Free Republic

The Oxford Board of Health approved an outdoor curfew after the town reported its first human case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) this year. Curfew could impact fall sports The Board of Health met Wednesday evening to recommend ending outdoor activities before dusk to avoid peak mosquito hours, despite residents' protests. "Being heard is our No. 1 goal," said Oxford Webster Football and Cheer Vice President Josh Ziemski, before the meeting. "We don't want to see another human case of EEE this year," Public Health Director Rike Sterrett said. "One is already too many." The move could impact fall sports....

Enrollment for Black and Latino students dropped at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the first class formed after the Supreme Court found race-conscience admissions in colleges unconstitutional. The university’s admissions department on Wednesday released its first-year class profile, showing a sharp drop in its Black student population. About 5% of MIT’s incoming class of 2028 is Black, a significant drop from its 13% average in recent years. Latino students make up 11% of the class of 2028, compared to a 15% average in recent years. Overall, 1,102 students make up the incoming class. Stu Schmill, MIT’s dean of admissions,...

Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts has fired 10 employees following anti-Israel protests at the school earlier this spring. “College leadership has made the difficult decision to eliminate ten staff positions to help us realize our necessary cost savings,” announced an Aug. 13 email sent by the college’s leadership. “We are grateful for the contributions these dedicated staff members have made to the College, and we have made arrangements to support them in this transition.” School President Jay M. Bernhardt initially announced the plans for the staff reduction on June 18, citing dropping enrollment in the college. Bernhardt attributed the falling...

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slammed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for holding interest rates steady earlier this week after Friday’s jobs report came in weaker than expected. “Fed Chair Powell made a serious mistake not cutting interest rates,” Warren said in a post on social platform X. “He’s been warned over and over again that waiting too long risks driving the economy into a ditch.” “The jobs data is flashing red,” she added. “Powell needs to cancel his summer vacation and cut rates now — not wait 6 weeks.” The central bank opted Wednesday to maintain rates at a range...

It’s summertime, which calls to mind the perennial question for parents: where can we take the kids on vacation and learn something along the way? That question sustains our nation’s massive heritage tourism industry. Odds are you already have a list full of destinations with fascinating museums and popular historic sites. But it’s not just about kids and vacations. In the buildup to the nation’s 2026 semiquincentennial birthday celebration, planners everywhere are hoping to leverage history tourism to boost their local economies. Boston’s Freedom Trail—arguably the nation’s most popular American heritage tourism site— appears to offer a prime example for...

U.S. District Judge Peter Sheridan's 69-page opinion says he was compelled to rule as he did because of the Supreme Court's rulings in firearms cases, particularly the 2022 Bruen decision that expanded gun rights. Sheridan's ruling left both 2nd Amendment advocates and the state attorney general planning appeals. The judge temporarily delayed the order for 30 days. Pointing to the high court's precedents, Sheridan suggested Congress and the president could do more to curb gun-related violence nationwide. “It is hard to accept the Supreme Court’s pronouncements that certain firearms policy choices are ‘off the table’ when frequently, radical individuals possess...

It's one of the wealthiest states in America, with residents of its fanciest zip code luxuriating in $3 million red-brick apartments. But the writing is on the wall for Massachusett, says an alarming new study. The 50,000 non-legal migrants who've entered the state since Joe Biden became president are putting a costly strain on schools, healthcare, and other services. Jessica Vaughan, author of the report for the Center for Immigration Studies , says the state is destined for bankruptcy. That's because migrants will drain state coffers of a staggering $1.8 trillion over the next two years. Even though some non-legal...

It's one of the wealthiest states in America, with residents of its fanciest zip code luxuriating in $3 million red-brick apartments. But the writing is on the wall for Massachusetts, says an alarming new study. The 50,000 non-legal migrants who've entered the state since Joe Biden became president are putting a costly strain on schools, healthcare, and other services. Jessica Vaughan, author of the report for the Center for Immigration Studies, says the state is destined for bankruptcy. That's because migrants will drain state coffers of a staggering $1.8 trillion over the next two years. Even though some non-legal migrants...

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that as president, Kamala Harris will work with Congress to “create a pathway to citizenship.” Anchor Jake Tapper said, “President Biden charged Vice President Harris with addressing the root causes of mass migration at the border by going to those Central American countries. She’s consistently defended his handling of the border crisis. I don’t need to tell you voters overwhelmingly disapprove of how the Biden-Harris administration has handled the border by giving the nomination to one of the leaders of the border effort. So aren’t democrats doubling down...

Vice President Kamala Harris is coming to Pittsfield, Massachusetts Harris is speaking at a private campaign fundraising event The vice president is expected to be in Pittsfield early afternoon at the Colonial Theatre The event is sold out ...

On Thursday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “The Record,” Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz said that he “can’t support a party that has Liz Warren and Bernie Sanders” and those who boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Wednesday and he takes a view of “boycott the boycotters. If you boycotted Netanyahu, I’m boycotting you. I’m not going to ever vote for you or support you or give you any kind of financial support.” He also stated that “The Liz Warrens of the world are anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-democracy.”

A Boston-based cybersecurity company has hired violent Los Angeles Antifa extremist Chad Loder as its Vice President of Security Solutions. Loder has a history of violent extremism and has been permanently banned from the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, for inciting violence. He has publicly supported domestic terrorists and cold-blooded murderers, including Antifa gunman Michael Reinhoel and Antifa bomber Willem Van Spronsen. Loder has been named the VP of Security Solutions at CyberSN and will work alongside the company's founder and CEO Deidre Diamonds, according to CyberSN, a cybersecurity workforce risk management and strategy group. [snip] Loder, a far-left...

The federal government has ordered the Vineyard Wind farm to shut down until further notice because of a turbine blade failure this weekend. Several beaches were closed on Tuesday while crews worked to clean up "large floating debris and fiberglass shards" from the broken wind turbine blade off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. A total of six south shore Nantucket beaches were closed to swimming due to debris that washed ashore. "You can walk on the beaches, however we strongly recommend you wear footwear due to sharp, fiberglass shards and debris on the beaches," the Nantucket Harbormaster said. Vineyard Wind...

On July 6, due to an ongoing electric power issue, Amtrak canceled service between Boston and New York City for the remainder of the day. Amtrak is communicating directly with impacted customers about this service interruption and offering options for rebooking their travel plans. Amtrak apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the disruption. Our crews are working hard to correct the issues.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) has called on President Biden to “carefully evaluate” his candidacy as concerns about his ability to win the election persist, despite his team insisting he won’t step aside. In a statement obtained by NBC News, Healey said Biden saved democracy by winning the 2020 election, and that this year’s is “the most important election of our lifetimes.” Healey was one of several Democratic governors to meet with the president Wednesday evening to discuss the future of the party after his lackluster debate performance a week prior that left many of his supporters in a panic....

Another major city newspaper has called on President Biden to abandon his re-election bid following his highly criticized debate performance against former President Trump last week. The Boston Globe editorial board published a column Wednesday arguing that at this point, Biden running for office is too big of a risk, and that he must step aside soon so that a more suitable Democratic candidate can be nominated.

BOSTON -- Drivers for Uber and Lyft will earn a minimum pay standard of $32.50 per hour under a settlement announced Thursday by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, in a deal that also includes a suite of benefits and protections. The two companies will also be required to pay a combined $175 million to the state to resolve allegations that the companies violated Massachusetts wage and hour laws, a substantial majority of which will be distributed to current and former drivers. ... The companies were pushing a ballot question that would classify drivers as independent contractors eligible for some benefits,...

Democrat Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts is reportedly sending officials to the southern border in Texas to steer migrants away from coming to her state. The staffers have reportedly appeared in Brownsville, Hidalgo, McAllen, and San Antonio, to tell migrants in shelters that Massachusetts is full and has no room for more illegal border crossers. The sudden move comes after months of Healey’s advocacy and budget allowances for migrants.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey issued an executive order on Monday, the anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which she says establishes the state as a “beacon” for abortion. The order ensures that the state’s hospitals and health care providers will provide “emergency abortion care.” “In this building, we are showing unity on this issue,” Healey said. “Today we make clear a women’s choice. Her reproductive choices are hers. There is no question they are defended in Massachusetts.” “There are many reasons women need abortions,” Healey declared. “Early interventions are safer, more effective and do not pose as great...

The homicide investigation is still open, but authorities have named Jared Ravizza as a suspect in Feldman’s death and the killing of two dogs. Ravizza is linked to a Memorial Day weekend stabbing spree that same afternoon. A killing in Connecticut Bruce Feldman, a 70-year-old lawn appliance inventor from West Hartford, Conn., was last seen on May 25 seated on a lawn chair, outside a scenic contemporary Deep River, Conn., short-term rental home with his roommate, 26-year-old Jared Ravizza, from West Tisbury, Mass. They were taking in a view of the Connecticut River. Their poodles were nearby. Then a terrible...