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1+ hour, 57+ min ago (354+ words) Updated on: December 9, 2025 / 6:58 PM EST / CBS Boston From filling potholes to clearing trash and cracking down on the city's rat population, Boston city officials say they're doubling down on core quality-of-life issues as 2025 wraps up." Mayor Michelle Wu said Tuesday the city has made progress responding to the everyday concerns residents notice first: Rats, trash, and the condition of streets and sidewalks. "Boston families deserve a government that fixes problems and follows through," said Wu." "It's the stuff that truly impacts our residents on the day to day," said Boston City Councilor Enrique Pepen." Wu said Boston's 311 non-emergency helpline answered more than 260,000 calls this year, handling complaints ranging from potholes to missed trash pickups. Adding reports of missed trash collection are down more than 12% from last year." "Our teams continue to close the vast majority of missed trash cases within…...

1+ hour, 58+ min ago (1095+ words) A year after the Department of Justice released a scathing report into how Worcester police officers engaged in unwanted sexual acts with vulnerable women, officers are now engaging less frequently with women in the sex trade, according to Audra Doody, the co-executive director for the The Safe Exit Initiative. When the DOJ report was first released, it also went into detail about how officers engaged in excessive use of force and disproportionately targeted Black and Hispanic people. The Safe Exit Initiative, an organization in Worcester supporting individuals involved in the sex trade, wrote that they were "shocked but not surprised" by the findings. Now, Doody says officers direct them to the Safe Exit Initiatives programs, such as the its community-based resource center and day shelter, The Harbor. Sometimes, the women that she works with tell her that officers don't acknowledge…...

2+ hour, 6+ min ago (144+ words) December 9, 2025 / 6:46 PM EST / AP The Los Angeles Angels acquired infielder Vaughn Grissom in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday. Grissom appeared in just 31 games for Boston after he came over in the Chris Sale trade with Atlanta on Dec. 30, 2023. The 24-year-old Grissom batted .270 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs in 96 games with Triple-A Worcester this year. The Red Sox received minor league outfielder Isaiah Jackson in the swap with the Angels. The 21-year-old Jackson, an 18th-round pick in this year's amateur draft, hit .219 (7 for 32) with a homer and four RBIs in 10 games with High-A Tri-City this season. Grissom made his major league debut with Atlanta in 2022. He hit .190 (20 for 105) with six RBIs for Boston in 2024....

2+ hour, 7+ min ago (68+ words) From filling potholes to clearing trash and cracking down on the city's rat population, Boston city officials say they're doubling down on core quality-of-life issues as 2025 wraps up. WBZ-TV's Aaron Parseghian reports. Mayor Wu says progress made responding to quality-of-life issues in Boston this year Mayor Wu says progress made responding to quality-of-life issues in Boston this year...

2+ hour, 28+ min ago (32+ words) Saks Fifth Avenue wardrobe stylist Suhail Kwatra is accused of making fraudulent refunds of items originally purchased by customers. Boston Saks Fifth Avenue stylist accused of stealing more than $400k from store...

2+ hour, 43+ min ago (496+ words) LOWELL " Three Lowell schools were named as Schools of Recognition by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education this year after they each displayed significant academic improvement after being among the lowest performing schools in the state. "Every single school is working hard to support our children. We are very grateful for the support we get from the central office and the community," Moody Elementary Principal Roberta Keefe told the School Committee. For Washington Elementary School, Principal Jeffrey Haines told The Sun Tuesday the biggest struggle was in English language arts, due in part to the volume of English language learners that makes up the school's student population. "Our biggest focus was to make sure they had a mastery of the English language," said Haines, who is in his third year as principal of Washington Elementary. The school administration…...

2+ hour, 48+ min ago (39+ words) A forensic scientist testified in the Brian Walshe murder trial that DNA found on a hacksaw and hatchet closely matched that of Ana Walshe. WBZ-TV's Penny Kmitt reports. Forensic scientist says Ana Walshe's DNA found on hacksaw...

2+ hour, 56+ min ago (201+ words) An immigrant from Ecuador who lives in Springfield and fears he will face workplace violence if deported was detained during a routine appointment at an ICE office in Burlington Tuesday, the man's lawyer said. Juan David Quichimbo Sumba, 43, said last week that returning to Ecuador "would be fatal for me." He fled the country in 2021 after narrowly escaping a group of armed men who came for him after he threatened to report unsafe mining practices to Ecuadorian media, according to his lawyer, Elizabeth Shaw. Shaw said Tuesday that Quichimbo Sumba was immediately detained when he entered a conference room for a meeting. Shaw was then "yelled at" and escorted out of the building, she said. Quichimbo Sumba's wife and 7-year-old daughter did not accompany him to the appointment and remain in Springfield, according to Shaw. Quichimbo Sumba has no criminal…...

3+ hour, 8+ min ago (16+ words) Eric Fisher has your latest weather forecast. Next Weather: WBZ evening forecast for December 9, 2025...

3+ hour, 10+ min ago (264+ words) December 9, 2025 / 5:42 PM EST / CBS Boston Members of the Cannabis Control Commission, the regulatory body that oversees the legal cannabis industry in Massachusetts, told WBZ that they expect to pass regulations for social consumption on Thursday. "I am pleased, that as promised, we're going to be able to get this finished," CCC Chair Shannon O'Brien said in an exclusive interview with WBZ-TV." Social consumption would allow cannabis businesses to allow customers to use their products on site. That could include at dispensaries, lounges, or even at yoga studios. Once the regulations are formally approved, O'Brien says it will be up for municipalities to decide whether they want social consumption sites. "They have a significant hand in making sure it fits with the sort of local nature and culture of that community," O'Brien said. The first social consumption license would be reserved…...