round of 16
No. 1 Cohasset vs. No. 16 Leicester – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 8 Rockland vs. No. 9 Tyngsborough – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 4 Northbridge vs. No. 13 Seekonk – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 5 Manchester Essex vs. No. 12 Millbury – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 2 Amesbury vs. No. 15 South Hadley – 11/07 at 6:30 p.m.
No. 7 Uxbridge vs. No. 10 Blue Hills RVT – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 3 West Bridgewater vs. No. 14 St. Bernard’s Central Catholic – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 6 Clinton vs. No. 11 Mashpee – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
Round of 16
No. 1 Norwell vs. No. 16 Case – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 8 Pentucket Regional vs. No. 9 Nantucket – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 4 Wilmington vs. No. 13 Old Rochester Regional – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 5 Hudson vs. No. 12 Bellingham – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 2 Abington vs. No. 15 Triton Regional – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 7 Bishop Fenwick vs. No. 10 Medway – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 3 Fairhaven vs. No. 14 East Bridgewater – 11/07 at 6:30 p.m.
No. 6 Stoneham vs. No. 11 Winthrop – 11/07 at 6:30 p.m.
Round of 16
No. 1 Shawsheen Valley Tech vs. No. 16 Salem – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 8 St. Mary’s vs. No. 9 Greater Lawrence Tech – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 4 Medfield vs. No. 13 Northeast Metro RVT – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 5 North Reading vs. No. 12 Marlborough – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 2 Foxborough vs. No. 15 Norton – 11/07 at 6:30 p.m.
No. 7 Gloucester vs. No. 10 Auburn – 11/07 at 6:30 p.m.
No. 3 Hanover vs. No. 14 Weston – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 6 Archbishop Williams vs. No. 11 Swampscott – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
Round of 16
No. 1 Scituate vs. No. 16 Tantasqua Regional – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 8 Bedford vs. No. 9 Walpole – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 4 Duxbury vs. No. 13 Holliston – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 5 Burlington vs. No. 12 Dartmouth – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 2 Tewksbury Memorial vs. No. 15 Middleborough – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 7 Ashland vs. No. 10 Danvers – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 3 Canton vs. No. 14 Wakefield Memorial – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 6 Marblehead vs. No. 11 Shepherd Hill Regional – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
Round of 16
No. 1 King Philip Regional vs. No. 16 Chicopee Comp – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 8 Mansfield vs. No. 9 Plymouth South – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 4 Hingham vs. No. 13 Minnechaug Regional – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 5 Marshfield vs. No. 12 Malden Catholic – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 2 Barnstable vs. No. 15 Doherty Memorial – 11/07 at 6:30 p.m.
No. 7 North Attleborough vs. No. 10 Milford – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 3 Milton vs. No. 14 Reading Memorial – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 6 Masconomet Regional vs. No. 11 Melrose – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
Round of 16
No. 1 Catholic Memorial — BYE
No. 8 Wellesley vs. No. 9 Plymouth North – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 4 Winchester vs. No. 13 North Quincy – 11/07 at 6:30 p.m.
No. 5 Lincoln-Sudbury vs. No. 12 Concord-Carlisle – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 2 Bishop Feehan — BYE
No. 7 Quincy vs. No. 10 Chelmsford – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 3 Bridgewater-Raynham vs. No. 14 Woburn Memorial – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 6 Billerica Memorial vs. No. 11 Beverly – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
Round of 16
No. 1 St. John’s Prep vs. No. 16 Framingham – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 8 Leominster vs. No. 9 Franklin – 11/07 at 7:00 p.m.
No. 4 Natick vs. No. 13 Weymouth – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 5 Central Catholic vs. No. 12 St. John’s – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 2 Central vs. No. 15 Taunton – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 7 Methuen vs. No. 10 Lowell – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 3 Xaverian Brothers vs. No. 14 Brockton – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
No. 6 Wachusett Regional vs. No. 11 Andover – 11/07 at 6:00 p.m.
Massachusetts
Seven high school sports takeaways from the final day of the MIAA football regular season – The Boston Globe
Find all the scores here. Final football conference standings live here. We also have final boys’ and girls’ soccer standings. Today’s headlines:
▪ It was the biggest win of the day, and a monumental one for St. John’s Prep coach Brian St. Pierre, who notched his 100th career win with a 43-28 defeat of No. 3 Catholic Memorial. St. Pierre is in his 12th season at the helm of his alma mater, where he was named Gatorade Player of the Year and quarterbacked the Eagles to a 1997 Super Bowl title before going on to play at Boston College and earn a fifth-round draft selection to the NFL, where he played for four teams in an eight-year career.
He is the third coach in Prep history to reach 100 wins, joining Fred Glatz and Jim O’Leary.
▪ Andover senior Naomi Vajda recorded her 100th career block among three rejections in a 3-0 Division 1 first-round girls’ volleyball win over Boston Latin. Vajda added six kills and four aces.
▪ Despite an 0-5 start, Brockton rallied to win the Big Three Conference with a 23-0 blanking of Durfee, which came a week after they destroyed New Bedford, 41-0. Casey Rhodes, Marcio Semedo, and Jarred Mighty scored Saturday as the Boxers (3-5, 2-0) also punched their ticket to the Division 1 tournament.
▪ With a 31-28 win over Loomis Chaffee, Avon Old Farms (Conn.) wrapped up an undefeated season (8-0) and captured the Founders League title.
▪ Nobles boys’ soccer defeated Brooks, 3-1, to secure the Independent School League crown.
▪ Minuteman boys’ soccer dispensed with McCann Tech, 5-1, to win the State Vocational Small School championship. The Greater New Bedford boys defeated Greater Lowell, 3-0, for the Large School title.
Congratulations to our Boys ⚽️ Team for reclaiming the seat a top Vocational Boys Soccer with the 2025 State Vocational Championship. The team defeated Gr Lowell 3-0 pic.twitter.com/8atj06V8kp
— GNBVT Athletics (@GNBVTathletics) November 2, 2025
Ellis Barnes, BB&N — The senior defensive back, who is committed to Columbia, came up big for the Knights in a 17-7 NEPSAC win over St. Paul’s (N.H.), picking off two passes and making seven tackles.
Peter Bourque, Tabor — A regular in this space, the Michigan-bound quarterback showed off his legwork in the second half, rushing for three touchdowns in a come-from-behind 39-21 NEPSAC win over St. Sebastian’s. The junior QB finished with 232 passing yards and five total touchdowns.
Andrew Kiricoples, Bishop Fenwick — The sophomore threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for a third score in a 34-6 Catholic Central League road win.
Elai Machado, KIPP — The 6-foot-4-inch junior quarterback ran for touchdowns of 15, 45, and 40 yards, and tossed a 20-yard scoring strike for the Panthers in a 41-6 Commonwealth Conference win over Lowell Catholic.
Jalen Morris, Rivers — The biggest rushing performance of the day belonged to the junior, who took 23 carries for 259 yards and four scores in a 47-6 NEPSAC win over Governor’s.
Brady Shuffain, Sharon — The junior had himself a day, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns in a 46-6 win over Fitchburg that featured several big performances, including Matt Khrakovsky’s 207 rushing yards and three scores and Joseph Seaman’s 119 receiving yards and two TDs.
Jake Strojny, Roxbury Latin — The senior quarterback combined three passing TDs with one on the ground to beat St. George’s, 30-0, in NEPSAC action.
Here’s betting Classical (R.I.) senior Bam Adebayo had quite the interesting Saturday morning.
The 6-foot, 160-pound cornerback/safety posted that he got his first preferred walk-on offer from URI. No doubt a big moment. A chance to play Division 1 football in his homestate.
Then Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell took notice, quote-tweeting the post and tagging Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo, who ironically, uses the X handle @Bam1of1.
“Congrats bro!! Keep working” Mitchell wrote.
Brady Shuffain, Sharon, 381
Chris Vargas, St. John’s Prep, 268
Peter Bourque, Tabor, 232
Andrew Kiricoples, Bishop Fenwick, 192
Brady Shuffain, Sharon, 4
Chris Vargas, St. John’s Prep, 4
Jake Strojny, Roxbury Latin, 3
Peter Bourque, Tabor, 2
Andrew Kiricoples, Bishop Fenwick, 2
Jalen Morris, Rivers, 259
Matt Khrakovsky, Sharon, 207
Dylan Patturelli, Bishop Fenwick, 142
Aavian Peña, KIPP, 116
Zack Deschenes, Nashoba Valley Tech, 4
Jalen Morris, Rivers, 4
Peter Bourque, Tabor, 3
Matt Khrakovsky, Sharon, 3
Elia Machado, KIPP, 3
Ryan Beede, Northeast, 2
Xavier Hairston, Taft, 2
Ziah Herring, Greater Lawrence, 2
Joel LaChapelle, Northbridge, 2
Dylan Patturelli, Bishop Fenwick, 2
Nikki Santos, Cambridge, 130
Riley Selvais, St. John’s Prep, 130
Joseph Seaman, Sharon, 119
Riley Selvais, St. John’s Prep, 2
6. Field hockey leaderboard
Jordi Higgins, Bishop Feehan, 4
Alexa Heller, Wellesley, 2
Sydney Kim, Wellesley, 2
Annie Liebhoff, Rivers, 2
Ciara Maloney, Medway, 2
Lauren Mattia, Lynnfield, 2
Olivia McCormick, Hanover, 2
Natalie McMenamy, Medway, 2
Effie Parsons, St. Mary’s, 2
Caroline Vaughan, Andover, 2
Jordi Higgins, Bishop Feehan, 4
Bridgette McGinnis, Bishop Feehan, 3
7. Volleyball leaderboard
Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 25
Tess Madden, Hanover, 22
Erin Root, Old Rochester, 14
Mia Milani, Bellingham, 13
Lila Arkinstall, Wakefield, 12
Victoria Reposa, Reading, 12
Mia Kenny, Wakefield, 11
Lila Moniz, Marblehead, 11
Anna Fernandez, Westford, 10
Bonnie Politzer, Chelmsford, 10
Sadie Stants, Needham, 10
Jessie Wang, Andover, 10
Kyra Ward, Chelmsford, 10
Elizabeth Willis, East Bridgewater, 10
Madison Blanchet, Central Catholic, 38
Maya Morrison, Old Rochester, 37
Sadie Chadwick, Hanover, 35
Eva Burke, Marblehead, 29
Bella Lee, Needham, 27
Ellen Griswold, Chelmsford, 25
Erin Bigham, Canton, 24
Tori Grace, Wakefield, 18
Gianna Miceli, Reading, 16
Addison Parent, Somerset Berkley, 14
Cara Carangelo, Wakefield, 33
Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 20
Soley Rodriguez Martinez, Canton, 7
Sophia Soto, Bellingham, 14
Sydney Faris, Marblehead, 13
Olivia Lesswing, Haverhill, 10
Ryleigh Brown, Somerset Berkley, 9
Erin Bigham, Canton, 8
Addison Parent, Somerset Berkley, 8
Kaitlyn Pepin, Westford, 6
Kaely Dos Santos, Somerset Berkley, 5
Piper Newell, Old Rochester, 4
Katie Ferrara, Somerset Berkley, 3
Mary Furey, Reading, 3
Norah Schweitzer, Westford, 3
Naomi Vajda, Andover, 3
Ellen Griswold, Chelmsford, 7
Bella Lee, Needham, 7
Bonnie Politzer, Chelmsford, 7
Faith Najem, Whitinsville Christian, 6
Claire Zhang, Andover, 6
Brie Cairns, Chelmsford, 5
Alicia Marcal, Chelmsford, 5
Kaitlyn Pepin, Westford, 5
Dylan Poirier, Hanover, 5
Sophia Soto, Bellingham, 5
Kyra Ward, Chelmsford, 5
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
Sewage could be dumped into Charles River under new proposal from Massachusetts water authority
A new proposal by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to change the Charles River’s water-quality classification is sparking controversy, with advocates saying that sewage dumping could undo decades of cleanup.
The plan announced at a meeting on Wednesday would declassify the Charles River as swimmable and allow sewage to flow into the water.
Advocates were shocked to hear the news.
“There could be more sewage, more trash, more debris, more odors,” she said. “We could be going back to what we worked so hard to improve,” said Laura Jasinski, executive director of the Charles River Conservancy.
The Charles River is now one of the cleanest urban rivers in the country, according to the MWRA. Jasinski says that the state of the river has come a long way.
“There was a time when people used to talk about the stench,” she said. “We used to get a ‘D’ letter grade, like on a report card, from the EPA. Back up to we’re getting a ‘B’, ‘B+’ these days.”
What would this mean for recreational activities?
Visitors like Rangan Gajural worry that the change could make it unsafe for recreational activities.
“I think it’s kind of disgusting,” he said. “I come over here to do paddleboating and canoeing. So this will definitely change my mind if it’s going to stink.”
“It’s a place where people come to make memories. It’s a place where you can come and watch a sunset. People get engaged here,” Jasinski said.
The MWRA says the proposal would not make the river less safe.
In a statement, the agency said, “The draft plan as presented reflects a responsible approach that balances potential environmental benefits with rate impacts to all MWRA customer communities.”
Officials said they are working with the cities of Cambridge and Somerville to reduce sewage overflows. The MWRA Board plans to discuss the proposal at its next meeting on Nov. 19.
-
Milwaukee, WI6 days agoLongtime anchor Shannon Sims is leaving Milwaukee’s WTMJ-TV (Channel 4)
-
News6 days agoWith food stamps set to dry up Nov. 1, SNAP recipients say they fear what’s next
-
Alabama1 week agoHow did former Alabama basketball star Mark Sears do in NBA debut with Milwaukee Bucks?
-
News1 week ago1 dead, 6 injured in shooting at Lincoln University homecoming festivities
-
Austin, TX1 week agoDia De Los Muertos Austin: Parades, Altars & Events
-
Politics1 week agoTrump to jet off to Asia as North Korea fires ballistic missiles and China trade questions loom
-
Seattle, WA6 days agoFOX 13’s Aaron Levine wins back-to-back Jeopardy! episodes
-
Culture5 days agoVideo: Dissecting Three Stephen King Adaptations
