Massachusetts

White sharks are back in the waters of Massachusetts, researchers say, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

Bites recently spotted on a dead whale near Chatham, on Cape Cod, and a living seal off Plymouth indicate that white sharks — the apex predator commonly referred to as great white sharks — have returned for the summer, according to the New England Aquarium.

“Although we haven’t seen a white shark just yet this season, we know they’re here. With beach weather in the forecast and Memorial Day Weekend approaching, this is a good reminder for people to review shark safety guidelines and be shark smart,” researcher John Chisholm said in a statement.

The sharks have regularly come to the Cape, following the migration of seals, one of their preferred foods. In fact, research published last year found that Cape Cod is one of the world’s white shark hot spots.

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MBTA officials expect a new fare collection system to launch this summer allowing subway and bus riders to pay by tapping a contactless credit card or mobile wallet on a smartphone, like Apple Pay, instead of the traditional CharlieCards and paper tickets.

The start of contactless payment — a feature in place in other major transit systems, including New York City’s subway — would mark a milestone in a delayed project to modernize fare collection at the T.

“It is going to be state of the art. It’s something that our customers want and they’ll be able to feel,” MBTA Acting Chief Administrative Officer Jeff Cook told a subcommittee Thursday. “It will be something that will be able to be expanded on.”

A timeline presented Thursday calls for the tap-through option to become available in the summer on subway fare gates, buses and above-ground Green Line trolleys. A new CharlieCard plus a mobile app and upgraded fare vending machines are set to launch in spring 2025, and the contactless payment will then expand to commuter rail trains and ferries in spring 2026.

MBTA officials will seek approval Thursday for a change order with Cubic and John Laing, that expedites the project contractor’s launch of the credit- and phone-payment feature while delaying the deadline for the entire project to be completed from August 2025 to June 2027.

The change would also trim $41 million off the total price of the contract, from $967 million to $926 million, Cook said. The updated contract will go before the full MBTA Board of Directors later Thursday morning for approval.

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Get ready for an epic weekend in Boston.

Boston Calling music festival is here. The 3-day, 4-stage, outdoor festival along the Charles River features some of the biggest names in music, including superstar Ed Sheeran, rockers The Killers and rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

Hozier, Phish’s Trey Anastasio, Leon Bridgess and Tyler Childers are also among the acts set to play at the festival at the Harvard Athletic Complex this Memorial Day weekend.

There will be more than 30 local food vendors and a 100-foot Ferris wheel, too, so there’s something for everyone.

Here are some things you should know if you’re planning to attend New England’s biggest music festival.

Where and when is it?

Boston Calling takes place on May 24-26, 2024, at Harvard Athletic Complex with the entrance at 65 North Harvard St, Boston.

How can I get there? What about parking?

There’s lots of ways to get to Boston Calling safely, however, there is no parking available on site.

🚃 Subway: Take the Red Line to the Harvard Square station. From there it’s an easy 10 minute walk to the main entrance..

🚶‍♀️🚶 Walking: The festival site is a 10-minute walk from Harvard Square, down JFK St. and over the Charles River. The main entrance is located at Gate 1 on North Harvard St.

🚗 Rideshare: You can get dropped close to main entrance, just tell them to head to Harvard Stadium in Allston. At the end of the night, follow signs to the dedicated rideshare pickup lot.

Keep in mind, the festival is located in a busy neighborhood, so organizers ask everyone to be respectful of the area.

Tickets and entry info

🎟 The Festival Box Office is located at the Main Entrance at Harvard Athletic Complex – 65 N. Harvard St, Boston. This is where you can find will call, wristband assistance, wristband replacement, and purchase tickets (if any are available). A government-issued ID is required to verify your order and pick up tickets.

Looking for more info on your Premium ticket? Premium Area Guides are here (GA+, VIP, and Platinum)

💳 Once you activate your wristband, organizers suggest you register for Cashless at Boston Calling presented by Chase – it’s the easy way to purchase festival food, merch, and more with a tap of a wrist.

👜 Official Bag Policy: All bags will be searched before entry. Small clutch purses and fanny packs that are 6” x 9” or smaller do not need to be clear but can have no more than one pocket. All other bags must be fully clear and made up of clear plastic, vinyl, or pvc, and be no larger than 12″ x 6” x 12″ only. Bags will be restricted to small purses, totes and drawstring bags only. Backpacks and bags with multiple pockets are prohibited.

💦 Stay Hydrated: Bring a reusable water bottle to refill at free hydration stations all weekend long.

Hydration packs are allowed and do not need to be clear but must be emptied of all liquid and have no more than two pockets in addition to the one holding the water reservoir.

To speed up entry, leave your bag at home and get familiar with our allowed and prohibited items.

Keep your personal belongings protected and your phone charged by reserving your own locker. You can enjoy all-day access to your locker and cell phone charging stations thanks to Allianz Ticket Protection.

Who is playing?

Superstar Ed Sheeran, rockers The Killers and rapper Megan Thee Stallion all set to play, as is Hozier, Phish’s Trey Anastasio, Leon Bridgess and Tyler Childers.

Check out the full lineup below.

What is the food lineup?

“Come for the killer music, stay for the killer eats,” Boston Calling says.

There will be something for every taste — Blackbird Doughnuts and Sally’s Sandwiches, Chicken & Rice Guys, Roxy’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Tasty Burger, El Jefe’s Taqueria and more.

Official festival app and map

Download the official festival app to stay up to date with festival updates and performance notifications.

Click here to download on iOS, or here to download on Google Play.

Before arriving, be sure to check out our Official 2024 Map to get familiar with the festival grounds.

Can I still buy tickets?

Do you still need festival tickets? Limited 1-Day and 3-Day tickets remain (Sunday general admission tickets are sold out). Click here to buy.

Weather forecast

The weather is looking great this weekend, in the high 70s and low 80s with the sun shining.

Questions?

Check out the Help Center for everything you need to know about Boston Calling.

Connect with other concertgoers

Chat with fellow Boston Calling Fans, exchange tips and tricks and plan your weekend together in The Festiverse on Discord.

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A new Trader Joe’s opened in Boston’s Back Bay on Thursday morning.

The new store, located at 500 Boylston Street, opened at 9 a.m. following a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The 11,486-square-foot store is located in Copley Square. Hiring efforts for the new story are still underway and anyone interested in applying can visit traderjoes.com/careers.

Images shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed a long line outside the new store ahead of its opening. A large crowd of shoppers were also inside the store.

According to Boston.com, the store is quite a bit larger than other Trader Joe’s stores in the area. It also differs from other local Trader Joe’s stores in that it has a liquor license. The Allston Trader Joe’s is the only other Boston store that sells alcohol.

The Back Bay location is one of 21 Trader Joe’s locations in Massachusetts. The others are located in Acton, Allston, Arlington, Back Bay, Boston’s Seaport, Burlington, Cambridge, Foxborough, Framingham, Hadley, Handover, Hingham, Hyannis, Needham, Peabody, Saugus, Shrewsbury, Somerville and West Newton.

The new Copley Square store is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.

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Karen Read‘s defense teams says “fireworks” should be expected when Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent Brian Higgins takes the stand.

Read is accused of striking her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him for dead in a snowbank in Canton. She has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges.

The case has garnered national attention because the defense alleges that state and local law enforcement officials framed Read and allowed the real killer to go free. O’Keefe’s body was found outside the home of another Boston police officer, Brian Albert, and the defense argues his relationship with local and state police tainted their investigation.

After a night out drinking at several bars, prosecutors say Read dropped O’Keefe off at a house party hosted by Albert and his wife just after midnight. As she made a three-point turn, prosecutors say, she struck O’Keefe before driving away. She returned hours later to find him in a snowbank.

Karen Read trial schedule

Thursday is an off day in the high-profile murder trial, with no testimony scheduled. But Higgins is expected to testify when court resumes on Friday. Court is only scheduled to be in session in the Read case for one day next week — Tuesday.

Watch the Karen Read trial live on nbcboston.com, NECN, NBC Boston streaming platforms (including Roku, Peacock and Samsung TV) and NBC10 Boston’s YouTube page. Every night of the trial at 7 p.m., come back for analysis and more.

Who is Brian Higgins?

Higgins is a friend of Albert and was present at the party at Albert’s home on Fairview Road hours before O’Keefe was found dead outside, according to court filings and witness testimony. He had previously exchanged flirtatious text messages with Read, according to court filings from the prosecution.

He is one of three men that Read’s defense team has said had motive, opportunity and means to attack O’Keefe that night.

Prosecutors have said the defense’s statements about Higgins lack evidence and make for a “fanciful” story.

Looking back at Wednesday’s testimony

During Wednesday’s testimony, Read’s defense team tried to implicate a key prosecution witness, accusing her of conducting an incriminating internet search hours before the man’s body was discovered and then deleting the search to cover her tracks.

Jennifer McCabe, a friend of the couple and Albert’s sister-in-law, previously testified that soon after O’Keefe’s body was found, Read screamed, “I hit him! I hit him! I hit him!” and frantically asked her to conduct a Google search on how long it takes for someone to die of hypothermia.

But Read’s attorney showed jurors cellphone data Wednesday that suggested McCabe also did an internet search for variations of “how long to die in cold” four hours earlier.

“You made that search at 2:27 am because you knew that John O’Keefe was outside on your sister’s lawn dying in the cold, didn’t you?” attorney Alan Jackson asked McCabe. “Did you delete that search because you knew you would be implicated in John O’Keefe’s death if that search was found on your phone?”

“I did not delete that search. I never made that search,” McCabe said. “I never would have left John O’Keefe out in the cold to die because he was my friend that I loved.”

Jackson said it was “awfully convenient” that McCabe disavowed the search, which he said would exonerate his client. He also pressed McCabe on why she told grand jurors a dozen times that Read said, “Did I hit him?” or “Could I have hit him,” and not the definitive, “I hit him” that she now says she heard.

He suggested McCabe changed her story after experiencing what she has described as “vicious” harassment from Read’s supporters.

“You were upset by April of 2023 that there was public outrage about your family being involved in the death of John O’Keefe,” he said. “And two months later, in June of 2023, for the first time, you testified at another proceeding, and lo and behold, you attributed the words ‘I hit him’ to my client.”

McCabe acknowledged that she first used those words under oath in June but insisted she also had told an investigator the same thing in the days after O’Keefe’s death.

She also described “daily, near hourly” harassment directed at her family, including a “rolling rally” past her home, though the judge warned jurors that there is no evidence Read herself orchestrated it and that it shouldn’t be used against her.

“I was outraged because I am a state witness that is being tortured because of lies,” McCabe said. “I am not on trial, and these people are terrorizing me.”

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Police in Boston are investigating the armed robberies of two Roxbury stores just hours apart Tuesday.

On Hancock Street, a man walked into a store at 3:30 p.m. with a red bag, pulled out a gun and pointed it at the store manager. He took nearly $3…