Latest news with #BattleofLexington
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
See the fastest growing and shrinking cities in Mass.; look up your town
The U.S. Census has released brand new data on population change in Massachusetts and some clear trends have emerged. Cities and towns in Western Massachusetts as well as Cape Cod largely saw declines while Central Massachusetts and the Boston metro area saw gains. The recent Census release gave population estimates for July 1, 2024, which can be compared to previous years. From the previous year, 282 of the 351 Massachusetts cities and towns saw increases to their population. Seven communities remained exactly the same and 62 saw declines. But the communities were not evenly distributed across the state. Nearly all of Cape Cod and Western Massachusetts saw declines. Meanwhile, the northern suburbs of Boston had three of the top fastest growing communities in the state. Below are the fastest growing and shrinking cities and towns in Massachusetts, as well as a map showing the population changes across the state, and a table where you can look up your own city or town. 1. Stoneham in Middlesex County Stoneham, a town in the northern suburbs of Boston, was the fastest growing Massachusetts community in 2024, according to the Census. Three of the fastest growing communities were all in this same region. Starting in 2023 with a population of 23,098, it grew 1,452 people or 6.3% to a new population of 24,550. 2. Pelham in Hampshire County The rule was that population declined in Western Massachusetts, but this community just east of Amherst bucked the trend by being one of the fastest growing by percentage. At a population of 1,343 in 2024, it remains a small town, but it grew by 71 people or 5.6% in the past year. 3. Woburn in Middlesex County The city of Woburn borders Stoneham in Boston's northern suburbs and saw a population increase of 1,812 from 2023 to 2024. That was about the same number that Cambridge saw, and Woburn is less than half its size at 43,895. That increase was 4.3% 4. Wakefield in Middlesex County On the other side of Stoneham from Woburn, Wakefield also saw a significant growth of 3.9%. Its population grew from 28,110 in 2023 to 29,216 in 2024. 5. North Reading in Middlesex County North Reading (distinct from Reading!) is a bit further from Boston, but nearby the other Middlesex County growth leaders of 2024. The town saw an increase of 511 people, good enough for a 3.2% increase from its 2023 population of 15,868 to a 2024 population of 16,379. 1. Concord in Middlesex County Massachusetts communities were far more likely to grow than shrink in 2024, and those that shrunk only did so a bit. The community of Concord — of Battle of Lexington and Concord as well as Walden Pond fame — shrunk the most. It lost 1% of its population or 181 people, leaving it with a population of 18,092 in 2024. 2. Southampton in Hampshire County While most communities that shrunk were already quite small and didn't shrink by much, many that shrunk the most were in Hampshire county. The fastest shrinking of these was Southampton, which lost 42 people or 0.7% of its population. In 2024, it had a population of 6,181. 3. Dennis in Barnstable County Other than Western Massachusetts, the region of Cape Cod saw most of its communities shrink slightly in 2024. Dennis lost 100 people or 0.7% of its population, and wound up with a population of 14,862. 4 and 5. Goshen and Cummington in Hampshire County The small Hampshire County towns of Goshen and Cummington only lost a handful of people — 6 and 4 respectively — but that was enough for them to crack the top five fastest shrinking Massachusetts communities. Goshen had a 2024 population of 942 and Cummington had 819. All 351 Massachusetts communities are represented on the table below. Find your own city or town. If the table does not show up below, visit this link. Angel Reese lauds WNBA for support during investigation Ex-Harvard Medical School morgue manager pleads guilty in stolen body parts case Target of Springfield eminent domain, 'Chicken Building' owners cry foul in court Keyshawn Johnson details 'craziest' sideline fight he saw that involved Bill Belichick 3 Mass. tours awarded top 20 experiences in the country Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Harvard defeats tyranny. (At least, it did 250 years ago.)
Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up The current Advertisement Like Lexington and Concord, Cambridge was a front of its own in 1775. To be sure, Harvard alumni included both Tories and patriots, and to this day, the university's architectural legacy reflects this mixed heritage. Near the campus, a stretch of Brattle Street is still called 'Tory Row' because of its association with wealthy Loyalists. One of the prettiest buildings on the campus is Holden Chapel, a Georgian gem, completed in 1744. Its financing was arranged by a prominent son of Harvard, Thomas Hutchinson, later reviled by most of Massachusetts for his pro-English policies as governor. When things got too hot for him, he emigrated to England, where he received an honorary degree from Oxford, conferred on July 4, 1776. Advertisement But overwhelmingly, Harvard was on the patriot side during the struggle to establish the United States of America. It was perhaps natural for Harvard to join the cause of resistance to a distant monarch, for many of the university's founders had fled England precisely to escape the oppressive policies of King Charles I a century and a half earlier. To a striking degree, the founders of Massachusetts and Harvard included alumni of Oxford and Cambridge (130 of whom were living in greater Boston in 1646, 10 years after Harvard's founding). They were eager to maintain their intellectual distance from a monarch who was trying to bend England's universities to his will. Creating a new university, across the ocean from Charles I and his censorious archbishop, William Laud, was an effective way to do that. In the 1760s, political tensions were growing again under a different king, George III, and were keenly felt on campus. Then as now, student protests were a fact of life, and well before the Battle of Lexington, undergraduates were rallying around a 'Liberty Tree,' or 'Rebellion Elm,' in Harvard Yard, denouncing British oppression, and swearing never to drink the 'pernicious herb,' British tea. Advertisement Cambridge grew crowded between 1770 and 1773, when the British ordered the General Court to meet there, to avoid Boston's angry mobs. This is one of the reasons for a line in the Declaration of Independence blaming King George III for moving legislative assemblies to places 'unusual, uncomfortable and distant.' Yes, our country's founding document takes a swipe at Cambridge. To the students, however, the General Court's sessions offered a welcome distraction. When the Revolution came, they were ready. On April 19, 1775, six undergraduates joined the Minutemen who were making their stand at Lexington and Concord. Later that day, the first alumnus to be killed in the war was Major Isaac Gardner, shot by the British in North Cambridge as they were retreating to Boston. Things heated up quickly after that. Campus buildings were converted into barracks for the Continental Army. The students were let out early on May 1, the library was packed up and sent to Andover for safekeeping, and the soldiers were welcomed in. Parents who worry about campus overcrowding today may be astonished to know that little Massachusetts Hall held 640 soldiers. It was in Cambridge that George Washington took command of the army (a local hotel, the Sheraton Commander, still bears tribute). He was also given an honorary degree, the first of 16 presidents to be so honored. Throughout the 1775-1776 academic year, for the only time in its history, Harvard convened at a new location, in Concord. By the time the students returned, in June 1776, the British had evacuated Boston, and the Revolution had moved south. But Harvard alumni played an important role in the work of creating the political and diplomatic architecture needed for a new country. Eight alumni signed the Declaration of Independence. Advertisement That document has assumed new relevance in recent weeks, arguing that Americans should not have to submit to the imperious demands of a ruler exceeding his authority. The catalog of royal sins includes 'cutting off our trade with all parts of the world,' sending 'swarms of Officers to harass our people,' 'depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury,' and 'transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences.' An America that trusted knowledge Even as the new country was coming into existence, the Founders were looking at history in creative ways. For John Adams, seeking examples of earlier alliances among the Colonies, it was helpful to read about the New England Confederation, an alliance among Massachusetts, Plymouth, and the various Connecticut Colonies, launched in 1643. Adams and others also scoured Harvard's library for books on military tactics, since the war was coming so close to them. There were many reasons the patriots prevailed in the existential crisis that began in April 1775. It goes without saying that courage was needed, but the American cause also benefited from a solidarity among the states that surprised and confounded the British. In other ways, too, Americans proved more resilient than the British: living off the land, enduring greater hardships, and adapting constantly. In a similar way, America's universities have shown unexpected pluck in recent weeks, Advertisement The Founders never surrendered their vision of a civil society, even as they endured severe privations. To a remarkable extent, they kept building even as they fought for survival. This was true on campus as well. Harvard's medical school stems from the improvised field hospitals that were created around Boston during the early years of the Revolution. A learned institution, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, was founded in Cambridge at nearly the same moment, in 1780. Its first class embraced foreign as well as local intellectuals, including a Swede and five Frenchmen. In all of these ways, the Founders built a United States of America that trusted knowledge and reached out creatively to the rest of the world. Harvard was only one of many universities that contributed to the result. But because of the attacks that have arrived with such frequency in recent weeks, America's oldest university has come to represent something larger than itself. It is unclear how the coming legal standoff will play out. It may simply fade away, as so many other Trump policies have. But the American Revolution suggests that an essential advantage is conferred upon the side that learns from its history.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Top Mass. Senate Dem Spilka to Boston biz leaders: ‘You must speak up'
The top Democrat in the Massachusetts state Senate made a direct appeal to the upper crust of Boston leaders on Wednesday, urging them to 'speak up' as the Republican Trump administration does battle with the Bay State over trade, federal funding and other key issues. Speaking to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce in Boston's Seaport neighborhood, Senate President Karen E. Spilka called on those business leaders to use their combined clout and their voices to 'speak up.' " I hope you will all use your collective voices to let the Trump Administration, Congress, and the federal government know when their policies are harming your businesses, your employees, your families and your bottom lines—as well as the state we are lucky enough to call home," Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, said in remarks that stretched to 33 minutes. The business group, she noted, represents 1,200 organizations that include large and small corporations, nonprofit groups, and law firms, adding that she could "only imagine the billions of dollars in economic activity you represent when taken all together." So, while the Senate will do "all we can to uphold the rule of law, separation of powers and due process, but we are limited in what we can do and we can't do it alone,' she continued, casting that effort against the recent celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington. 'That's why we need your partnership more than ever to call out, when appropriate, a president who wants to be king and a Congress that is handing over its power to that president,' she said. The Ashland Democrat has emerged as one of the most forceful legislative critics of the Republican White House, repeatedly denouncing what she has described as the destructive impact of its policies on Massachusetts. Spilka beat that same drum during her speech to business leaders, saying she fears that "the massive changes being made by this administration at the federal level are not just reshaping our government, they are also threatening our way of life and our basic democratic principles." That's easy to see, she continued, 'when you think of our most vulnerable residents, families with children with complex medical needs, and our veterans—among others—who rely on government programs like Medicaid, Head Start or the VA. Or when you think of the people—surely some of you in this room—who have had to fight to be afforded the same rights and privileges as other Americans." But because she was in a room full of numbers people, Spilka also made a starkly economic argument, noting that 'chaos' brought on by the White House's trade war is " also a threat to our economy — and not just because economies crave stability.' 'Just this past fall—practically a lifetime ago at this point— two MIT economists, together with their colleague from the University of Chicago —won the Nobel prize in economics for their work to show that over time, open, inclusive and democratic countries have stronger economies," she said. The argument echoed those made by other Bay State pols, including Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that Trump's attacks on Harvard University would punch a hole in the state's economy, prompting researchers and innovators to flee to other countries. On Tuesday, Senate Democrats rolled out a $61.3 billion, no-tax-hike budget plan for the new fiscal year that starts July 1, which is premised heavily on federal funding. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the Senate's top budget-writer warned of potentially catastrophic consequences if Washington carries through on a threat to turn off the spigot. That's particularly true of MassHealth, a budget beast that serves millions of state residents, Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairperson Michael Rodriques, D-1st Bristol/Plymouth, said. If the feds hit Medicaid, 'all bets are off‚' Rodriques said. On Tuesday night, states appeared to get a reprieve, as congressional Republicans ruled out some Medicaid reductions, putting the burden on Trump's loyalists to look elsewhere to pay for the White House's tax cuts, according to Roll Call. Spilka hit the high points of the majority-Democrat chamber's fiscal blueprint: More money for public education, an effort to tame the state's housing crisis, and public transportation. But, she warned, 'no state, not even one as strong and resilient as Massachusetts, can fill the massive budget gaps that could arise if federal dollars are stripped away.' If that happens, she continued, 'it will put serious pressure on our budget, our families, our communities, and our businesses.' The Senate is scheduled to start debate on its budget proposal on May 20. The majority Democrat House passed its $61.4 billion version of the budget last week. Both proposals are below the $62 billion that Healey proposed earlier this year. 'As we navigate the coming months and years, we truly will need to continue to work closely together to solve the most pressing problems before us and stand up for the state that we love,' Spilka told the crowd. More political news Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘No kings then, no kings now.' Lexington marchers call out Trump administration
On the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, which launched the Revolutionary War, a crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered in the Kentucky city named for that battle, chanting, 'No kings then, no kings now.' 'Checks and balances are already gone,' Louis Knupp, of 50501 Kentucky, told protesters in Lexington's downtown courthouse plaza Saturday. 'Make no mistake. We are living through a true Constitutional crisis.' Knupp said the current administration 'has been making moves to consolidate power.' 'If one of us does not have due process, none of us do, and a land without due process is a land without laws,' he said. At the time of the American Revolution, Knupp said, 'they didn't have the government on their side, and yet they resisted and they won.' Speakers at Saturday's rally and march touched on a number of issues of concern, including deportations, tariffs, the public education system, Medicaid cuts, LGBTQ rights and more. Organizers estimated Saturday's crowd, which filled the plaza in front of the Fayette District Court building, at 3,000 people. After gathering in the plaza, the crowd split into two groups and marched through downtown. Cars passing by frequently honked in solidarity. The protest was brought together by a coalition of organizations including 50501 Kentucky, the Bluegrass Activist Alliance, Gathering for Democracy, KY120 United — AFT, the Lexington-Fayette Chapter of the NAACP, Peaceful Bluegrass Resistance and Progress Kentucky. The same coalition also brought together a 'Hands Off' protest April 5. 'The groups and attendees are warning that the Trump Administration has behaved more like a monarchy than a democracy since reclaiming the executive office, with disregard for the rule of law, separation of powers and due process,' the groups said in an announcement before Saturday's rally. Booths were set up where attendees could register to vote and sign postcards asking 6th Congressional District Rep. Andy Barr and Sen. Mitch McConnell to bring home Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man deported to El Salvador who the U.S. Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to return. 'Defend our Constitution, our rule of law, and our democracy,' the cards urged. 'There is a remedy when one branch usurps their powers. That remedy is impeachment,' said Christina Trosper, a social studies teacher from Barbourville who is a member of KY120 United-AFT. She asked those in attendance to reach out to their legislators to tell them 'what they must do, not what you want them to do.' Bob Hoeller, of Lexington, told the crowd that if the Trump administration can remove people, 'the administration can facilitate their return ... and afford them the due process of law, which is constitutionally guaranteed.' 'I've never seen our democracy in such peril,' said Hoeller, who described himself as 'a 73-year-old-plus Vietnam veteran.' He said he sees Project 2025 as a playbook 'written in order to destroy America.' He appeared to grow teary-eyed as he spoke. Angela Lee came from Casey County to attend the rally. She said she's not able to march, but 'I certainly make myself heard on a daily basis.' 'I have been concerned since the first time that Trump became president,' Lee said. 'I can't believe what we find ourselves faced with. ...The people of this country will not stand to have the country taken away from them. I don't think it's going to be as easy as they think it is.' Another demonstrator, Gretchen Grossardt, of Lexington, said she's particularly concerned about reproductive freedoms. If she could tell the president and his administration one thing, she said she'd tell them, 'No one is above the law. This administration is ignoring the law.' Grossardt said she's been protesting since the Vietnam War. 'Until there are enough young people to replace the old ones doing this, I'm going to show up,' she said.
CBS News
19-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Gov. Healey calls for the fight for liberty to continue 250 years later: "This is our generation's time"
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey called for Americans to continue the fight for liberty as she spoke at a remembrance of the Battle of Concord and the start of the Revolutionary War Saturday, saying "our freedoms are once again under attack." Healey was one of the speakers at the ceremony held at Old North Bridge, the site of the Battle of Concord 250 years ago. Earlier in the morning, a dawn salute was held where muskets and cannons were fired. Saturday's ceremony took part midway through a parade , marking the 250 years since the battle. The Concord battle reenactment took place shortly after the Battle of Lexington reenactment earlier in the morning. After the British clashed with Minutemen in Lexington 250 years ago, they marched on to Concord, where they aimed to capture the colonists' ammunition supply. Among the dignitaries at the ceremony were Healey, Rep. Lori Trahan and British Consul General to New England David Clay "In Massachusetts, we have always lit the beacon. We've always answered the alarm. We have always stood our ground and we always will," said Healey. "And now is the time to honor and fulfill that legacy. We live in a moment when our freedoms are once again under attack, including from the highest office in the land. We see things that would be familiar to our revolutionary predecessors: the silencing of critics, the disappearing of people from our streets, demands for unquestioning fealty." Healey's sentiments were echoed by Trahan, who said the founders knew that the threat to democracy wouldn't come from another country. "What began here in Concord became the shot heard 'round the world. It was more than the start of a war, it was the beginning of an idea, that liberty is worth defending, that government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed," said Trahan, who was met with applause. "Even our founders knew that the greatest threat to this fragile experiment wouldn't come from abroad, it would come from America, not one, no one, no matter how loud, wealthy or how powerful, stands above the law." After Healey and Trahan spoke, a wreath-laying was held to remember those who fought in Concord, as well as the British soldiers who were killed in the battle and are buried in Concord. Healey and Major Gen. Gary Keefe of the Massachusetts National Guard placed one wreath at the Minuteman statue and the second was placed by Clay at the grave of the British soldiers. Following the wreath placement, a volley salute of muskets was performed from the Old North Bridge.
