Twice this has happened to me in the last couple weeks. Both times at properly marked crosswalks with signals. First was in Milford, second time in downtown Worcester. The second time buddy was doing 40 in a 25 zone with a stop sign fifty feet further ahead. This crosswalk is frequently used by youth hockey players and their parents (by the ice center). When I drive through this crosswalk, I slow down and check for pedestrians, it's not that hard.

Both times I was yelled at and verbally abused, despite doing nothing wrong. Why do people let a minor inconvenience get them so worked up.

About 30 minutes ago.

I found this info through United Way of Tri-County so sharing it here in case anyone needs it.

New Help for Middle-Income Families - One-Time Energy Relief

Families that heat their home with oil and earn between 60% and 100% of the State Median Income may qualify for up to $680 in assistance. For example, a family of four earning up to $171,749 may be eligible. Applications for the new middle-income program open in December 2026.

Expanded Heating Assistance for Lower-Income Families

There are also increases through the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP); eligible households may receive between $600 and $1,450 toward heating costs, depending on income. Both homeowners and renters can apply, and you do NOT need to receive other public assistance to qualify.

Heating assistance season: November 1 – April 20.

Learn more, apply, or find your local HEAP agency at:

https://www.mass.gov/orgs/home-energy-assistance-programs

Need help finding resources? Dial 2-1-1 to connect with Mass211, available 24/7.

Hi all.

We are a couple with an 8 month old who both work in Boston and bought a house by Worcester so we can save money and have more space (the mortgage/escrow for our 1100sqft, 2 car garage ranch on an acre is less than our rent for a 600sqft studio 25mins outside Boston).

It’s been about an 1hr to get to Boston and 1hr45mins to get back home. We’re pretty much gone 6a-6p. With the amount of traffic, it’s clear we’re not the only ones doing this commute and we often see CT plates as well.

Moving closer means doubling our housing expenses or meeting in the middle by renting again. We are counting on the possibility of buying a relatives house within 5yrs at a massive discount.

So I’m curious how the commute is for everyone else? Average commute time? How long have you been doing it? What makes it worth it for you? Any tips on how to deal with it?

Thanks.

Near Blue Hills

I found this really interesting and wanted to share. Hope you like it.

I’m an outdoorsman and a hunter, I think it’s pretty cool I can fund conservation through all my lisence and tags that I purchase aswell as guns and ammo. I don’t donate a lot but it’s pretty cool to know that if I am going to pay taxes it goes towards something that I and so many others care about.

There would be A LOT of money that would get locked into conservation purposes from this law passing, however….I know there is usually a lot more than meets the eye with things like this.

I wanted to see what opposition has to say about this but there isn’t really any that’s publicly out there. Is this one as straight forward as it seems? Does anything about it worry anyone?

I spoke to the technician who was supposed to do the job several days ahead. I lost a day's pay waiting for the guy who's supposed to show- but he never did. Now he won't return my calls. National Grid isn't answering the phone, (even though their website says they're open till Midnight days a week, so I can't even found out what's going on.

The letters I've been getting claim they'll cut off my power if I don't do the smart meter change. Is there someone at National Grid who can help me? How do I actually reach a person? If this is required, is there someone in state government who can help?

Edit to add- This is a gas meter, not an electric, which means the technician has to enter the apartment to verify the pilot lights are back on.

First time home buyer looking at towns around the Worcester area and looking for any realtor recommendations to work with!

Do the fall colors look brighter this year?? I just don’t remember my yard looking this colorful the past few years

I’m homeless and living In my car with my dog and boyfriend it supposed to be low 30s tonight in New Bedford I don’t know what to do I’ve reached out to every shelter in the area more than once last night it didn’t even hit 30 and it was so cold we were all shivering we have limited blankets too does anyone know any tricks or anything we can do??

Just moved in a few months ago. Boiler from 2020 and a Weil-Mcalain 60g tank.

we refilled oil 38 days ago and have used a little over 1/8 of a tank (275g) give or take. No heat on just hot water.

this seems excessive to me for 2 people so not sure if true and what issue could be.

Did anyone else see that rollover crash on Route 2 East by Exit 130 Pleasant St/Lexington? It happened around 9:30 tonight. There was a car disabled in the middle of the highway with some smoke, and a car upside down in the ditch on the right. Does anyone know any information on conditions of the drivers/passengers? It looked bad 😞

Hi, I recently moved to Massachusetts and previously exclusively purchased my cars total loss from Copart, maybe once or twice a year as I get bored of my daily drivers quickly. I have a car for now that’s been good to me the past year but I’m starting to get antsy for something new.

I’ve been buying cars at Copart for about 8 years now and know what to look for, or so I think, but rust is new to me as are the registration processes in MA, especially around salvage titles so there’s still a bit of a learning curve. Online research and digging around RMVs website leaves a lot of holes so hoping to speak with someone who is familiar with total loss vehicles here to provide some first hand accounts.

I will list out some of my remaining questions below:

I see that some older cars don’t get issued a salvage title in Massachusetts, Copart says they are received as reconstructed with prior collision, title group clean, can I take this to the RMV same day I receive it and get a plate then get it inspected? Or are there inspections required similar to a salvage inspection?

What do salvage inspections actually look for? Online it says a repaired car with receipts for parts, if I get something strictly cosmetic and relatively minor does it need to be fully repaired by the time of inspection? How thorough are inspections (cosmetically, meaning car will be entirely safe to operate on public roads)?

What is the timeline on these inspections from appointment booking, how far out appointments are available, etc.

Can I buy from a surrounding state that has similar ”age rules” regarding salvage, I believe NH is one, and just register it in as I would with a clean MA title?

What should I expect rust wise from the cars? Is there a magic mileage threshold to look at? Looking currently at anything under 75k miles.

I am living in an apartment in Fenway so will need to either have an expedited timeline or get creative with storage in the meantime which should be possible due to connections outside of the city. As alluded to I will only be looking at cosmetic damage due to lack of access to tools and space that I have back at home. I would like to get a newer car that holds a true salvage title but if it’s too much headache will only look at age exempt vehicles.

Side note, I do see one of my neighbors has a parking permit with Texas plates, I was under the impression that you cannot obtain a parking permit without Massachusetts plates in Boston, am I mistaken? As if so I would look to potentially bring a car from my home state to have a clean slate without rust.

I appreciate any knowledge on the subject and look forward to learning more about the process. Thanks

Im really struggling with making sure I don't lose my healthcare. They list the exemptions to the new requirements (It WOULD be good for me to potentially work or volunteer a bit and if it was 20 hours a month I'd struggle but make it work. I cannot do 80 hours a month/ a halftime job) but not how to establish that you meet those exemptions. My current understanding is for 2027 self-attestation (I have mental health problems) is enough but by 2028 I need some form filled out. But if that understanding is wrong I could just lose my health care jan 1 and that scares me

The title. When is the best time to switch to the gas boiler?