A roundup of recent articles from the Massachusetts independent press
Read on for some of the best recent articles by local independent news outlets around the Bay State!
ARTS
Music Festival Review: The Newport Jazz Festival at 70 — Bridging Generations and Styles
The Arts Fuse
“(B)ebop and fusion to R&B, hip-hop and Afrofuturism” all present and accounted for at “intergeneration” show celebrating a real milestone for the storied music festival.
CULTURE
Essay: Proud Madeiran women brought new energy to the Feast
The New Bedford Light
South Coast Madeiran community makes it to the 20th century by allowing women to work at an annual festival.
EDUCATION
UMass Seeking Felony Riot Charges Against Palestine Activists
The Shoestring
Crackdown on free speech accelerates at “liberal” state university
Town hosts teens from Friends Forever International for community-building day
Marblehead Current
A peace-building New England summer camp for high schoolers from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Sustainability Committee Votes Down School HVAC Funding
Sudbury Weekly
Sudbury is forced to choose which priorities to fund first, putting students, teachers, and staff at potential risk.
FOOD
Community food assessment report focuses on food insecurity
The Worcester Guardian
“A Worcester Community Food Assessment report showed that more than half of approximately 500 people surveyed said they struggled to buy food.”
GOVERNMENT
It happened again: ‘No Way to Prevent This,’ Says Only City Where This Regularly Happens
Worcester Sucks and I Love It
Another sad milestone in a community’s battle against urban planning that favors cars over pedestrians.
Why most public water fountains in Newton don’t work
The Newton Beacon
The wheels of public hydration move slowly … even in a rich city.
HISTORY
‘It was a helluva way to die’
Plymouth Independent
Honoring a son of Plymouth killed 75 years ago while fighting a forest fire.
HOUSING
State Program Doles Out $27M for Housing as Many Priced Out
Sampan
“(T)he cash infusion for new housing will likely make only a small dent in what many residents see as a crisis of unaffordability.”
New state policy limits emergency shelter stays
The Bay State Banner
A deep-dive into the controversial new state rule.
LIFESTYLE
Do a little digging into Big Dig Records’ stacks, and ponder the lack of live rock ‘n’ roll albums
Cambridge Day
One of my favorite record stores! Collectors take note.
Billerica Farmers’ Market Named Best in State
Burlington Buzz
Impressive achievement given the stiff competition from wealthier communities.
Ipswich Fishermen Reel in Massive Tuna to Win Annual Bluefin Blowout
The Local News (Ipswich)
A 649-pound tuna. That’s pretty big.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Concord Camera: Summer’s bounty
The Concord Bridge
What’s up at Concord farms this summer.
SPORTS
Kid from Dot finds his pitching groove in Cape Cod League play
Dorchester Reporter
Lexington’s Gabe Van Emon enjoying standout summer in prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League
The Lexington Observer
Two players from two very different communities make it to a storied summer league.
TRANSPORTATION
MBTA accessibility in Wellesley Square gets closer thanks to $500K in funding
The Swellesley Report (Wellesley)
Construction “currently underway at the Wellesley Square commuter rail station to add two accessible freestanding mini-high platforms that will provide level boarding with the Worcester to Boston train cars.”
IndyMass is produced for HorizonMass, the independent, student-driven, news outlet of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, by Jason Pramas and is syndicated by BINJ’s MassWire news service. Copyright 2024 Jason Pramas.
Jason Pramas is executive director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and editor-in-chief of HorizonMass.
