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!
AI
Ask Perplexity AI: What are the Risks to the Town of Continued Development of Five Story Private Dorms Downtown
Amherst Indy
A fun and possibly even appropriate use of the overhyped tech of the moment. The author “understands that Artificial Intelligence is not Actual Intelligence, but it’s better than Real Stupid; and like life, it’s garbage in, garbage out.”
ARTS
Book Review: “Just Beyond the Light” — Essential Heavy-Metal Lit
The Arts Fuse
You had me at “heavy-metal lit!”
Black history reimagined through a photographer’s lens
The Bay State Banner
James Baldwin’s inkwell, Malcolm X’s tape recorder, a lock of Frederick Douglass’s hair. These are some of the physical manifestations of Black history, oppression and transcendence that artist Wendel White photographed for his book “Manifest: Thirteen Colonies” and the eponymous exhibition [at] the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology at Harvard University.
Meet the Artist: Violeta Smart
Boston Compass Newspaper
A very direct way to get readers to a cake-decorating class … I approve.
EDUCATION
More tough decisions ahead for Ipswich schools as budget crunch suddenly worsens
The Local News (Ipswich)
Just an old-fashioned budget crunch in Ipswich caused in this case by a greedy insurance company it seems. Nothing Trump-related mentioned.
HEALTH
Peace advocates: Why is a weapons CEO on our hospital’s board?
The Shoestring
A fine question for Mass General Brigham …
HISTORY
New Shed Will House Burlington’s Historical Artifacts
Burlington Buzz
Perhaps one day Burlington will get an entire house lol … naw, but the shed looks nice.
POLITICS
Wu, Kraft both worked room at Keystone’s Black History Month event
Dorchester Reporter
Boston’s mayoral race is getting into gear.
THE TRUMP EFFECT (A new section I’m worried will start subsuming this column)
Housing Authority work and Residents are at risk from Trump administration policies, leaders say
Cambridge Day
Housing advocates say that low-incoming housing is under threat, even in a wealthy city like Cambridge
Marblehead reacts to Trump’s DEI order to schools
Marblehead Current
“Marblehead schools received $947,992 in federal funding in fiscal 2025”–a not inconsiderable sum to risk losing.
Don’t Say ‘It Won’t Affect Me’: Immigration Expert Gives Take on Trump Crackdown on Immigrants
Sampan
“Sampan spoke with Martin Kim, director of immigration advocacy at the nonprofit group Asian Americans Advancing Justice”
L-S Committee Reviews Fed Funding, Raises Concerns About Free Lunch
Sudbury Weekly
Another rich town wondering how it will pay for basic services. What of the poor towns?
At the Pentagon, reality likely to trump rhetoric on climate change and national security
The Berkshire Argus
Apparently the Pentagon will continue some work on combating global warming. Fitting since the military plays an outsized role in accelerating it.
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 2025 Jason Pramas.
