City Council has a surprise president

Adam Gaffin

06 Jan 2026 — 2 min read

Somebody thinking of blasting off from Winthrop Square, perhaps.

But first, some grim news, alas:

Comm. Ave. Mall killer went hunting for his victim and his dog and after driving up onto the sidewalk and running them down, drove off with the dog's leash snared in his front grill, DA says

January 5

A Back Bay man charged with hunting down and then killing another man walking his dog Saturday morning was ordered sent to Bridgewater State Hospital today for competency testing, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office says. ...

Woman lying in Boston Medical Center ER, paralyzed on one side of her body, was raped by man in for a psych stay who was supposed to be supervised, but wasn't, DA says

January 5

A man at Boston Medical Center on a psychiatric commitment as a potential danger to himself or others wandered away when nobody was looking and raped a woman who was lying in an ER bay, paralyzed on one side of her body due to complications from surgery the month before, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports....

Council elects Liz Breadon as new president

January 5

The City Council today elected Allston/Brighton City Councilor Liz Breadon as its president for at least the next two years. Read more.

Somebody downtown trying to beat Musk to Mars?

January 5

A roving UHub photographer paused before a window in an office at Devonshire and Otis streets in downtown Boston this morning and noticed something that wasn't there a couple weeks ago: The cutest little rocket ship. So now the mystery begins: Is it meant for somebody to slip the surly bonds of Earth for a five-year mission? A Kanamit ship...

Jewish foundation with a focus on Israel drops suit against Colorado podcast producer that wouldn't work with it because of Gaza

January 5

The Ruderman Family Foundation of Newton, which sued a Colorado podcast producer that decided not to work with it on a podcast series because of Gaza, today dropped its suit, saying it realized its time and money would be better spent on "deploying resources in the community" to complain about the podcaster's alleged anti-Semitism than by suing...

Man shot to death on Stow Road in Mattapan

January 5

Boston Police report a man sitting in a car on Stow Road in Mattapan was shot repeatedly around 12:10 a.m. Read more.

Service on the Orange Line slows because some of its new track blows

January 5

The MBTA is reporting 20-minute delays on the Orange Line because some sort of track problem at Massachusetts Avenue has forced the shutdown of one of the tracks, leaving both inbound and outbound trains to share just a single track, and, well, that's kind of whack.

Two immigrants face violence back home, only one gets a chance to stay here

A tale of two immigrants: Both face possible torture or death if returned to their homelands, but court allows only one to stay February 19 Niranjan Khanal, originally from Nepal, and Rosa Lidia Cante Mijangos, originally from Guatemala, both face potential violent attacks should they return to their homelands. But

Trapped in an elevator; more apartments; fire in JP

Elevator in Franklin Street tower was going down when it just stopped, trapping five people February 18 Boston firefighters responded to 225 Franklin St. around 5:10 p.m. after an elevator with five people onboard suddenly stopped in a "blind shaft" with no easy way out, some

Judge says MA can warn against anti-abortion clinics; Apartments planned for Soldiers Field Road

Judge rules Massachusetts has the right to warn people about anti-abortion 'pregnancy resource centers' February 17 A federal judge today dismissed a lawsuit by a chain of anti-abortion clinics against a Massachusetts state ad campaign warning people against such facilities. Six-story residential building could go up on Soldiers

He cut hair for 67 years in Roslindale

Bob Aliano, barber who cut hair for several generations of Roslindale residents, has died February 16 The Rialto Barber Shop on South Street in Roslindale today announced the death of Robert Aliano, 88, who owned the shop from 1959 until 2012 - and who kept cutting hair until last week.