A Taxing Mystery
Fighting City Hall has turned out to be a rather expensive proposition for the owners of some struggling downtown Boston office buildings..

Hynes Scheduled for $100 Million Upgrade
According to a 2015 report, the Hynes needs up to $500 million in repairs for a wealth of problems, including with its plumbing, fire systems, and internal walls. This $100 million will go to HVAC and systems upgrades, as well as replacing features like carpeting, according to the Boston Business Journal.

Boston’s River Quality Falters
The Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA) released its compiled 2024 data on June 17, showing that while the Muddy River has continued to improve, the Charles has actually gotten worse as ten sewer overflow routes continue to feed into the basin.

Security Tight For July Fourth
Hundreds of thousands of visitors will pack the Esplanade this Independence Day to watch the Boston Pops, LeAnn Rimes, Leslie Odom, Jr. and an illuminating fireworks display, a cherished yearly ritual but also an enormous security challenge for the state.

Alligators in the Public Garden?
One alligator was captured easily, “quite unconscious that anything in particular was happening.” The gardener carefully slipped a metal loop around the animal and pulled him to the shore, where an assistant was waiting..

Residents Say Rezoning Flunks Affordable Housing
“At this time, I have received nearly 200 letters in opposition from constituents,” said City Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents the Downtown, in the meeting. “I continue to believe that residents of a neighborhood must be heard during the community engagement process.

Somewhere to Go
Public spaces like the Boston Common oftentimes lack critical amenities like public restrooms. Now, returning for a fifth year thanks to the support from the Friends of the Public Garden, a seasonal public restroom halfway between the Charles/Beacon entrances to the Common.

Website Seeks to Crowd Source Boston History
“Too often we just think that the history of Boston started and stopped with the Revolutionary War. Well, it didn’t,” Vrabel said in an interview. “So I decided to put all the material I had gathered into this website and invite other people to do so as well.

Better Than Boston Calling
While last Saturday’s Porchfest was not a festival per se, it was definitely a community event where residents shared their love of playing and listening to music. This year’s sponsors were the Fenway CDC and the Fenway Community Center..

Landmarks Is Dealing With Modern Materials
At a June 5 public subcommittee meeting, committee members disagreed about a few key points regarding where to draw a line between historic preservation and everyday issues like accessibility of historic materials, flooding and environmental sustainability.

Trash Contract Seeing Collection Improvements
The neighborhood public forum began 12 years ago to talk about trash and build a long-term partnership with Boston Public Works (BPW), and that discussion continued with an update on the city’s garbage collection contracts, which were renewed in July of last year.

30 Years of Looking
June 21 marked the South End Garden Tour’s 30th anniversary. And yes, there is pastoral in the big city..

SHOWING GREAT PRIDE
This year’s Gay Pride Parade on June 14 showed Bostonians and the world just how much love, pride and solidarity city residents have..

A Nice Condominium For Only $50,000,000
How about a 10,000 square foot penthouse at the St. Regis Residences. Yes, that’s $5,000 per square foot, which would set a Boston record but is hardly close to New York or Beverly Hills prices..