Ten stories to follow in Massachusetts for 2025
BOSTON - What will be making headlines in Massachusetts for 2025? These are the events, elections, trials and sports storylines we'll be following in the Boston area for the new year.
250th anniversary of the American Revolution
On April 19, 1775, the battles of Lexington and Concord kicked off the American Revolutionary War. In 2025, Massachusetts will mark 250 years since the fight for independence began in our own backyard.
Gov. Maura Healey's administration announced in September that $1.5 million in grants are being provided through the state's travel and tourism agency to promote Massachusetts' Revolutionary War history.
"Statewide partnerships and events will commemorate our revolutionary spirit, highlighting the far-reaching impacts of Massachusetts in revolutionary history and the many other firsts that originated here, creating a powerful celebration of our civic pride," Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in a statement.
Boston 2025 mayoral race
Boston will hold a mayoral election in 2025. A preliminary election in September will narrow it down to two candidates for a Nov. 4 general election.
Incumbent first-term Mayor Michelle Wu has repeatedly said she's running again. The only other candidate to officially declare so far is North End restaurant owner Jorge Mendoza Iturralde, who says he's focused on bringing outdoor dining back to the neighborhood.
Other potential challengers for Wu include City Councilor Ed Flynn, who has criticized Wu on safety issues, and Josh Kraft, who is president of the New England Patriots Foundation.
Karen Read's second trial
Karen Read, accused of hitting her Boston police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe with her SUV and leaving him to die in a snowstorm in Canton in early 2022, is set to stand trial this year for a second time.
Read's first criminal trial ended in a mistrial because of a "starkly divided" hung jury. Her second trial was supposed to start on Jan. 27, 2025, but a judge has agreed to delay it until at least April 1 because both sides said they needed more time.
Complicating matters in the closely watched case is that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is weighing whether to throw out some of the charges against Read. Some jurors in her first criminal trial came forward to say they had actually decided to acquit her on two of the three charges she faced.
Brian Walshe trial
The trial of Brian Walshe, charged with killing his wife Ana in their Cohasset home, is set to start on Oct. 20, 2025.
Ana Walshe was last seen early on Jan. 1, 2023 after a New Year's Eve dinner with her husband and a family friend. Prosecutors say Brian Walshe told police his wife had to go to Washington, D.C. for a work emergency, but her company says that's not true.
Her body has not been found. It's alleged that Brian Walshe made multiple online searches after her disappearance for "dismemberment and best ways to dispose of a body," "how long before a body starts to smell" and "hacksaw best tool to dismember."
How will Trump's deportation threats play out in Massachusetts?
President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to carry out the largest deportation effort in American history when he takes office in January. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is among the Democratic leaders vowing to fight the deportations of undocumented immigrants.
Wu says the city will not cooperate with federal immigration officials if the Trump administration follows through with his plans.
"Whether it's in our school system, when it's interacting with police or other city departments, we do not ask about immigration status and we do not provide that information," she said in November.
Gov. Maura Healey said in recent interview with WBZ-TV that Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state, and that state law law enforcement will continue to work with the feds when it comes to investigating violent crime and human trafficking.
When will Suni Williams come back from space?
Needham, Massachusetts native and astronaut Suni Williams was only supposed to be in space for a little more than a week, but she's been stuck in orbit since June 5.
She and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore intended to return to Earth on the Boeing Starliner, but concerns about the spacecraft forced NASA to leave them behind at the International Space Station. After yet another delay, the earliest they can come back to Earth now is late March of 2025.
Another high draft pick for the Patriots?
After another season with far more losses than wins, it's looking like the New England Patriots are once again in line for a high pick at the 2025 NFL Draft, which kicks off April 24 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Last year the Patriots choose Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick and many fans are hopeful that he's on his way to becoming the quarterback of the future. But the team needs talented players to surround Maye, and many expect the Patriots to build up their offense with a stud left tackle or top-end wide receivers.
Will the Celtics repeat as NBA champs?
After winning the 2023-24 NBA title in June and raising Banner 18 at the TD Garden, the Boston Celtics are off to a strong start in their quest to go back-to-back.
If the Celtics do win again this year, it'll be the first time Boston has repeated as NBA champions since the Bill Russell era in 1969.
More northern lights shows in 2025?
The northern lights made a rare appearance in the skies above Massachusetts in 2024, and an expert says conditions on the sun that caused the aurora borealis to show up so far south will continue in the new year.
Shawn Dahl, a forecast coordinator with the Space Weather Prediction Center, told WBZ-TV that the active solar cycle will continue "all of next year and even into 2026 before things will start to work their way back down to solar minimum."
The biggest concerts in the Boston area for 2025
Some of the biggest names in music are planning concerts in Massachusetts for 2025. Fenway Park has announced shows for Shakira on May 29 and My Chemical Romance on Sept. 7. Gillette Stadium in Foxboro will welcome Kendrick Lamar and SZA on May 12, Post Malone on May 31 and Coldplay for July 15-16. At TD Garden, concerts have been announced for Blake Shelton on March 7, Kyle Minogue on April 9, Mary J. Blige on April 14, Barry Manilow on May 28 and Dua Lipa on Sept. 9-10.
