WBUR News

Consumers already pay the state’s sales tax when they buy sporting goods and recreational vehicles, or spend at a golf course.

Old voters dominate the ballot box in local, primary, and at times, national elections.

Saara Chaudry (The Muppets Mayhem, Holly Hobby) stars in this tale from India and beyond about good deeds, bad intentions, and biscuits.

While 96.5% of Massachusetts kindergarteners had received measles vaccines last school year, state data shows some counties dipped below the 95% threshold considered essential for herd immunity, making their students more vulnerable to infections.

Armadillos have been steadily moving north in the U.S. for the past century or so, leaving their hot, dry habitats behind.

Every year, thousands of lowrider enthusiasts gather in Guadalupe, Arizona, to show off their shiny rims.

Jake Pearson is a problem gambler, losing thousands of dollars a night betting on sports, and a DraftKings VIP, lavished with special offers for free gambling money.

A century ago this month, author A.A.

The war in Iran has slowed growth, France's deficit is expanding and social unrest has recently turned violent.

Brian Frange, who calls apples the "greatest fruit to grace the earth," has made it his calling to rank and re-rank at least 100 varieties of the fruit, based on 10 criteria, including density, skin, flesh, crispness, beauty and, of course, taste.

Historian Julian Zelizer says that in the early 1980s, when most Americans were just gaining their footing with the personal and interconnected computers, "WarGames," a major Hollywood movie, helped ordinary viewers imagine some of the problems that the n…

Democrats are hoping to gain political ground ahead of midterms, while Republicans scramble to hold onto their foothold.

A gap in the law in New York and nearly two dozen other states makes it hard to prosecute rape if the victim has been drinking or taking drugs beforehand.

The World Health Organization says a possible case of pneumonic plague poses a very low risk outside Russia.

The Supreme Court is looking at a case today about a worker with a retirement plan through his employer, Intel, and the investment choices Intel made.

Border agents dispersed a camp of protestors along the U.S.

According to The Wall Street Journal, President Trump's Justice Department is reviewing the conduct of special prosecutors who, more than 50 years ago, investigated the Watergate break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.…

From the start, Troy Jackson had barely more than 100 days to mount a campaign against New England's only Republican senator.

Scarboro Hill in Franklin Park, a local haven for hiking and bird watching, is expected to become home to a new monument designed by and for the Wampanoag people.

Jury selection begins Tuesday in federal court in Boston for the trial of Matthew Farwell for allegedly killing Sandra Birchmore and her unborn child in 2021.

What started as a father-son project has grown into a multi-state effort to make lanternfly control more fun.

Bermuda police said Marilyn Lavonne Bean, 66, and Sergio Wayne Lottimore, 41, were aboard a Gulfstream G100 along with four Canadian crew members when it went missing off Nantucket around 1 a.m.

The day, which falls on Oct. 12 this year, is called Columbus Day by the state and federal government.

Jury selection begins in federal trial against ex-Stoughton detective accused of killing Sandra Birchmore and staging her death as a suicide.

President Trump has compared himself to Caesar, but there's one aspect of the emperor's legacy the president doesn't seem interested in: public transportation.

The 2026 installment screens 27 titles over 12 days.

Older Americans control more political power and wealth than ever before.

A federal appeals court heard opposing arguments Monday over whether a judge had the authority to restore billions of dollars in funding that the Trump administration cut from Harvard University.

Supporters say the proposed ballot measure would make elections more competitive and give voters more choice.

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Scientists have identified a new species of penguin in Antarctica.

Recent studies suggest that when parents monitor their kids' digital lives, it lowers kids' chances of social media addiction and other harms.

The details of the gang rape allegations at Cornell University are prompting survivors of sexual assault to share their experiences on social media.

Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are growing, and wagers on politics and the midterms are surging on these platforms.

The Supreme Court is weighing Boulder, Colorado's lawsuit against oil companies over the effects of climate change.

U.S. employers added just 29,000 jobs last month, far fewer than forecasters had expected.

Schools say losing internet access would be catastrophic for students.

The book features recipes with few steps geared towards busy lives.

Attorney and author Alexandra Brodsky thinks Jane Doe's lawsuit accusing fraternity members of gang raping her in 2024 is happening in the shadow of Title IX sexual harassment protections that were weakened under President Trump.

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded on Monday to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their work in optogenetics, a field of neuroscience that looks at the activity of individual neurons to link them to specif…

The Supreme Court begins its new term today, with cases on climate change, immigration and religious pre-schools.

The son of Brazil's former hard-right president outperformed the polls in a national election this weekend.

Poll workers play a critical role in U.S. elections.

Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing changes to the statute of limitations for civil child sexual abuse claims.

Jhonathan Ramirez, the housemate of man shot killed by ICE over the summer, said the shooting upended his life and thrust him into an unwelcome spotlight.

The Massachusetts Democratic Party and the Massachusetts Republican Party both oppose Question 3, along with state legislative leaders.

Karl Deisseroth, 54, Peter Hegemann, 71, and Georg Nagel, 73, have carried out research into light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.

" This evolution of gambling has happened in a way that we've gone from brick-and-mortar casinos to now access on your phone 24/7," said the state's director for the Office of Problem Gambling, Victor Ortiz.

Ads depicting children with the slogan "BPS IS FAILING THEM" began going up across the MBTA system on Wednesday.

Though Maye committed two more turnovers to give him nine on the season, he rallied the Patriots to the victory with his 23-yard TD pass to Chism with 1:50 remaining.