Some spots are still waking with clouds Wednesday morning as our northeast breezes continue to feed in water vapor from the Gulf of Maine. This could result in a few widely scattered snow showers or flurries along the coast Wednesday afternoon.
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Massachusetts
Brockton School Committee discusses violence, cellphones and a $20M deficit
A school committee meeting Tuesday in Brockton, Massachusetts, addressed a series of issues plaguing the district.
The meeting came less than a week after another in which Brockton High School teachers sounded the alarm about repeated instances of student violence, saying students have physically attacked classmates and staff.
Brockton Public Schools are also dealing with a deficit of more than $20 million.
The overspending comes from transportations costs, unpaid bills with businesses, teachers getting paid salary while additionally earning overtime pay, and other expenditure, the school committee says. It is trying to make sense of how so much money has been misspent.
The school committee meeting lasted about three hours. In addition to finances and security, the high school’s cellphone policy was discussed.
Burglaries under investigation in Bellingham and Uxbridge
Police in multiple Massachusetts communities are warning about a string of home break-ins.
Surveillance video shows a man casually walking into a garage in Bellingham, going into an unlocked vehicle.
Police told NBC10 Boston they need the public…
Armed robberies at stores in Roxbury and Brighton under investigation
Dramatic surveillance video captured an armed robbery at a convenience store in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood.
A man armed with a gun tussled with a customer and stole her money.
He then made his way behind the counter, helping himself to …
Boston keeping its 3 fare-free bus routes free to ride for longer
Three of the MBTA’s most high-traffic bus routes will remain free-to-ride through March 2026, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Tuesday, citing the positive impact the pilot program has had on riders’ savings and ridership numbers.
Routes 23, 28 and 29 have been fare-free since February 2022, when Wu announced a two-year extension to a pilot program on Route 28 that drastically increased ridership. The program, which uses funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to reimburse the MBTA for the free rides, was supposed to end in late February, but the success of the program influenced Wu to extend it, the city said in a news release.
“Fare free bus routes have been proven to make public transportation more convenient, accessible, and affordable for our residents who depend on transit to get to work and school,” Wu said in a statement. “Community members have emphasized that this program helps them save money, and encourages more trips without worrying about exact change or rationing travel.”
The city estimates that riders have saved around $6 million in bus fees over the last two years, with around half of riders saying they’ve saved an average of $35 a month.
The three routes have some of the highest ridership rates in the city. Route 23 (Ashmont to Dorchester Center, Grove Hall & Ruggles), Route 28 (Mattapan Square, up Blue Hill Ave. to Nubian Square & Ruggles) and Route 29 (Mattapan Square, up Blue Hill Ave. to Jackson Square) all run through areas with several schools and housing facilities but few options for public transportation.
Over half of the riders that consistently use these routes are classified as low income, according to the city. Additionally, despite the increase in ridership the lines have seen over the last two years, travel times have remained the same, the city said.
Since the initial implementation of the program, other public transportation agencies across Massachusetts have designed similar policies. Merrimack Valley Transit, which serves around 2.8 million riders annually, made all of its bus and paratransit routes fare-free in March 2022.
Wu campaigned on the promise of expanding affordable and accessible public transportation. In October, she announced a discounted annual Bluebikes pass that shaves off over half the cost of the normal annual rate.
Biden’s write-in win, Clyburn’s comments give NH Democrats hope amid DNC primary spat
In the wake of a primary win for President Joe Biden in South Carolina, Rep. Jim Clyburn is pointing to the Democratic National Committee and its feud with New Hampshire.
“Let the rules committee figure out a way to let those Democratic delegates up in New Hampshire have their vote at the convention,” Clyburn said. “Let’s just do that.”
The comments come after months of drama within the party. Biden and the DNC moved South Carolina higher up in the Democratic nominating process, ignoring New Hampshire and threatening not to count Granite State delegates.
But a robust write-in effort and solid turnout in favor of the president seem to be turning the tides.
“We’re obviously very grateful, um, surprised,” said Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.
“It was surprising that it came so quickly after the South Carolina presidential primary,” New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said of Clyburn’s comments.
More on President Biden in New Hampshire
It’s bringing a sense of confidence for Granite Staters.
“We will be first just as we were this cycle, because it’s our state law,” said Buckley.
Speculation over how this back-and-forth will evolve over the next four years also rising to the surface.
“We know how to run elections in this state and the voters really engage and participate. That’s really hard to duplicate in other places,” said Scanlan.
“This calendar was for this cycle only, and they were going to start the conversation anew going into 2028,” said Buckley. “We look forward to that conversation.”
As for the here and now, attention is turning to how those delegates will be brought into the nominating process. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for this summer in Chicago.
