A utility pole and power lines were down in Medford, Massachusetts, Saturday afternoon, causing power outages and traffic delays.
Medford police issued a traffic alert on social media saying a portion of Mystic Avenue was shutdown due to the i…
Massachusetts
Harvard keeping Alan Garber as president for three more years
Harvard University announced Friday that its interim president Alan Garber will serve as president of the school through the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
The university plans to launch a search for his successor in the late spring or summer of 2026. Garber has served as interim president since January 2, when former president Claudine Gay resigned after facing backlash over her congressional testimony about antisemitism on campus as well as plagiarism accusations.
Penny Pritzker, senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation, wrote in a message to the campus that after serving as Harvard‘s provost for more than twelve years, Garber did an outstanding job leading the school through what she described as extraordinary challenges.
“We have asked him to hold the title of president, not just interim president, both to recognize his distinguished service to the University and to underscore our belief that this is a time not merely for steady stewardship but for active, engaged leadership,” Pritzker wrote.
Garber helped shepherd the school during a time of deep divisions. Harvard was one of a number of colleges where students participated in a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments protesting the war in Gaza.
The divisions raised concerns about antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias at the school.
In June, two task forces charged with proposing ways to combat antisemitisim, as well as anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bias at Harvard delivered preliminary recommendations to Garber. The recommendations focused on more than a dozen areas where the school can act quickly, officials said.
At the school’s commencement in May, hundreds of students in graduation robes walked out of the ceremonies chanting “Free, free Palestine” after weeks of protests on campus. The day prior, the school announced that 13 Harvard students who participated in the protest encampment would not be able to receive diplomas alongside their classmates.
In a written message to the Harvard community Friday, Garber said serving as the school’s leader has been a privilege and pointed to some of the school’s priorities including the value of knowledge, the power of teaching and research, and how the university’s accomplishments can benefit society.
“Our work now is to focus on them with renewed vigor, rededicating ourselves to academic excellence. That excellence is made possible by the free exchange of ideas, open inquiry, creativity, empathy, and constructive dialogue among people with diverse backgrounds and views,” he added. “I know that we are capable of finding our way forward together.”
Garber served as Harvard provost from 2011 until January of this year, when he was named interim president. Garber holds faculty appointments in medicine, economics, government and public health, according to the university.
‘He did it again!’ Social media erupts for Nedoroscik’s 2nd bronze
American gymnast and social media phenom Stephen Nedoroscik seemed to have the whole country watching Saturday as he secured a second bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
The Worcester, Massachusetts, native and pommel horse specialist had already gotten more than his fair share of nicknames after anchoring Team USA to the first men’s team medal at the Olympics in 16 years. And after his 15.300 score in the pommel horse event final proved enough, Nedoroscik even appeared to acknowledge one of those nicknames — Clark Kent, for his signature glasses — by putting the American flag on like a cape.
Nedoroscik was also known as “pommel horse guy,” which was instantly trending on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“He did it again!” tweeted the City of Worcester, along with a message of congratulations and pride.
Plenty of other reaction poured in, especially from Nedoroscik’s Olympic teams and teammates.
NBC10 Boston asked an ecstatic Nedoroscik about his “pommel horse guy” moniker after his podium-reaching performance.
“It is just awesome seeing the amount of people reaching out and talking about pommel horse,” he said.
He also told reporters it’s “unbelievable” to have memes being made about him, which have even caught the eye of the greatest American gymnast ever.
“It is just the coolest thing ever,” Nedoroscik said. “I mean, Simone Biles yesterday came up to me and said, ‘Look at this meme of you I saw.’”
“I mean, it is all just so surreal,” he continued. “I can’t wait to just soak it all in after this competition, now that I’m not so locked in anymore.”
Here are some of the best:
More on Stephen Nedoroscik
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Thousands of cyclists riding in Pan-Mass Challenge this weekend
Thousands of cyclists will be out on the roads in Massachusetts this weekend for the Pan-Mass Challenge.
The annual bike-a-thon, which raises money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has 16 routes — from 25 to 211 miles — and Frank…
Person found dead in Waltham parking lot from apparent shooting
A person is dead after an apparent shooting in a parking lot in Waltham, Massachusetts, late Friday night.
There’s limited information at this point but the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office confirms Waltham police respon…
