New in Contrarian Boston: Philip Eng and the MBTA are still withholding key details of the bizarre hair-pulling incident first reported by Contrarian Boston - and which we are now revealing | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #mapoli @dankennedy.net #phillipeng #localnews

Council votes to restore $12M in budget cuts; but will mayor agree? | Universal Hub www.universalhub.com/2026/council... #BosPoli

New in Contrarian Boston: What would Andy think? "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" looks at how Andy Rooney would have dealt with the attacks on '60 Minutes' and its journalistic independence | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com @dankennedy.net #localnews #60Minutes #mapoli

On the brand-new "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney," we try to make sense of the implosion of "60 Minutes." Plus: World Cup watch parties and our panel's Rants & Raves. With Emily, @scottvv.bsky.social, @lmalphonse.bsky.social and me. scottvanvoorhis.substack.com/p/new-in-con...

www.wbur.org/news/2026/06... #BosPoli #longreads

Thank you, Jack, will take a look at "West 57th St"

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" does a deep dive on the firing of Scott Pelley and the meltdown at '60 Minutes' | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com @dankennedy.net #localnews #mapoli #bospoli #60Minutes #BariWeiss #ScottPelley #media #journalism

New in Contrarian Boston: State Street nemesis Ken Paxton on rise in Texas | Time to hit the panic button on soaring health care premiums | Woke scolds have found a new target: Charles Dickens | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... #mapoli #bospoli #localnews @universalhub.com #healthcare #hospitals

Why is the state bureaucracy holding up a clean, unobtrusive commuter boat along the Charles from Watertown to Boston? @scottvv.bsky.social reports. #mapoli scottvanvoorhis.substack.com/p/proposed-c...

New in Contrarian Boston: Proposed Charles River commuter boat hits DCR brick wall | One-time blue collar towns go upscale with million-dollar homes | When quiet heroes walked among us | Quick hits | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli #bospoli #environment

The only MBTA train with beer resumes service today. Plus: — Boston City Council votes down raise clawback — The state's broker's fee warning www.wbur.org/news/2026/05... @wbur.org

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" debates wacky reality TV personality Spencer Pratt's viral AI campaign videos that have turned LA's mayoral race upside down | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com @dankennedy.net #localnews #spencerpratt #AIvideos #media

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" debates Kristof's explosive NYT column, Miami cops suing Affleck/Damon, and Spencer Pratt's AI campaign videos and the LA mayoral race | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @dankennedy.net @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli #bospoli #media

Save the date: Spiraling health care costs have pushed families to the brink. Join Contrarian Boston on May 21 at noon as we debate how to rein in these crippling increases | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... Register today: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... @universalhub.com #localnews #healthcare

Great work in getting the Globe disclosure.

New in Contrarian Boston: Globe belatedly discloses ties to BSO chair amid coverage of Andris Nelsons ouster | Senate local aid plan boosts posh suburbs | Boston tax retaliation scandal | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli #bospoli @dankennedy.net #BSO #taxes

Thanks, my bad.

New in Contrarian Boston: The Red Sox are losing. John Henry isn’t. open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #mapoli #localnews #RedSox #JohnHenry #FenwayPark

New in Contrarian Boston: We spent billions cleaning up Boston Harbor—so why are we still dumping sewage into the Charles? @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli #bospoli @gregmaynard.bsky.social #environment #boston #massachusetts #charlesriver #sewerbill open.substack.com/pub/scottvan...

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" rakes over media coverage of the calamitous WHCA dinner, the Vrabel/Russini affair, teen social media use, and our rants and raves | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #mapoli #bospoli #localnews #WHCS @dankennedy.net

New in Contrarian Boston: Downtown Boston's half-baked pot boom goes bust | As Senate race heats up, Mass. Dems freak over alleged MAGA infiltration of party caucuses | Shrunken Herald bad for local news | Housing solutions | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli

The Boston City Council defeated two orders calling for outside audits of city and school department spending driven by revelations that the Wu admin is scrambling to close a $100M budget gap.

New in Contrarian Boston: Hub lawyers offered seven-figure pay by desperate ICE contractor | The Globe and the myth of Wu's new Boston | Despite new Healey initiative, Mass. still falls short on career and tech ed | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli #bospoli #ICE

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" digs into criticism of Iran war coverage, CNN, Times try to look hip with help from social media creators, and Bryon Noem draws yawns | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #mapoli #bospoli #localnews @dankennedy.net #media

New in Contrarian Boston: On "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney," we look at Jeff Bezos foisting Amazon-style sweatshop metrics onto the beleaguered Washington Post and a small bright spot | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli #bospoli #Bezos #Trump #newsmedia

New in Contrarian Boston: Wellesley battles to save precious parking lot from housing development | Tons of Mass. school superintendents, little to show for it | Deadline and its gallows humor origin | Mass. exodus | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... #mapoli #bospoli @universalhub.com #localnews

Uh-oh. Don’t do it Mayor Wu. @mayorwu.boston.gov

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" takes on the Trump administration's campaign to dictate news coverage of the Iran war open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #mapoli #bospoli #localnews #iranwar #trump @dankennedy.net @lmalphonse.bsky.social #petehegseth

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" digs into Iran war coverage, merging Boston's two public radio stations, the Washington Post does something right, and rants and raves | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #media #mapoli @dankennedy.net #bospoli

⚡️ Zelensky says 11 countries have asked Ukraine for help with interceptor drones, electronic warfare. "Ukraine is ready to respond positively to requests from those who help us protect the lives of Ukrainians," he said.

An activist took a stand in front of the russian Embassy in Ottawa, holding a photo of the maternity hospital in Mariupol that russia bombed in 2022. It is one of the most well-known images of russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. This is what they are actually "proud" of.

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" weighs CNN's likely future in billionaire Larry and David Ellison's Trump-friendly Paramount empire | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli #Trump #CNN #Paramount @dankennedy.net #newsmedia #bospoli

Wow, hadn't seen Lylah Alphonse in a minute. #BeatThePress

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" offers up rants/raves about BBC's selective BAFTA editing, DOJ's crooked probe of a Post reporter, and indie reporter's big Epstein scoop | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #BAFTA #TrumpEpstein @dankennedy.net #mapoli

Budget Crisis Forces Deep Cuts: Cohasset Schools Face $1.3M Shortfall #mapoli #southshore

Duxbury Selectboard Grapples with Green Energy Guardrails #mapoli #southshore

Finalists Revealed: Scituate Narrows Search for New Elementary School Name #mapoli #southshore

New in Contrarian Boston: The hard fall of Rise, another promising Boston developer caught in market bust | Striking teachers could take pay hit | Irate over housing costs, Mass. voters could shake up the real estate market | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #mapoli

New in Contrarian Boston: Massachusetts sheriffs blow budgets and dine lavishly on public's dime | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews @universalhub.com #sheriffs #bospoli #mapoli @oigdc.bsky.social #massachusetts #boston #newsmedia

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" dives into Iran war media coverage, AI shaking up newsrooms, the latest Bari Weiss furor, and CNN's uncertain future | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... #localnews #mapoli #bospoli #Iranwar @universalhub.com #media #AI @dankennedy.net

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney" digs into the shifting fortunes of two major media powerhouses, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #media #Trump #WashingtonPost @dankennedy.net #journalism

New on "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney": Mainstream media ramps up its coverage of the Epstein scandal after years in which conservative podcasters and news sites drove the story open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... #localnews @universalhub.com @dankennedy.net #mapoli #bospoli #jeffreyepstein

New in Contrarian Boston: "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney": Don Lemon's arrest | Identity crisis, cuts at WaPo | Columnists call Minnesota ICE shootings murder | Scot Lehigh, David Brooks depart open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #localnews #DonLemon #mapoli #bospoli #ICE #Trump

New in Contrarian Boston: Moderate pundits leave Globe, Times | Boston nonprofit chief's political schmoozing | Nancy Barnes' odd disappearance | Wu preparing new White Stadium dodge? open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... #mapoli @localnewsmatters.bsky.social @universalhub.com #bospoli

On the brand-new "Beat the Press with Emily Rooney," Emily, @scottvv.bsky.social and I take on Tony Dokoupil's embarrassing debut as anchor of the "CBS Evening News." You can watch right here: scottvanvoorhis.substack.com/p/hes-no-wal...

Catching up with "Beat the Press": Tony Dokoupil's less than inspiring debut; the decline of media trust; and the return of Brian McGrory to The Boston Globe. With @scottvv.bsky.social, Emily Rooney and me. dankennedy.net/2026/01/26/c...

New in Contrarian Boston: Congress, wake up and smell the coffee: It’s time for an intervention as Trump II becomes a chaotic mess amid threats to invade Greenland and ICE shootings @universalhub.com @localnewsmatters.bsky.social #mapoli #bopoli #ICEshootings #Trump #schools

Crisis in the classroom: Join Contrarian Boston at noon on Thursday as we dive into the growing challenges Massachusetts schools face, from a plunge in student scores to illegal teacher strikes. open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... @universalhub.com #mapoli #bospoli #schools #studentscores #localnews

New in Contrarian Boston: Time for Congress to step up? Take our poll on whether more oversight is needed of the Trump administration's military ventures | open.substack.com/pub/scottvan... #mapoli #massachusetts #bospoli #LocalNews #Venezuela #MaduroDictador #Trump #Congress @universalhub.com

I don't think stagnant circulation is Barnes' fault. However, I think it raises question about Linda Henry's strategy. There is a market for real news\accountability journalism on the local level - yet the Globe has been shedding experienced reporters in favor of kids barely out of school. #locanews