Lea Michele isn’t afraid to face the music. More than two years after several of her former “Glee” co-stars accused her of exhibiting mean-spirited behavior on set, the actress touched on the online backlash and shared what she took away from the experience. “I think these past two years have been so important for everybody to just sit back and reflect,” she said in an Interview Magazine story on Feb. 7. “I did a lot of personal reach-outs. But the most important thing was for everybody to just take a step back.” Michele noted that those behind-the-scenes conversa ..read more

Imagine you have a really important job and you get fired from that job twice for two separate incidents. Should you get the job back? Mayor Michelle Wu fears too many fired Boston police officers get reinstated to the force, and she has a plan to reform police accountability.  A publicly available strategy outlines her willingness to leverage current police union contract negotiations to get the reform she seeks. Michael O’Brien, 42, hopes the mayor’s effort is successful. He’s been fighting for similar police accountability since he was a victim of police misconduct 14 years ago. “I bec ..read more

A bill being considered by Massachusetts lawmakers would provide a tax credit to reimburse the cost of local newspaper subscriptions. If passed, the proposed law would reimburse any Massachusetts resident up to $250 a year. Qualifying newspapers would have to publish original local content about stories in their area, and at least one person in the newsroom would have to live in the area being covered. “They’re really a critical source of news for the people of the communities in getting a message out there, both pro and con,” said Democratic Rep. Jeffrey Turco, who introduced the bill. Local ..read more

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has already said he would like to see Tom Brady officially end his legendary career in New England, but he went a step further Tuesday, calling for annual celebrations of his two decades with the team. Kraft was asked in an interview with CNN after Brady announced his retirement if he would want the quarterback to return on a one-day contract, replying, “I’d do it tomorrow.” He praised Brady again Tuesday in an interview with NBC10 Boston. “He is a Patriot from start to finish, and we’re going to have him back here and celebrate his 20 years with the Patriots,” Kraf ..read more

An employee was shot Tuesday evening while working at a Wendy’s in Lynn, Massachusetts, police said. The shooting happened just before 6 p.m. at the location on Boston Street, the Lynn Police Department said. The victim, a male teenager, was at the drive-thru window when he was shot. Police describe the victim’s injuries are described as non-life-threatening. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. The shooting shattered the glass of the drive-thru window. Police say the investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made ..read more

[Editor’s note: Some readers may find the information in the story below disturbing.] A chilling series of events emerged in court Tuesday as prosecutors outlined minute-by-minute how they say Lindsay Clancy planned the murders of her young children, gave herself the time to commit those murders and then killed them in the home where they lived. On the morning of Jan. 24, prosecutors outlined what sounded like a routine day for a parent, with Lindsay Clancy taking her 5-year-old daughter Cora to the pediatrician for an appointment. She allegedly interacted with the receptionist, nursing staff ..read more

President Joe Biden is using his State of the Union address Tuesday night to call on Republicans to work with him to “finish the job” of rebuilding the economy and uniting the nation as he seeks to overcome pessimism in the country and navigate political divisions in Washington. The annual speech comes as the nation struggles to make sense of confounding cross-currents at home and abroad — economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine, growing tensions with China and more — and warily sizes up Biden’s fitness for a likely reelection bid. The president is offering a reassuring assessment of t ..read more

Maine’s top election official testified Monday against a bill that would require voters to produce photo identification to cast ballots, saying it’s unnecessary and would reduce voter participation. Maine already requires proof of identity when registering to vote and requiring residents to show a specific ID again would increase costs, complications and consequences, and turn eligible voters away, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, told the Committee On Veterans and Legal Affairs. “Forcing people to carry a specific type of photo identification to vote would result in logistical c ..read more

President Joe Biden is set to deliver his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The annual speech, delivered before a joint session of Congress, typically provides a president with his single largest audience of the year, usually in the tens of millions. An estimated 38.2 million TV viewers watched Biden’s first State of the Union address in 2022, according to Nielsen ratings. A key difference between this year’s speech and last year’s is that Biden now faces a divided Congress for the final two years of his term. Republicans took back control of the House from Democrats in the 2 ..read more

A powerful and large ocean storm southeast of New England is getting a push east and farther away from the region by another incoming disturbance from the west, moving over the Great Lakes.  The departure of the ocean storm meant sharp clearing overnight Monday night for sunshine Tuesday morning and gusts to 30 mph from the north that started the day on Cape Cod dwindle markedly.  By Tuesday afternoon, new clouds will enter the sky of New England, as the disturbance from the Great Lakes continues east, approaching New England.  There are two important traits this incoming distur ..read more