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It's Friday. We have a very green weekend ahead. The Boston Legacy play their first-ever match Saturday at 12:30 p.m. — nationally televised on ABC. More than 20,000 tickets for the game have been sold, but there are still lots of $34 and $46 tickets available in Gillette Stadium's lower bowl. WBUR's Katie Cole has almost literally everything you need to know about the new women's soccer team here. And then on Sunday — brace yourself — it's the South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade, which will be running in the opposite direction for the first time in decades. Here's what else to know about this year's parade, including the latest anti-"tomfoolery" efforts. Now, to the news: The ROAD to Housing Act's road ahead: Something unusual happened in the U.S. Senate yesterday: Democrats and Republicans came together to overwhelmingly pass the biggest housing bill in decades, co-authored by none other than Massachusetts' own Elizabeth Warren. The Democrat's "21st Century ROAD to Housing Act" — which she originally drafted with Republican Sen. Tim Scott — was approved by a vote of 89 to 10. The House passed a bill earlier this year that is 84% the same, according to Scott's office . But not 100%. And that means there are some differences to work out. - The details: The Senate bill primarily seeks to put a dent in the nation's housing affordability problems by boosting the supply of housing. And it takes a few different angles at doing that: (1) easing rules on factory-built homes, (2) allowing banks to invest more in affordable housing projects, (3) encouraging more streamlined construction at the local level and (4) putting in new rules against big investors buying up lots of single-family homes. Warren compared the bill to a "meatball," with lots of different ingredients that were key to it gaining bipartisan support. NPR has more details on the recipe here.
- The differences: Perhaps the biggest sticking point is the Senate's proposal to ban investors that own at least 350 single-family homes from buying more. There are exceptions for homes that need serious renovation, as well as new homes constructed for renting. But the developer would have to sell those "build-to-rent" homes after seven years. According to The New York Times, some House Republicans aren't happy with that; in fact, some top Senate Democrats and housing groups aren't either. (There are also some other disagreements around limits on a federal digital currency and community banking lending rules.)
- There's also the Trump factor: The White House issued a statement of support for the Senate bill earlier this month. But more recently, Trump pledged to not sign anything until Congress passes a bill to tighten national voting rules.
- What's next: According to Politico, House Speaker Mike Johnson told fellow Republicans this week that he expects the two bills will need to be ironed out in a closed-door conference committee — which could take weeks or more.
- What Warren is saying: In a speech yesterday on the Senate floor, Warren called on House Republicans to "immediately" pass the bill as-is. "If they do not, they will have to explain to families across the country in November why they refused to lower the cost of housing," she said. Watch the full speech here.
Back in Massachusetts: Police in Greater Boston are increasing patrols around synagogues after yesterday's attack in Michigan. That includes Brookline, home to one of the state's largest Jewish populations. In a statement to WCVB, the town's police department encouraged people to report any suspicious behavior. Federal funding fallout: A Massachusetts-based green cement startup is laying off two-thirds of its workforce, after the Trump administration canceled an $87 million grant for its plant in Holyoke last year. Somerville's Sublime Systems announced yesterday that roughly 60 people will lose jobs due to the lost funding. Bloomberg reported that it also endangers Sublime's deal to supply Microsoft with low-carbon cement. Spoiler alert: Boston University's bid to reach the NCAA men's college basketball tournament may have fallen just short, but our March Madness dreams are still alive here in Massachusetts. UMass — yes, UMass! — upset the previously undefeated University of Miami (Ohio) in the first round of their conference tournament. The RedHawks' record had been one of the biggest stories in college basketball this season, until the Minutemen stormed in. - UMass now have to win their next two games to get into the NCAA tournament. The first one is tonight at 5 p.m. against the University of Toledo.
Heads up: DCR is closing a nearly four-mile inbound stretch of Storrow Drive and Soldier's Field Road for three nights early next week. From 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next day on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights, the parkway will be closed from North Harvard Street (by the Harvard boathouse) to Boston's Mugar Way. DCR plans to divert traffic onto Memorial Drive during the closure. P.S.— When did the first intelligible telephone call take place? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of our recent stories. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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Massachusetts was on the brink of becoming a global laughingstock — with politicians and sports executives and town officials unable to come to an agreement over $7.8 million in security costs, a sum of money so small it’s a rounding error in the scheme of World Cup soccer or the state budget. Here's how the deal came together. Read more. |
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THIS IS A MUST READ ABOUT ICE GESTAPO ABUSE!
A federal judge in Boston has ordered the release of a 14-year-old girl detained by federal agents on Tuesday in Marlborough. The girl was transported through the night to a juvenile facility in New York when agents couldn't immediately locate her family — a move the judge said was outside any norm he'd seen in his years on the bench. Read more. |
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GBH's leader told the Boston Globe the organization would be open to a merger with WBUR, its competitor. However, WBUR's CEO said in a statement there are no plans. Read more. |
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OTHER NATIONS ARE SOLICITING THESE QUALIFIED PEOPLE - Some experts say new changes to the H-1B visa program meant for high-skilled foreign workers will hinder innovation and science in Massachusetts. The annual H-1B visa lottery registration — where employers try to secure one of 85,000 visas — is underway. It's the first H-1B lottery since President Trump overhauled the visa program and imposed a $100,000 fee. Read more. |
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Local and state police said they tried to balance the rights and safety of activists and ICE agents by taking part in a tense immigration raid. To critics, it looked like collaboration. Read more. |
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Anything Else?***THIS BEARS WATCHING! NEW HAMPSHIRE FUNDS SCHOOLS WITH PROPERTY TAXES WITH PREDICTABLE RESULTS! I'VE DONE TOO MUCH CAMPAIGNING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND POVERTY STANDS OUT! FAILURE TO CONDEMN DEATH THREATS DEFINE POLITICAL FAILURES! NEW HAMPSHIRE: IT'S TIME TO PROVIDE UNIVERSAL EDUCATION THAT'S EQUALLY FUNDED! ************************ |
- A proposal by Democratic activists in New Hampshire to lower property taxes by imposing a state income tax has prompted death threats on social media from the state's Libertarian Party. WBUR's Anthony Brooks reports that the state's political leaders, including Gov. Kelly Ayotte, were quick to condemn the tax proposal. But not as many have spoken out against actual the death threats.
- Three bronze benches highlighting endangered animals are now on display at Faneuil Hall Marketplace — allowing visitors to take a seat next to a Masai giraffe, an African elephant and a hippo.
- While I worry we're tempting fate/the upper levels of the troposphere by suggesting winter is behind us, the data on the meteorological season is in. Read Danielle Noyes' full story on how New England was the exception to the rule this winter, which also includes a preview of what to expect as we approach spring.
- Hot take: The Oscars are too late. As film critic Sean Burns wrote in this week's edition of our arts newsletter, "we’re almost through with the first quarter of 2026 and we’ve been talking about last year’s movies for so long people are starting to lose their minds."
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- Skeptics say region's World Cup economic hopes need a reality check (Boston Business Journal)
- Nantucket neighbors to hire bluff walk monitor — sorry, a docent — in an effort to deter tourists (The Boston Globe)
- Sucker: My year as a degenerate gambler (The Atlantic)
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Colin Dorgan, a high school hockey player who lost three family members in a mass shooting last month in Pawtucket, scored a double-overtime goal to send his team to the state championship. Dorgan told WPRI that the goal was "the best moment of my life." Read more. |
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Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going?
Before you go: My culture is not your costume.
Correction: We accidentally wrote the opposite of what we meant in yesterday's newsletter when it comes to the details of the proposed rent control ballot question. If passed, the measure would cap annual rent increases in all Massachusetts cities and towns at the rate of inflation or 5%, whichever is lower (not whichever is higher). |
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