| ☀️ Sunny, with a high of 75. |
Last night's Tony Awards — hosted by the ever-theatrical P!nk — featured a landmark win for "CATS: The Jellicle Ball" costume designer Qween Jean, making her the first openly transgender woman to win a Tony in any category. Click here to read the rest of the results from the awards show. Now, to more news: Under the hood: You probably haven’t heard of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — at least not in the last decade. The little-known agency within the federal Department of Transportation regulates the commercial truck and bus industry, and runs the only public database that tracks crashes by company. The FMCSA can also flex its muscles, such as when it shut down the popular Fung Wah bus between Boston and New York in 2013 over the company’s long list of safety infractions. But in the wake of last year’s tragic Boston school bus crash, WBUR and ProPublica began taking a closer look at FMCSA’s database and found that its process is faulty. The results, as Willoughby reports in this new investigation, is that the FMCSA database only identifies a fraction of a company’s fatal crashes. - How it works: The FMCSA doesn’t have enough staffing to closely monitor each individual company — so they need some help. Originally, when the tracking system started in the 1980s, that meant companies self-reporting crashes. But that process, perhaps predictably, had shortcomings. So, in 1993, the Department of Transportation turned to local police departments. Basically the way it works now is a local officer fills out a form saying what bus company or carrier was involved in a crash and sends it to state officials, who then pass it along to the FMCSA.
- Where it falls short: Untangling the web of contractors and subsidiaries can be complicated. (It’s on the local police officer to determine what entity “controls” or “directs” the involved bus.) As a result, when it comes to a multinational company like Boston’s school bus contractor, Transdev, their crashes get logged under all sorts of different names and are overlooked when the FMCSA determines their safety rating. Bus companies can voluntarily inform the agency that crashes under other names belong to them, but experts told Willoughby that rarely happens.
- What we found: The FMCSA’s database shows no sign Transdev was involved in the April 2025 school bus crash in Boston that killed 5-year-old Lens Joseph — despite the fact they hired and trained the driver. Furthermore, WBUR and ProPublica found at least 60 fatal Transdev crashes in the last decade, even though the federal database only shows 18 under the company’s name. The fatalities span 16 states, including three incidents that led to criminal charges against the bus drivers. One of them in Massachusetts led to a $1 million payout from the local transit authority. FMCSA didn’t respond to Willoughby’s requests for an interview. Transdev wouldn’t comment on any specific crash and stated it follows federal requirements. Read Willoughby's full story here.
In memoriam: A "celebration of life" for former Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank will begin at 10 a.m. this morning at Faneuil Hall. Frank, who died last month at the age of 86, co-wrote the Dodd-Frank ACT, which overhauled banking regulations amid the 2008 financial crisis. - Gov. Maura Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are among the speakers expected to pay tribute to Frank today. "He was very well liked by members of his party, and also Republicans respected him a lot, but also liked to work with him," Jim Segel, a longtime friend of Frank who's organizing the memorial, told WBUR's Anthony Brooks.
Heads up: Changes to subway and commuter rail train service for the World Cup take effect today. From now through July 12, all subway trains will run extended service hours on match days, and commuter rail trains will run less frequently on several lines serving the South Shore (though most service during the morning and evening commutes will stay the same), according to the MBTA. Here's what to know in the coming days: - On match days, there will be no Fairmount line service to Readville, and no Franklin/Foxboro line service from Foxboro or between Readville and Windsor Gardens. During weekday matches, shuttle buses will replace Stoughton line service between Canton Junction and Stoughton.
- As the first World Cup games kick off this weekend, there will also be no service on the Needham line on June 13 and 14. (You can use local buses to connect to the Orange or Green line instead.) Additionally, Fall River/New Bedford line trains won't run to or from East Taunton from now through July 12. Only direct trains, going between South Station and Fall River or New Bedford, will run.
- In other service news: This one is for Orange Line riders. Shuttle trains (running on only one track) will replace service between Oak Grove and Wellington tonight and on Tuesday night as crews complete maintenance work. The T says to expect longer-than-usual wait times and allow extra time for travel.
Take a hike: There's a new addition to the Walking City Trails network created by local writer and hiker Miles Howard. The "Boston Boundless Trail" is a 90.9-mile trek (hey!) that weaves through Boston and 12 surrounding communities: Quincy, Milton, Canton, Dedham, Needham, Newton, Watertown, Cambridge, Somerville, Everett, Revere and Winthrop. You can see a map of the path and learn more about the 100+ green spaces it traverses here. - Behind the scenes: Howard told WBUR's Barbara Moran he got the idea to map out this trail while attempting to hike along the edge of Boston. "It kind of left me with the idea that our borders are a lot more porous than we may realize, and maybe worthy of reimagining in some way," he said. "And I think that walking can be a really interesting means of doing that." Howard plans to host free guided hikes through the end of 2026.
P.S. — As we count down to Boston's World Cup games, don't forget to read our casuals guide to the international teams playing here, with details on the players to watch and off-the-pitch fun facts. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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| | | Hanna Ali Associate Producer, Newsletters | | |
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More than a dozen states already ban PFAS in some consumer products. Research has linked the toxic "forever chemicals" to health problems including kidney cancer. But some business groups warn the sweeping Massachusetts proposal could be costly and impractical. Read more. |
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The theme this year is “Pride as Protest since 1776." It tips to the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding while bringing focus to the tensions that exist for queer people in the U.S. today, according to event organizers. Read more. |
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The chairman of the Needham Park and Recreation Commission will face a raft of criminal charges after U.S. Attorney Leah Foley's office accused him of siphoning more than $200,000 from a local little league to his personal bank account. Read more. The chairman of the Needham Park and Recreation Commission will face a raft of criminal charges after U.S. Attorney Leah Foley's office accused him of siphoning more than $200,000 from a local little league to his personal bank account. Christopher Gerstel, 50, was arrested Friday morning and is expected to appear before a judge in U.S. District Court Friday afternoon, Foley's office said in a statement. According to Foley, he stole the funds while serving as vice president of baseball operations for Needham Baseball and Softball. Gerstel was the only person with access to the payment software system the little league organization uses to pay professional umpires, according to the statement. According to prosecutors, Gerstel made more than 200 wire transfers between 2019 and 2024 to move the $200,000 from the Little League's coffers to his own personal account. They said he used the stolen money to pay off credit cards, make car payments, and for personal spending. A new Little League treasurer later discovered the transfers. Prosecutors also said Gerstel failed to report the stolen funds in tax years 2019 and 2022, and failed to file tax returns in 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Gerstel is charged with 12 counts of wire fraud, two counts of filing false tax returns and three counts of failure to file tax returns. Needham Town Manager Katie King said in a statement that she is aware of the arrest and that no town funds were affected by the reported transfers. "The town takes stewardship of public funds very seriously and maintains established financial controls and oversight procedures to safeguard taxpayer resources," King said. "We will continue to monitor the situation and take any actions that may be appropriate based on the facts as they become available." Needham Baseball and Softball president David Volante said in an email that Gerstel no longer has a role in the organization. He said the organization will continue to cooperate with authorities on the matter. “Our priority has always been — and remains — the children and families of Needham who participate in our programs,” said Volante. “We are deeply disappointed by the allegations, but we are committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring that trust in this organization remains strong.” |
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The exchange marked a major escalation in the already tense region. It came on the 100th day of the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran as the heightened tensions further complicated efforts to end Middle East fighting. Read more. |
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Massachusetts Department of Public Health says the declining trend mirrors data unfolding nationally. Read more. |
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- Scott Pelley on the Bari Weiss Era and His Last Days at '60 Minutes' (The New York Times)
- Thousands of dead squid wash up on Provincetown beach (The Boston Globe)
- Trahan hopes AI bill can meet the regulatory needs of the moment (NBC Boston)
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For each swim, the pair takes a photo and adds the date to a spreadsheet tracking that year’s swims. Their recordkeeping has expanded to include a list of superlatives — most disappointing, most fun, best “water park” — and a photo album for each year. Read more. |
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