A July overflow at the Springfield treatment plant dumped millions into the Connecticut River and renewed demands for regional sewer upgrades and better alerts.

A herd of 100 life‑size lantana elephants will fill Commonwealth Avenue Mall Aug. 8–Sept. 13 as part of a traveling public‑art fundraiser for conservation. The display is free and open to the public.

A three‑alarm fire tore through a Dorchester triple‑decker at 359 Geneva Ave Sunday, charring the roof and damaging a neighboring home while crews fought to contain the blaze.

Councilor Ed Flynn pitched quick rule changes — from paid details for retirees to residency waivers — to blunt a multi‑hundred officer shortfall and speed hiring. City Hall and Beacon Hill moves could reshape how Boston recruits this year.

A nine‑bedroom Brant Point home at 36 Easton St closed for $25M in early July, becoming Nantucket’s biggest residential sale this year.

A proposed 11-member American Muslim commission would advise state agencies and report on Islamophobia, but opponents point to a Framingham nonprofit controversy.

A three-alarm blaze heavily damaged a vacant three-family house in Savin Hill, sending smoke across Dorchester while crews worked to protect adjacent buildings. Investigators are probing the cause.

Surveillance video shows a bicyclist shove a man using a walker on Sumner Street in East Boston; police say the victim's injuries were not life-threatening and are investigating.

Last summer's Joe Ryan near‑miss is shaping Boston's Aug. 3 deadline calculus, and Franklin Arias' promotion raises the cost of buying. The Sox must choose fast.

Several mature trees were removed from the Boston Public Garden after a decades‑old willow snapped into the lagoon. Park stewards say the clearing is part of long‑term tree care and planned replanting.

A state police pursuit on I-93 ended in a crash in Braintree; three people were arrested and authorities reported no injuries.

Happy Rice is opening a Seaport flagship at the former Yoki Express space, promising rolls, nigiri and nutritionist-designed Benefit Boxes and a grab-and-go format. The company says it will avoid gluten, seed oils and refined sugar in its kitchen.

A federal probe led to arrests after a Concord family's vacant lot was allegedly sold with forged documents and a house began going up.