New England town

Maine's closely watched U.S. Senate race entered its final days with Republican incumbent Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson delivering sharply contrasting closing pitches. Jackson cast the contest as a referendum on Donald Trump and a chance to flip a seat Democrats need to retake the Senate majority, leaning into class-based attacks on Collins. Collins, seeking a sixth term, emphasized her seniority and record of bipartisan dealmaking while distancing herself from Trump. The race, which drew over $137 million in outside spending and turned personal in its final stretch, saw heavy early turnout, with more than 250,000 ballots cast ahead of Election Day.

Agawam's City Council voted 10-1 to oppose provisions in Massachusetts' pending economic development bill that would let duplexes be built by right in all residential zones and multifamily housing by right on land owned by religious institutions. The resolution, backed by Mayor Christopher C. Johnson, argues zoning decisions should remain local rather than be set by state lawmakers on Beacon Hill.

The lone dissenting vote came from Councilor Thomas D. Hendrickson, who cited long waitlists for units managed by the Agawam Housing Authority as evidence that restrictive local zoning is worsening the region's housing shortage. Other councilors who supported the resolution acknowledged an affordability crisis but said denser zoning wouldn't necessarily lower costs, pointing to high construction costs and concerns about strain on local services and property values.

A legislative conference committee is currently reconciling House and Senate versions of the bill, which differ on whether to include duplex zoning, multifamily-on-religious-land provisions, both, or neither. Advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts has pushed for both measures as part of efforts to close the state's housing gap.

A slow-moving nor'easter battered the Northeast coast through the weekend, leaving residents in New Jersey and New York's Long Island to deal with a second consecutive day of flooding. Tidal surges swamped low-lying neighborhoods along the Jersey Shore, while powerful wind gusts knocked out power to tens of thousands of homes across the region.

Coastal towns such as Sea Bright, New Jersey, saw significant flooding and erosion as high tides combined with the storm's persistent winds. Nassau County officials, including County Executive Bruce Blakeman, responded to flooding impacts on Long Island. The storm disrupted air travel, with delays reported at Logan International Airport, and prompted comparisons to past major coastal storms like Hurricane Sandy given the scale of shoreline damage. Utility crews worked to restore power as authorities urged caution near flooded roads and eroded seawalls. The event underscores the recurring vulnerability of Mid-Atlantic and New England coastal communities to storm surge and flooding.

David Barboza, a former Bristol, Rhode Island town councilor, was found dead by suicide at his Constitution Street home last weekend at age 71. Barboza had a long record of civic service, having worked as a police officer, volunteer firefighter, Democratic Town Committee member, and administrator at St. Mary's Church, and was named chief marshal of Bristol's Fourth of July Parade in 2014.

Barboza had also faced allegations of sexual abuse from multiple boys and men dating back to the 1970s. The accusations were first reported in 2019 by Boston Globe Rhode Island journalist Amanda Milkovits. Following news of his death, Milkovits discussed how the men who say they were victimized by Barboza have reacted. Police have confirmed the cause of death as suicide.