Boston News (BETA)

By Abbie Ruzicka, Globe Correspondent A woman was assaulted and robbed early yesterday morning on the Charles River Esplanade near the Massachusetts Avenue footbridge, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said. The woman was walking alone when the attack...

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent The family of a Jamaica Plain woman raped and killed by a repeat violent offender stood with lawmakers today and urged the Legislature to pass a "three strikes" law that would toughen penalties for...

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent The family of a Jamaica Plain woman raped and killed by a repeat violent offender stood with lawmakers today and urged the Legislature to pass a "three strikes" law that would toughen penalties for habitual...

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)During 2001 press conference, Kenneth Waters laughed with his sister, Betty Anne, after his murder conviction was vacated. By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff The town of Ayer and five of its insurance companies have agreed to pay...

National Transportation Safety Board By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board said today that a fatal Green Line crash in May 2008 could have been prevented if the MBTA had an automated train control...

WEST BARNSTABLE - Cape Cod's sheriff has been charged with keeping an eye on "Survivor" anti-hero and convicted tax evader Richard Hatch as he serves the final...

The Copley Square Hotel crashed its own birthday party today. A promotion to celebrate the hotel's 118th year - offering $200-a-night rooms for as cheap as $18 -...

Boston and state authorities "urged caution" this afternoon following an early morning attack on a woman on the Charles River Esplanade. A woman called 911...

BOSTON - A small suburban town and five of its insurance companies have agreed to pay $3.4 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the estate of a man who spent 19 years in prison...

A Red Line T attendant allegedly caught playing Sudoku on the job has been suspended for three days without pay, an MBTA spokesman said today. The worker, whose name...

Local police are investigating the assault and robbery of a woman on the Charles River Esplanade early Tuesday morning.

Yolanda Cellucci has built an empire that has ruled the industry for 40 years. But it's time for the first lady of fashion to step down.

A Boston man who slipped out of police custody at Roxbury District Court was found hiding inside a coffee table.

There's a huge shakeup in Boston radio. Mix 98.5 is moving to 104.1 on the FM dial and WBCN is going to live on only as an Internet station. So who's taking over 98.5 on the dial? An all-new sports station.

After almost ten years of research and millions of dollars spent, we were supposed to find out this month if Logan Airport was making its neighbors sick.

A prisoner who had used a false name to escape from custody was found hiding inside a coffee table.

Yolanda is one of those people known by her first name only. Her name has become synonymous with high style, brides and philanthropy. But all that is changing because Yolanda is closing her store.

The family of a teacher, who was murdered 10 years ago, wants to honor her memory by getting tougher on repeat offenders.

A woman was assaulted on the Esplanade in Boston early Tuesday morning.

Two studies released in Tuesday's Journal of the American Medical Association claim to have identified seven genes linked to glioblastomas -- a particularly deadly form of brain cancer.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- It's the end of an era for a local bridal business.

DEDHAM, Mass. -- An 88-year-old driver accused of striking and killing a 4-year-old girl crossing a street in Stoughton won't have to attend her arraignment on a charge of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation.

BOSTON -- A suburban Boston town and five of its insurance companies have agreed to pay $3.4 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the estate of a man who spent 19 years in prison for a murder before being cleared by DNA evidence.

WORCESTER, Mass. -- A crane toppled over at a Worcester construction site Tuesday afternoon.

BOSTON -- A major shakeup on the radio dial will mark the end of an era for one of the nation's first progressive rock stations, which helped launch U2 and other prominent artists.

On Thursday, a special commission on health care payments is expected to recommend dramatic changes that could affect almost one-sixth of the state’s economy. It wants to shift from paying providers based on the volume of tests or procedures to a system where the incentive is to work within a budget by keeping patients healthy. WBUR’s Martha Bebinger has been spending time with patients and ...

The real-estate market is still tough, around the country and in Massachusetts. Even on Nantucket Island, where money tends to be flush, property sales are down nearly 20 percent. WBUR's Bob Oakes spoke to David Callahan, broker and owner of Jordan Real Estate on Nantucket.

A major brouhaha over zoos spilled over onto Beacon Hill Monday, as lawmakers scrambled to respond to claims from Zoo New England that a $4 million budget cut could force the shutdown of two local zoos. WBUR's Meghna Chakrabarti reports.

Federal investigators say a trolley operator killed when her train rammed another apparently ignored a faulty red stop signal.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo predicted Monday that Beacon Hill lawmakers will override Gov. Deval Patrick's veto and restore $4 million in funding for the Franklin Park and Stoneham zoos.

BOSTON - Two local legislative leaders, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, said Monday they would try to restore $4 million in state funds for two local zoos after operators suggested that without the money, animals might have to be destroyed - a claim the governor called a scare tactic.

MARBLEHEAD - Selectmen will be interviewing applicants for three town boards this summer, including a new committee that will oversee improvements at an historic town cemetery.

LYNN - There is nothing quite like a summer vacation in the Berkshires and that is just what select students from the Lynn Public Schools Fine Arts Department will be enjoying this week, with a little bit of training and work mixed in along the way.

PEABODY - Five of the seven city businesses that failed a city wide alcohol compliance check on May 27 appeared before the Licensing Board Monday for a hearing on the violations.

SAUGUS - The Saugus Mobile Home Association is mobilizing efforts to lock down rent control before residents are priced out of their homes.

FITCHBURG -- The development company looking to construct a mixed-used commercial and residential project on Main Street needs more time to make plans to purchase the land after missing a deadline earlier this month, Fitchburg Redevelopment

ASHBURNHAM -- Local leaders agree the financial issues facing the town's water and sewer enterprise funds are too complex to solve overnight, but a joint public meeting tonight could serve as an important first step.

SHIRLEY -- When the Rev. Edmond Derosier challenged parishioners at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Shirley and St.

Officers bust underage-drinking party LEOMINSTER -- Four people were arrested after they refused to quiet their party early Sunday morning, according to Lt.

ASHBURNHAM -- The Briggs Building Committee set a tentative date of July 23 for a phone conference with the state School Building Authority to discuss the potential size of a renovated John R. Briggs Elementary School.

N.H. Sen. Judd Gregg criticized the economic policies of the Obama administration on the Senate floor today, saying "The implications of (the nation's $1 trillion) debt are staggering." Click the "play" arrow below to view Gregg's 13-minute speech. Click on the headline to view it in a larger window.

Four Massachusetts men who set off for a hike Monday evening and got in trouble when overcome by darkness ended up finding their own way off the trail, even as searchers were looking for them, according to Fish and Game reports.

New Hampshire has answered the state Supreme Court's last mandate in an 18-year-old school funding lawsuit.

The state's consumer advocacy department says that if the troubled phone company does not show that it can fix ongoing problems, it should not be allowed to operate in Vermont.

The temperature in Concord this morning tied a 69-year-old record for lowest temperature for Bastille Day. Portsmouth also came close to tying a record low.

The Ashland Community Gardens at Stone Park is holding two kickoff events tonight, starting at 6, with an educational talk about the benefits of composting. A ribbon-cutting follows at 6:30 p.m., with state and local officials expected to speak about the project.

After 36 years and a multitude of offers, Yolanda Cellucci finally decided the time was right. Cellucci, has accepted an offer from developer Duffy Properties to buy the building where her Yolanda’s Event Center has been located on Waverly Oaks Road since 1973.

The Marlborough woman arrested in connection with a $4.6 million California Medicaid fraud case is scheduled for a detention hearing in federal court today .

After watching a demonstration of how the water meters used in town cannot falsely register high water use, selectmen heard from a woman who she got a bill she said was twice her normal one.

A state Department of Mental Health panel last week released a report recommending the expedited closing of Westborough State Hospital.