The jury’s still out on efforts to revive Davis Square, but at least the jury’s out enjoying live music

Davis Square seemed to have lost its arty nature since the Covid pandemic and an influx of unhoused people. This summer saw an attempt at a turnaround.

ARTS

The music runs all April 5 as McCarthy’s and Toad celebrate their first year in Porter Square

March 25, 2026

The McCarthy’s restaurant and attached Toad nightclub celebrate their year anniversary April 5 with a party featuring a day of live music.

ASK CHEF JJ

Crispy pie: Secrets for homemade pizza, including the gluten-free kind

March 25, 2026

Very strong opinions from a former pizzamaking instructor who never mastered a perfectly round crust (because it doesn't matter).

BITE

Scallion biscuit at Phinista Cafe

March 25, 2026

$4.25 A group of us set out to find the best banh mi in Cambridge and Somerville and discovered along the way another treat everyone loved – a savory, sweet and substantial scallion biscuit. The...

COMMUNITY

No Kings rallies pop up regionwide Saturday, with sign-making parties ahead of time

March 24, 2026

No Kings, a series of protests against the politics of president Donald Trump, returns Saturday to Cambridge, Somerville and Boston.

NEWS

After a ‘particularly brutal winter,’ Somerville urges pothole reports and prepares road repairs

March 24, 2026

The repaving of streets and other road improvements are mentioned as budget priorities in memos filed with mayor Jake Wilson by five city councilors.

NEWS

Water and sewer bills, drought, ‘forever chemicals’ and a Charles River footbridge get council action

March 24, 2026

A bike lane and footpath bridge across the Charles River got a thumbs up from Cambridge city councillors, while concern greeted water issues.

COMMUNITY

We have Tuesday office hours, and tonight they’re in Central Square

March 24, 2026

Bring story ideas, questions, concerns or complaints – or, even better, come with proposals about how you can become part of the team.

NEWS

Looking at this winter convinces a councillor that Cambridge needs a snow corps to call in for help

March 23, 2026

A wild winter with extreme outcomes for city workers and finances leads to exploration of a volunteer “snow corps”; another idea emerges from Somerville.

NEWS

City gains confidence about finding money for a bridge over train tracks to Danehy Park

March 23, 2026

Staff are confident that money to pay for a bridge over Fitchburg Line train tracks will be found after designs are in place, which could be in around 18 months.

ARTS

Repairs to ‘Gift of the Wind,’ the Porter Square T stop sculpture, could be budgeted this year

March 23, 2026

The first step is determine the cost of reviving the art. Estimates heard at a Porter Square Neighbors Association meeting ranged up to $600,000.

LIT

Pop-up booksellers, poetry on demand, and literary drag trivia make March a less cruel month

March 23, 2026

A sunny Saturday welcomed the 7th annual Bow Market Book Fair.

NEWS

Cambridge Housing Authority, now a regional force in affordable homes, appoints a chief executive

March 23, 2026

Clara Fraden, a Cambridge resident who has been at the Cambridge Housing Authority eight years, is the agency’s new chief executive.

TAXONOMY

Tax tip of the week: The IRS sends refunds before it finishes checking what you file

March 23, 2026

A refund isn’t the finish line. Your return is generally “closed” only once the IRS statute period expires.

MUSIC

Hear First: ‘Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown’

March 23, 2026

Hear First premieres the debut album from DIY folk rock pickers Sweet Petunia.

ARTS

A memorial for Charles Coe is planned for April 11 in Boston

March 22, 2026

The late Cambridge author, poet and musician Charles Coe is honored by the literary and arts community on April 11 across the river in Boston.

OPINION

Near possibly the most important election in U.S. history, The New York Times is in a state of quantum news

March 22, 2026

By deciding which stories to cover and how, our greatest newspaper in content and readership has the power to set the agenda. That’s a concern.

NEWS

Somerville meetings, March 23-30: Public school upkeep and budget priorities

March 22, 2026

Take part in meetings on setting budget priorities, maintaining public schools, Mystic River sewage and affordable-unit rent collection.

NEWS

Cambridge meetings, March 23-30: Designing a train tracks bridge, adding Twin Cities affordable housing

March 22, 2026

Take part in meetings on a bridge over rail tracks; snow season's costs; Central Square planning; and affordable homes in two parts of the city.

BUSINESS

Nicotine users will have even fewer choices by May after a Somerville clampdown

March 21, 2026

Somerville is taking more aggressive action against tobacco products that have sneaked onto store shelves without explicit government approval.

THEATER

The end is nigh for ‘The End is Nigh,’ a raucous and rollicking riot of a romp

March 21, 2026

When questions posed by the plot become too thorny, the ensemble stabs or punches someone or simply runs in circles to explode the tension.

EDUCATION

Options for East Cambridge’s closed school will be seen in May; better busing brings changes

March 20, 2026

Three to six options for the future of 158 Spring St. are expected to be presented to Cambridge Public Schools families in May, district superintendent David Murphy told School Committee members at a...

NEWS

Democratic Socialists seek more state seats but fell short of endorsing Uyterhoeven, its sole incumbent

March 19, 2026

The DSA fell a few votes short of endorsing Erika Uyterhoeven, who is running without its field team, and the issue was largely not about policy.

ART AND DESIGN

Multicultural Arts Center showcases works by high schoolers

March 19, 2026

The show tends toward up-close, pensive portraits of youth and the surreal, part of the center’s mission to show the bold and new.

BUSINESS

Mourning Dove: No lease renewal offered by shopping center, Sign of the Dove artists need a new home

March 19, 2026

“For people in the community who are looking to support local artists and purchase local artwork, losing these spaces makes it harder for them to do that.”

MUSIC

Boston Bitdown redux: dinosaurs on Saturday and a Sunday scare

March 19, 2026

A final afternoon of chiptune music saved by a barcade that came to the rescue in downtown Salem.

ASK CHEF JJ

Vegetarian chili you can make for 10 after learning how to scale recipes up, up, up

March 18, 2026

How do you cook for a lot of people in a home kitchen? A little math, some careful measuring, savvy and splitting and the right storage.

MUSIC

The date is set for Porchfest’s 15th year in Somerville

March 18, 2026

Porchfest returns to Somerville on May 9, and residents can apply through April 21 to host a band.

BUSINESS

How a ‘420 friendly’ club hopes to light up Union Square without social-consumption laws in place

March 18, 2026

A pot-friendly, no-alcohol comedy and music club got licensing to open in Somerville’s Union Square but must walk a very fine line.

BITE-OFF

We tried Cambridge and Somerville banh mi and found our favorite (for tofu, anyway)

March 18, 2026

Five Vietnamese restaurants sell banh mi in Cambridge and Somerville, and on a recent Sunday a group of us tried them all to help direct diners to the best. The sandwich is almost always great, a...

NEWS

Man used violence, stalking and fraud to force women into sex, U.S. Attorney’s Office says

March 18, 2026

Daniel Rodriguez, 36, was arrested on state charges in January after leading the police on a high-speed chase in Randolph.

BITE

Fried mozzarella at Si Cara

March 18, 2026

This is a very firm layer of panko over the smoothest, mildest, most innocuous of mozzarellas all but rescued by the choice of sauce.

NEWS

Derrick Neal is out as head of Cambridge Public Health

March 18, 2026

Neal was appointed during the Covid pandemic after withdrawing from a job in California and spent a little over four years with the department.

LIT

Anne Fadiman gets personal with her latest essay collection, ‘Frog’

March 17, 2026

The would-be love child of John McPhee and Virginia Woolf shares a few amphibian-related regrets.

EDUCATION

Unhappy over a confusing process, Somerville officials embrace a future with a 925-seat school

March 17, 2026

A combined campus on Winter Hill means closing the Benjamin G. Brown School on Willow Avenue and less walkability in West Somerville.

DEVELOPMENT

Streamlining the permitting process? Cambridge did this in 2024

March 16, 2026

Getting projects into construction is urgent, especially for housing, so staff expects to report as soon as mid-June on how to speed that up.

DID YOU KNOW

With Metacom’s Resistance, colonists set Indigenous nations at war with each other

March 16, 2026

Metacom’s Resistance is a lesser-known, three-year war that is part of 350 years of conflict, coexistence and Indigenous presence.

FILM

Oscars 2026 results include a rare tie

March 16, 2026

The annual film awards were held last night in Hollywood. Did The Brattle have a premonition about a rare Oscars tie?

OPINION

The Renty daguerreotypes find a home, but Harvard’s legal fight lingers

March 16, 2026

Harvard chose to explore its legacy as an enslaver of 70 or more people at the same time it fought claims by a descendant of slavery.

TAXONOMY

Tax tip of the week: Four reasons to file taxes with low income, some that put money in your pocket

March 16, 2026

In many cases, filing a tax return can put money back in your pocket even when income is relatively low – including from prior years.

OPINION

Somerville could have skipped these police grants that come with strings attached

March 15, 2026

The Somerville City Council accepted nearly $200,000 for police over two meetings filled with fractious debate. Is this money worth what it costs?

NEWS

Somerville meetings, March 16-23: Lessons from winter’s snowfall and affordable-housing zoning

March 15, 2026

Take part in meetings on building school campuses and maintaining current educational facilities and a postmortem on winter snow clearing.

NEWS

Cambridge meetings, March 16-23: Cutting student screen time, and the future of the K-Lo campus

March 15, 2026

Take part in meetings on student screen time, busing and the K-Lo school campus, and city finances and micromobility.

LIT

Booksellers and librarians gather Wednesday to talk about ‘Getting the Story Out’ to new readers

March 14, 2026

A couple of decades ago, some 400 newspapers published book reviews in arts and culture sections. Now it may be as few as 40.

ASK CHEF JJ

To broil or not to broil? Here’s a dry rubbed pork tenderloin for when the heat is on

March 14, 2026

When you use the broiler setting on an oven, do you leave the door ajar? This question opens up a lot having to do with this high-heat cooking.

MUSIC

Boston Bitdown redux: the chiptune spectacle spans three cities on Friday

March 13, 2026

A visual spectacle engulfs the interior of Capital Theatre while Boston Bitdown artists take to the stage in Arlington, Medford and Somerville.

NEWS

Cambridge looks to MBTA and mall owner to take lead in updating the Alewife area

March 13, 2026

What wasn’t on the list of Cambridge housing and zoning priorities presented this week to city councillors: A few untouched parts of Alewife .

NEWS

Bill stopping ICE’s courthouse seizures wins support in Somerville as a Cambridge family mourns

March 13, 2026

Somerville city councilors became the first in the state to vote in support of a bill on Beacon Hill that protects courtgoers from seizure by ICE.

ARTS

Somerville gives an extra week to get through a 117-page application to be an Armory tenant

March 12, 2026

Somerville has extended its submission deadline by a week for artists, makers and creative organizations to lease space in its Armory building.

DEVELOPMENT

Somerville YMCA project has a friendly neighborhood meeting, getting swole without breaking a sweat

March 12, 2026

After another year of permitting and two years of construction, a project of 130,000-plus square feet will add affordable housing and amenities.

MUSIC

Boston Bitdown redux: Thursday

March 11, 2026

Relive what went down Thursday night at the world's largest chiptune festival, Boston Bitdown 2.

ASK CHEF JJ

Crispy pie: Secrets for homemade pizza, including the gluten-free kind

March 25, 2026

Very strong opinions from a former pizzamaking instructor who never mastered a perfectly round crust (because it doesn't matter).

BITE

Scallion biscuit at Phinista Cafe

March 25, 2026

$4.25 A group of us set out to find the best banh mi in Cambridge and Somerville and discovered along the way another treat everyone loved – a savory, sweet and substantial scallion biscuit. The...

NEWS

After a ‘particularly brutal winter,’ Somerville urges pothole reports and prepares road repairs

March 24, 2026

The repaving of streets and other road improvements are mentioned as budget priorities in memos filed with mayor Jake Wilson by five city councilors.

NEWS

Water and sewer bills, drought, ‘forever chemicals’ and a Charles River footbridge get council action

March 24, 2026

A bike lane and footpath bridge across the Charles River got a thumbs up from Cambridge city councillors, while concern greeted water issues.

NEWS

Looking at this winter convinces a councillor that Cambridge needs a snow corps to call in for help

March 23, 2026

A wild winter with extreme outcomes for city workers and finances leads to exploration of a volunteer “snow corps”; another idea emerges from Somerville.

NEWS

City gains confidence about finding money for a bridge over train tracks to Danehy Park

March 23, 2026

Staff are confident that money to pay for a bridge over Fitchburg Line train tracks will be found after designs are in place, which could be in around 18 months.

NEWS

Cambridge Housing Authority, now a regional force in affordable homes, appoints a chief executive

March 23, 2026

Clara Fraden, a Cambridge resident who has been at the Cambridge Housing Authority eight years, is the agency’s new chief executive.

TAXONOMY

Tax tip of the week: The IRS sends refunds before it finishes checking what you file

March 23, 2026

A refund isn’t the finish line. Your return is generally “closed” only once the IRS statute period expires.

NEWS

Somerville meetings, March 23-30: Public school upkeep and budget priorities

March 22, 2026

Take part in meetings on setting budget priorities, maintaining public schools, Mystic River sewage and affordable-unit rent collection.

NEWS

Cambridge meetings, March 23-30: Designing a train tracks bridge, adding Twin Cities affordable housing

March 22, 2026

Take part in meetings on a bridge over rail tracks; snow season's costs; Central Square planning; and affordable homes in two parts of the city.

BUSINESS

Nicotine users will have even fewer choices by May after a Somerville clampdown

March 21, 2026

Somerville is taking more aggressive action against tobacco products that have sneaked onto store shelves without explicit government approval.

EDUCATION

Options for East Cambridge’s closed school will be seen in May; better busing brings changes

March 20, 2026

NEWS

Democratic Socialists seek more state seats but fell short of endorsing Uyterhoeven, its sole incumbent

March 19, 2026

The DSA fell a few votes short of endorsing Erika Uyterhoeven, who is running without its field team, and the issue was largely not about policy.

BUSINESS

Mourning Dove: No lease renewal offered by shopping center, Sign of the Dove artists need a new home

March 19, 2026

“For people in the community who are looking to support local artists and purchase local artwork, losing these spaces makes it harder for them to do that.”

ASK CHEF JJ

Vegetarian chili you can make for 10 after learning how to scale recipes up, up, up

March 18, 2026

How do you cook for a lot of people in a home kitchen? A little math, some careful measuring, savvy and splitting and the right storage.

BUSINESS

How a ‘420 friendly’ club hopes to light up Union Square without social-consumption laws in place

March 18, 2026

A pot-friendly, no-alcohol comedy and music club got licensing to open in Somerville’s Union Square but must walk a very fine line.

BITE-OFF

We tried Cambridge and Somerville banh mi and found our favorite (for tofu, anyway)

March 18, 2026

Five Vietnamese restaurants sell banh mi in Cambridge and Somerville, and on a recent Sunday a group of us tried them all to help direct diners to the best. The sandwich is almost always great, a...

NEWS

Man used violence, stalking and fraud to force women into sex, U.S. Attorney’s Office says

March 18, 2026

Daniel Rodriguez, 36, was arrested on state charges in January after leading the police on a high-speed chase in Randolph.

BITE

Fried mozzarella at Si Cara

March 18, 2026

This is a very firm layer of panko over the smoothest, mildest, most innocuous of mozzarellas all but rescued by the choice of sauce.

NEWS

Derrick Neal is out as head of Cambridge Public Health

March 18, 2026

Neal was appointed during the Covid pandemic after withdrawing from a job in California and spent a little over four years with the department.

EDUCATION

Unhappy over a confusing process, Somerville officials embrace a future with a 925-seat school

March 17, 2026

A combined campus on Winter Hill means closing the Benjamin G. Brown School on Willow Avenue and less walkability in West Somerville.

DEVELOPMENT

Streamlining the permitting process? Cambridge did this in 2024

March 16, 2026

Getting projects into construction is urgent, especially for housing, so staff expects to report as soon as mid-June on how to speed that up.

TAXONOMY

Tax tip of the week: Four reasons to file taxes with low income, some that put money in your pocket

March 16, 2026

In many cases, filing a tax return can put money back in your pocket even when income is relatively low – including from prior years.

NEWS

Somerville meetings, March 16-23: Lessons from winter’s snowfall and affordable-housing zoning

March 15, 2026

Take part in meetings on building school campuses and maintaining current educational facilities and a postmortem on winter snow clearing.

NEWS

Cambridge meetings, March 16-23: Cutting student screen time, and the future of the K-Lo campus

March 15, 2026

Take part in meetings on student screen time, busing and the K-Lo school campus, and city finances and micromobility.

ASK CHEF JJ

To broil or not to broil? Here’s a dry rubbed pork tenderloin for when the heat is on

March 14, 2026

When you use the broiler setting on an oven, do you leave the door ajar? This question opens up a lot having to do with this high-heat cooking.

NEWS

Cambridge looks to MBTA and mall owner to take lead in updating the Alewife area

March 13, 2026

What wasn’t on the list of Cambridge housing and zoning priorities presented this week to city councillors: A few untouched parts of Alewife .

NEWS

Bill stopping ICE’s courthouse seizures wins support in Somerville as a Cambridge family mourns

March 13, 2026

Somerville city councilors became the first in the state to vote in support of a bill on Beacon Hill that protects courtgoers from seizure by ICE.

DEVELOPMENT

Somerville YMCA project has a friendly neighborhood meeting, getting swole without breaking a sweat

March 12, 2026

After another year of permitting and two years of construction, a project of 130,000-plus square feet will add affordable housing and amenities.

BITE

Veggie mini mandu at K-Bok Korean Fried Chicken

March 11, 2026

While it’s the wings that are most exciting about this restaurant in the former Cantina Mexicana space, these dumplings have a lot going for them.

DEVELOPMENT

Copper Mill promises alternative designs within 30 days for its Davis Square tower proposal

March 11, 2026

Renderings of a 26-story, 502-apartment building drew scoffs even from project supporters, and the developer agreed it missed the mark.

FOOD

Nagomi Bento’s expansion into Cambridge means more snacks, bowls, drinks and happiness

March 10, 2026

Less than two years after opening in Somerville’s Bow Market, Nagomi Bento is expanding to Cambridge. The Japanese restaurant, between Harvard and Porter squares, is expected to open the second week...

NEWS

Police budget in Cambridge draws attention to overlap with social services and unarmed response team

March 10, 2026

There were no “defund the police” calls, but overlaps in services were examined critically in a Finance Committee hearing.

NEWS

Political climate change pushes Ig Nobel Prize ceremony to Europe after 35 years

March 10, 2026

The Ig Nobel Prize ceremony is moving to Europe, and its Sept. 3 awards – the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony – take place in Zurich.

NEWS

Cambridge will pay $400,000 over a gun discharge rather than risk paying more after a trial

March 10, 2026

Cambridge plans to settle a settle a lawsuit filed by retired police lieutenant, who said his weapon fired because of a manufacturing flaw.

TAXONOMY

Tax tip of the week: The IRS has three years on its audit clock. Get it started by filing on time.

March 9, 2026

The IRS has a limited time to review and challenge a tax return. Filing a return promptly helps ensure this clock begins running as early as possible.

NEWS

There’s already debate, over the Legislature’s work ethic, as Miller challenges Connolly in the 26th

March 8, 2026

A seat encompassing East Cambridge and East Somerville is getting its first Democratic political primary – and race of any kind – since 2016.

NEWS

As weather warms, cities wait to see how long until their biggest snow piles melt away

March 8, 2026

Somerville city staff compare this year with 2015, when “the snow piles lasted until May,” and a Cambridge spokesperson eyed early summer.

NEWS

Somerville meetings, March 9-16: Merged schools, Davis Square tower and a new YMCA

March 8, 2026

Take part in meetings on a merged school campus, a proposed apartment tower, a YMCA on Highland Avenue and Elm-Beacon road plan.

NEWS

Cambridge meetings, March 9-16: A consolidated housing department and police budgeting

March 8, 2026

Take part in meetings on combining housing and homeless services into one department; the police budget; disability services and planning; and more.

LET’S GET COFFEE

Space, time and coffee

March 7, 2026

An occasional feature mapping our sipping in visits to cafes in Somerville and Cambridge – this time Imagine, Forge and Three Little Figs.

DEVELOPMENT

Assembly Row hotel promises its new rooftop deck won’t be open late

March 6, 2026

If someone wants to party on a rooftop deck, ”there are plenty of options in The Seaport,” the developer of Assembly Row told the Planning Board.

ARTS

The music runs all April 5 as McCarthy’s and Toad celebrate their first year in Porter Square

March 25, 2026

The McCarthy’s restaurant and attached Toad nightclub celebrate their year anniversary April 5 with a party featuring a day of live music.

COMMUNITY

No Kings rallies pop up regionwide Saturday, with sign-making parties ahead of time

March 24, 2026

No Kings, a series of protests against the politics of president Donald Trump, returns Saturday to Cambridge, Somerville and Boston.

COMMUNITY

We have Tuesday office hours, and tonight they’re in Central Square

March 24, 2026

Bring story ideas, questions, concerns or complaints – or, even better, come with proposals about how you can become part of the team.

ARTS

Repairs to ‘Gift of the Wind,’ the Porter Square T stop sculpture, could be budgeted this year

March 23, 2026

The first step is determine the cost of reviving the art. Estimates heard at a Porter Square Neighbors Association meeting ranged up to $600,000.

LIT

Pop-up booksellers, poetry on demand, and literary drag trivia make March a less cruel month

March 23, 2026

A sunny Saturday welcomed the 7th annual Bow Market Book Fair.

MUSIC

Hear First: ‘Foggy Mountain Mental Breakdown’

March 23, 2026

Hear First premieres the debut album from DIY folk rock pickers Sweet Petunia.

ARTS

A memorial for Charles Coe is planned for April 11 in Boston

March 22, 2026

The late Cambridge author, poet and musician Charles Coe is honored by the literary and arts community on April 11 across the river in Boston.

OPINION

Near possibly the most important election in U.S. history, The New York Times is in a state of quantum news

March 22, 2026

By deciding which stories to cover and how, our greatest newspaper in content and readership has the power to set the agenda. That’s a concern.

THEATER

The end is nigh for ‘The End is Nigh,’ a raucous and rollicking riot of a romp

March 21, 2026

When questions posed by the plot become too thorny, the ensemble stabs or punches someone or simply runs in circles to explode the tension.

ART AND DESIGN

Multicultural Arts Center showcases works by high schoolers

March 19, 2026

The show tends toward up-close, pensive portraits of youth and the surreal, part of the center’s mission to show the bold and new.

MUSIC

Boston Bitdown redux: dinosaurs on Saturday and a Sunday scare

March 19, 2026

A final afternoon of chiptune music saved by a barcade that came to the rescue in downtown Salem.

MUSIC

The date is set for Porchfest’s 15th year in Somerville

March 18, 2026

Porchfest returns to Somerville on May 9, and residents can apply through April 21 to host a band.

LIT

Anne Fadiman gets personal with her latest essay collection, ‘Frog’

March 17, 2026

The would-be love child of John McPhee and Virginia Woolf shares a few amphibian-related regrets.

DID YOU KNOW

With Metacom’s Resistance, colonists set Indigenous nations at war with each other

March 16, 2026

Metacom’s Resistance is a lesser-known, three-year war that is part of 350 years of conflict, coexistence and Indigenous presence.

FILM

Oscars 2026 results include a rare tie

March 16, 2026

The annual film awards were held last night in Hollywood. Did The Brattle have a premonition about a rare Oscars tie?

OPINION

The Renty daguerreotypes find a home, but Harvard’s legal fight lingers

March 16, 2026

Harvard chose to explore its legacy as an enslaver of 70 or more people at the same time it fought claims by a descendant of slavery.

OPINION

Somerville could have skipped these police grants that come with strings attached

March 15, 2026

The Somerville City Council accepted nearly $200,000 for police over two meetings filled with fractious debate. Is this money worth what it costs?

LIT

Booksellers and librarians gather Wednesday to talk about ‘Getting the Story Out’ to new readers

March 14, 2026

A couple of decades ago, some 400 newspapers published book reviews in arts and culture sections. Now it may be as few as 40.

MUSIC

Boston Bitdown redux: the chiptune spectacle spans three cities on Friday

March 13, 2026

A visual spectacle engulfs the interior of Capital Theatre while Boston Bitdown artists take to the stage in Arlington, Medford and Somerville.

ARTS

Somerville gives an extra week to get through a 117-page application to be an Armory tenant

March 12, 2026

Somerville has extended its submission deadline by a week for artists, makers and creative organizations to lease space in its Armory building.

MUSIC

Boston Bitdown redux: Thursday

March 11, 2026

Relive what went down Thursday night at the world's largest chiptune festival, Boston Bitdown 2.

FILM

Tracking The Monster and his Bride through the many versions of Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’

March 11, 2026

Right now cinemagoers can double their Frankenstein pleasure with “The Bride!” and Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” up for the Best Picture Oscar this Sunday. Sure, “Frankenstein” is streaming on...

COMMUNITY

We have Tuesday office hours, and tonight they’re in Central Square

March 10, 2026

As part of its mission of community, The Independent plans weekly “office hours” at two convenient locations in Cambridge and Somerville.

COMMUNITY

Decriminalization of sex work is explored with experts in a Thursday conversation

March 9, 2026

A film screening and panel of experts grows a collective understanding of the experience of sex workers amid an erosion of freedom and democracy.

OPINION

Why Somerville still doesn’t have public toilets

March 8, 2026

The company that makes the Portland Loo is not licensed by Massachusetts, so its structures are not allowed (except in several neighboring cities).

ARTS

To save the creative, arts advocates say to get real about housing, planning and the Legislature

March 7, 2026

Along with calling on residents to push for the creation of cultural trusts, arts advocates talked about increasingly regional efforts to save the arts. That included a digital mapping project that could help identify problems and improve municipal planning.

THEATER

In Rebecca Kopycinski’s ‘Thotbot,’ obsolete tech rewinds into a dark future that predicts our present

March 5, 2026

The “ThotBot Implantation Center,” an immersive art installation and multimedia concert rounds out its latest run of sold-out shows at Bow Market.

COMEDY

Andrew Della Volpe’s sitcom is limned before a live studio audience

March 3, 2026

It’s what audiences can expect Friday during Della Volpe’s new hour at The Rockwell in Somerville.

MUSIC

Middle East co-founder Joseph Sater is mourned

March 3, 2026

The death of Joseph Sater, the co-founder of Cambridge’s Middle East nightclub and other arts venues, was confirmed Tuesday by brother Nabil Sater. The cause was believed to be a heart attack, Nabil Sater said through an intermediary.

MUSIC

A Fuzzstival reunion of sorts comes together to celebrate an LP release by Landowner

March 3, 2026

The icy claw of winter didn’t deter a near sellout crowd for Landowner, a postpunk band out of Western Massachusetts celebrating an LP release.

MUSIC

Hear First: ‘Lane Says’

March 3, 2026

Hear First spotlights Lane's nod to Jane's Addiction, “Lane Says.”

COMMUNITY

Women’s History Month in Cambridge is a restoration project of scattered and missing stories

March 3, 2026

The work is meticulous and often challenging. Many women left few written records, and their contributions were not always preserved in traditional archives.

ARTS

Hearing could be decisive for the Out of the Blue art gallery, a fixture in Somerville’s Armory

March 2, 2026

The owner of the Out of the Blue art gallery in Somerville has won a City Council hearing for her attempts to stay in the city-owned Armory arts building or get a new space if she’s forced to leave.

ART AND DESIGN

Between a Foot Locker and TJ Maxx, a mall hosts Michelangelo

March 2, 2026

The exhibit “Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel” displays 34 of 60-odd Vatican frescoes, life-sized reproductions visible “like no pope has ever seen them.”

OPINION

Protest surveillance: What State Police saw from the sky as we spoke against killings by federal agents

March 1, 2026

I asked State Police for helicopter flight and mission plans, reports and photographic, video or biometric records captured from protests I went to Jan. 10.

MUSIC

Boston Bitdown music festival expands because its organizers never unplug

February 27, 2026

Boston Bitdown respawns March 5-8, expanding its fun to four days and welcoming more than 50 musicians and artists from Salem to Somerville.

MUSIC

Say She She’s disco revival is disconcerting only if you stop dancing long enough to think

February 26, 2026

Disco is back! The NYC-based outfit Say She She, fronted by three sashaying vocalists, made the argument Saturday at The Sinclair.

COMMUNITY

Somerville Democrats gather Sunday to prepare for convention weighing in on Markey seat

February 26, 2026

Registered Democrats in Somerville vote Sunday to elect delegates to attend May’s Democratic State Convention.

THEATER

How clown troupe Liars and Believers created the apocalyptic death match of ‘The End is Nigh’

February 25, 2026

A play that’s “Animaniacs” meets “The Hunger Games” has creative and philosophical concerns behind its clowning, brightness and physical comedy.

ARTS

Somerville gets a cabinet-level arts czar in addition to a new leader for Arts Council in mayor’s plan

February 24, 2026

Reassurances came Tuesday for people worried about the direction of creative culture in Somerville, where longtime Arts Council executive director Greg Jenkins steps down March 6.

MUSIC

Who’s in the tour van to rep us at the New Colossus Festival

February 23, 2026

A handful of local musicians head to New York City for the seventh edition of the New Colossus Festival, running March 3-8.

ARTS

Letter-writers worry there won’t be an open process when Somerville replaces Arts Council director

February 22, 2026

An abrupt departure by a longtime champion has artists wondering who will lead the Somerville Arts Council and how they will be chosen.

MUSIC

Biribá Union mixes Bach with beatboxing and bass at a Club Passim tour launch

February 21, 2026

Biribá Union’s nimble parade of genre mashery delivered more rap to Passim’s folkhead patrons than they have probably listened to in the past year.

THEATER

Stunning ‘The Moderate’ unleashes the Internet’s good, bad and ugliest in Central Square

February 20, 2026

“The Moderate” is not for everyone. Kudos to Central Square Theater for its excellent job of warning that the play contains mature themes, including images, video and audio depictions of violence,...

OPINION

A new tone at Somerville City Hall

February 20, 2026

The first few meetings Somerville City Council of 2026 have been called “chummy,” but budget season seems likely to strain the cordiality.

OPINION

Jesse Jackson, a defender for LGBTQ+ rights

February 20, 2026

Jesse Jackson, who died Tuesday, advocated for the LGBTQ+ community – especially Black LGBTQ+ people – at a time we had no one.

FILM

Boston Underground Film Festival is March 18-22, with Bob Odenkirk bringing his ‘Normal’

February 17, 2026

Badges go on sale at noon Wednesday for The Boston Underground Film Festival's 26th year of horror, fantasy, sci-fi and quirky indies.

MUSIC

Arts Council changes are opaque despite campaign rhetoric, but rock renaissance seems real

February 17, 2026

Can we reflect for a moment on what a hackneyed PR maneuver it is to drop big news at 4:54 p.m. on a Friday before a long weekend?

MUSIC

A stripped-down Katzù Oso comes to The Sinclair on Saturday

February 16, 2026

In advance of his show Saturday at The Sinclair touring with Say She She, Paul Hernandez (Katzù Oso) talked with me about coming up in the Los Angeles music scene, mentors and influences, leaving...

COMEDY

Who won comedy last week: Caden Adrien and Iris Kessler

February 12, 2026

Caden Adrien channels Mitch Hedberg and Steven Wright. Iris Kessler, doing comedy for only three months, brought a great joke and needled her show’s judges.