About two dozen Coulee Region runners will be jostling with more than 35,600 others in the Boston Marathon Monday — partly to defy the terror inflicted when two deadly bombs halted the race last year.“One of the reasons is to show I’m not going to let you intimidate me. That’s what terrorism does,” said Rachel Klistaui of La Crosse, who will be running the 26.2-mile course for the second time. “I want to let them know they can’t scare me.”Local participants run the gamut, from 36-year-old Alison Huppert, whose goal is to run a marathon in Continue reading >>>

It’s a premier, international sporting event that’s free to view, a serpentine gantlet of scream tunnels, haunted miles, and heartbreaking hills that bisects, and also annually unites, Greater Boston. The Boston Marathon is also a vast and public personal gut-check, where tens of thousands of spectators urge each runner to deliver on the private promises made over thousands of grueling training run miles. Continue reading below And it’s a 26.2-mile-long county fair, with clowns and trampolines, music and costumes and feats of derring-do. Related Photos Continue reading >>>

BOSTON — Several days after the Boston Marathon bombing, Gov. Deval Patrick received a call in the pre-dawn hours from a top aide telling him that police officers outside the city had just engaged in a ferocious gun battle with the two men suspected of setting the bombs and that one was dead and the other had fled. Within hours, Patrick shut down the region’s public transportation system and made an extraordinary request of more than 1 million greater Boston residents: Shelter in place. And for the better part of April 19, 2013, nearly everyone did. On what otherwise would Continue reading >>>

The state gambling commission on Friday rebuffed Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s call for its chairman to recuse himself from any involvement in licensing a casino in the Greater Boston region. Casino regulators will also press ahead with a hearing in two weeks to determine if Boston deserves more influence over two casino proposals on its border, despite Walsh’s boycott of the process, which he has blasted as unfair to the city. Continue reading below “The commission has frequently been presented with complex matters of law requiring fair and judicious decision-making by the five appointed commissioners,” Continue reading >>>

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has unleashed another round of unreasonable demands in his misguided attempt to secure lucrative “host community” status in the Greater Boston casino race. The mayor is overplaying his hand.How far does Walsh plan to take all this? If he eventually wins his argument on the merits — an expensive long shot, it would seem — there will be no casinos in greater Boston for the foreseeable future. No new jobs for his friends in organized labor. And that’s why we continue to assume that this is all a rather elaborate game of chicken.But in the meantime Walsh risks exposing Continue reading >>>

BOSTON -- As it has been for most of the week throughout the Greater Boston area, this weekend will be an emotional time for many remembering the anniversary of the tragedies of last year's Boston Marathon and the events that followed. Fenway Park will be no different. Patriots' Day -- Marathon Monday -- is a uniquely Massachusetts day. The third Monday in April, it celebrates the commonwealth's history with visitors from around the world. "I think we should keep on celebrating it, the way we have through the years," said Red Sox designated hitter Continue reading >>>

SpeakEasy Stage Company Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault has been named the recipient of the 2014 Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence, The Boston Theater Critics Association (BTCA) announced today. This prize, awarded annually to an outstanding member of the Greater Boston Theatre community, will be presented at the 32nd Annual Elliot Norton Awards ceremony to be held Monday, May 19, 2014 at 7PM at the Wheelock Family Theatre in Boston. In announcing their selection, the BTCA commented that "Paul Daigneault's vision and leadership have made SpeakEasy Stage Continue reading >>>

Mayor Martin J. Walsh is calling on the state’s top gambling regulator to recuse himself from any decisions about licensing a casino in the Greater Boston region, accusing him of bias against the city and its efforts to gain more influence over two casino proposals just beyond its borders. “Throughout the process, Chairman [Stephen] Crosby has made several statements, which the city deems prejudicial,” Elizabeth Dello Russo, a lawyer for the Walsh administration, wrote in a blistering letter to the commission on Thursday. Continue reading below Dello Russo accused the commission of trying Continue reading >>>

Above:  Southborough student Ryan Palmer (with Greater Boston PFLAG Program Director) was honored for his efforts to improve LGBTQ students climate at St. Mark’s School. (photo provided) I can’t keep up with all of our news making residents. Frankly, there are too many to share in one post. So here are just some of the recent stories worth sharing. Southborough swimmers take top spots in Winter Suburban Swim League Championships - contributed by Patty Cerro Several of Southborough’s youth swimmers participated recently in the Winter Suburban Swim League “A” Championship at Milford Continue reading >>>