Launched this week as an online news outlet, the New Bedford Light aims to fill a growing hole in local coverage as many traditional newspapers continue to lose revenue and shed staff.

At a public meeting last night, Benjamin Muller, of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, outlined potential plans for weekday service between Boston and one of two southern terminals: either Buzzard’s Bay just north of the Cape Cod Canal, or across the water at Bourne Station.

The fight is on to save North Atlantic right whales. There are just over 360 left in the world, and conservationists and scientists are studying the critically endangered creatures and how to save them. Legal battles are also playing out that could have a major impact on conservation efforts—and the multi-million dollar lobster fishery here in Massachusetts.

COVID-19 has deepened the annual challenge of getting enough lifeguards to staff local town beaches. In Barnstable, they’re short 21 lifeguards out of the 105 they normally hire to protect swimmers at ocean beaches and several freshwater ponds.

Nantucket voters will likely have another crack at regulating short-term rentals, after a vote was widely rejected at town meeting this weekend.

As France lifts its lockdown and welcomes vaccinated visitors from the EU and America, a new museum opens in the center of Paris that features contemporary African American artists.

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with director Jon M. Chu about his new movie musical, In The Heights. It was adapted from the Tony Award-winning musical.

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with journalist Anne Applebaum about the role of far-right political parties in European politics and what President Biden's diplomacy might mean for them.