The flu has started hitting parts of the U.S. earlier this year, first picking up in late August to early September. It's a few months earlier than usual according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it remains within expected seasonal variation.

The Supreme Court is hearing a case Wednesday about what information is tracked when you watch videos online, including everything from a movie to a product review.

 Every year, several Massachusetts communities ask Teach For America for more science and math teachers than the nonprofit can provide.

The measure would set a uniform minimum lot size for housing construction statewide.

The toymaker’s departure from Pawtucket could have ripple effects on the local economy, with officials still unsure how many workers will relocate to the new Boston headquarters.

Several members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation are pushing for more study and public feedback before Amazon's drone deliveries out of Westborough take off.

With the temperature dropping and election rhetoric heating up, Gov. Maura Healey wants utility companies to fast-track refunds that are not legally due to Massachusetts ratepayers until late spring.

From the outset, Sen. Ed Markey sought to tie his Republican challenger to the unpopular president, while John Deaton tried to talk about anything else. The faceoff, which did include some substantive policy discussion, is the only scheduled debate between the pair.

"As American Girl turns 40, the first two generations of children who cherished the dolls and stories are all grown up," writes Fiona Davis. "But, like Samantha, they still have the same core values: They are just as driven to take action, to make the world better and to understand the present in the context of all that came before."

Actors’ Shakespeare Project turns Bram Stoker’s classic into a raucous romp, complete with hand-puppet suitors and a rhinestone-belted count. Director Christopher V. Edwards calls laughing together “connective, communal work,” and critic Jacquinn Sinclair writes this cast makes the case.

Before reporting to prison, the reclusive Holmes invited TV prankster Nathan Fielder to come to her home and hear her side of the story. This is a film "people are going to be talking about for the rest of the year, and probably long after that," writes critic Sean Burns.

The free festival returns to Copley Square on Saturday with panels across the Boston Public Library, the Old South Church and the Goethe-Institut. Keynote speaker Emily Wilson, translator of “The Odyssey,” headlines a lineup that also includes Howard Bryant.

Plus, Sweater Weather Film's fall festival and a free concert from Castle of Our Skins.

AI is solving some of the toughest math problems in the world, including ones that have stumped mathematicians for decades. What it means for human ingenuity when there are no more hard problems left to solve.

Adam Goldberg (The Equalizer) stars in this Portuguese tale about ambitions, imposters, and making the feathers fly!

This Circle Round episode originally was released on March 12, 2024.

The longest scientific study of happiness began in 1938 and is still going, now tracking multiple generations.

A federal judge has halted the removal of any more trees at the East Potomac Golf Links.

Laufey sees libraries as an important third space at a time when younger generations are yearning for something that feels physical and nostalgic.

The Pentagon’s plan to publicly livestream the execution by firing squad of a former U.S. Army officer is receiving widespread blowback, even from some high-profile Republicans.

Mortgage rates have climbed to more than 7.4%, keeping many potential buyers on the sidelines.

What’s going on in Florida’s 28 House races?

The documentary "Smooth World" explores the world of smooth jazz: its waning popularity, the remaining stars, its aging but passionate fanbase, and those trying to move the genre forward.

Some big challenges remain, like getting the trail across the Ohio River between West Virginia and Ohio.

The Native American and Alaska Native students died while attending the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania more than a century ago. 

The Department of Government Efficiency lasted just a few months in 2025, but its impact will last for years.

Thousands have taken to the streets in the capital of India and some other cities, protesting the removal of more than 130 million people from electoral rolls in what critics are calling a purge to favor the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Department of Justice told the Associated Press that agents were executing a judicially authorized search warrant. Omar is calling the search "an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement." 

Question 4 on the November ballot asks voters whether Massachusetts should allow same-day voter registration on Election Day. If passed, the proposed law would go into effect in 2028.

WBUR's Tiziana Dearing spoke to Evan Horowitz, the executive director of the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University, about the pros and cons of no-party primary elections.

"Operation Wicked Safe," a collaboration between state police departments, will focus on interstate highways in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and New York. Here's what to expect.