Seagulls fly over Revere Beach. (Dr. RawheaD/Flickr) After a long and tough winter, summer weather is finally here in Massachusetts, and many Bostonians have already started weekend treks to Cape Cod, New Hampshire and Maine. But you may be surprised to learn that the public beaches in the greater Boston area get about 1.5 million visitors each summer. Those beaches — in places like Hull, Quincy, South Boston, Lynn and Revere — are cleaner and more attractive these days than they were just a few years ago. They have less litter, fewer broken water fountains, cleaner Continue reading >>>

The fabulous thing about a starchitecture map in a place like Greater Boston is the sheer breadth of options. We can go back to the very first American starchitect, Charles Bulfinch (he of the Massachusetts State House and myriad other downtown Boston landmarks), and all the way forward to living legends such as Renzo Piano (the Isabella Stewart Gardner addition) and Fumihiko Maki (M.I.T.'s Media Lab) with so many more bold-faced names in between, including I.M. Pei, Henry Hobson Richardson, Philip Johnson and Eero Saarinen. Have fun. Continue reading >>>

Recently various sculptures have been popping up around the Greater-Boston-Area that have inspired questions and intrigued onlookers. These sculptures are part of The Energy Necklace, a sustainable art and educational movement founded by Susan Israel. Principal and Founder of the Energy Necklace Project, Israel creates public works that inspire action and understanding regarding the environment at large.In 2008, Israel decided that she wanted to create a positive change regarding how our culture faces the issue of Climate Change. "I wanted to do something to improve the environment that Continue reading >>>

State-owned beaches in Greater Boston are in much better condition than they were several years ago — the waters off South Boston are now deemed among the cleanest of the country’s urban beaches — but those gains are in jeopardy unless funding is found to support continued efforts, according to a state-authorized study to be released Tuesday. The report by the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, which looked at 15 beaches from Lynn to Hull, found that nearly all are cleaner and extensive repairs to infrastructure such as sidewalks and bathhouses have made them more attractive and accessible Continue reading >>>

The jet ran off the end of the runway, crashed into a wooded gully and exploded in flames, killing all seven people on board.

State-owned beaches in Greater Boston are in much better condition than they were several years ago — the waters off South Boston are now deemed among the cleanest of the country’s urban beaches — but those gains are in jeopardy unless funding is found to support continued efforts, according to a state-authorized study to be released Tuesday. The report by the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, which looked at 15 beaches from Lynn to Hull, found that nearly all are cleaner and extensive repairs to infrastructure such as sidewalks and bathhouses have made them more attractive and accessible Continue reading >>>

Tweet In the event of a tie, Wynn Resorts would have to face off with competitor Mohegan Sun for a Greater Boston area casino license. This is the proposed Wynn site. (Image: DAVID L. RYAN/Boston Globe) When Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen P. Crosby recused himself from the Greater Boston casino vote, nobody had a problem with the decision itself. After all, even the appearance of impropriety could cause a huge scandal when awarding a license that could eventually be worth billions of dollars. But it left just four members on the panel to choose between proposals from Continue reading >>>

The short work week was long on news, from Whitey Bulger's former FBI handler John Connolly having his sentence overturned, to our own Emily Rooney announcing she would step down from hosting Greater Boston. Here's what it looked like from the WGBH Newsroom. • Famed writer/activist Maya Angelou passed away at the age of 86. Abbie Ruzicka rounded up some of her notable interviews and readings, Callie Crossley wrote a personal remembrance of her mother introducing her to Angelou's work, and Phillip Martin reconciled her legacy with her support of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Continue reading >>>

Yesterday, I participated in a great mini-conference held by Harvard's Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston on how technology innovation could help increase social mobility. (In full disclosure, I sit on the Institute's advisory board.) Throughout, we heard a range of ideas and examples about how technology can drive changes in civic engagement, government responsiveness and education. We also heard about tech and jobs.The most interesting content to me, though, came in what we heard on the margins. Technology innovation can help improve social mobility. Continue reading >>>

Contributed article from Mark Lorion, co-founder of Boston TechJam and chief marketing officer of Apperian, and Tom Hopcroft, president and chief executive at Mass Technology Leadership Council When it comes to tech hubs, the spotlight usually shines on Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley in New York City. Despite our own rich history in technology and innovation, Boston, to be quite blunt, has lost top billing. In the last few years, there’s been a perception, both internally and nationally, that the city had flat lined, or as PandoDaily put it, was “in a rut” and had “lost its mojo.” But Continue reading >>>