James Mercer

Articles by James Mercer published in Six State Signal.

A group of people, one waving and others clapping, stand with streaming red ribbon under an entrance canopy marked 900 Morrissey Blvd. in front of a beige building. — Mayor Michelle Wu and other officials celebrate a ribbon cutting at 900 Morrissey Blvd., a former Comfort Inn in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood that now has 99 studios for older adults who experienced homelessness, on Oct. 7, 2026. Credit: John Wilcox / Photo courtesy of City of Boston Mayor's Office

Dorchester hotel conversion adds 99 homes for older adults who experienced homelessness

The conversion at 900 Morrissey Blvd. drew neighborhood opposition before Boston's planning agency approved a scaled-down plan in 2023. Nearly every studio was occupied by the Oct. 7 opening, the Boston Globe reported.

Published Oct 8, 2026

David Scanlan smiles in a dark suit beside a New Hampshire poster that asks "Are Your Voting Rights Being Violated?" — New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan in Concord on Jan. 2, 2022, when he was deputy secretary of state. File photo. Credit: Bospoli20, via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0.

ReportingNew Hampshire

Judge won't pause ruling letting New Hampshire poll workers consider student IDs

A student ID still can't prove a voter's identity by itself, but local officials may weigh it with other evidence. The state's appeal to the 1st Circuit is pending ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Published Oct 8, 2026

ReportingMassachusetts

Amid planned cuts, Waltham biotech TScan approves retention awards for two executives

The cash awards for the CEO and chief legal officer come in stages. Their stock units are still to be granted and depend on milestones and continued service.

Published Oct 8, 2026

A gray-haired man in a dark suit and a woman in a checked jacket each raise a right hand in a wood-paneled room with a fireplace, a mantel clock and U.S. and New Hampshire flags. — 2024 file photo: Chief Justice Gordon J. MacDonald, left, swears in Melissa B. Countway as an associate justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court in the court's David Souter Conference Room in Concord, N.H., on Jan. 2, 2024. Countway wrote the court's Oct. 6, 2026, decision in the Addison case. Credit: New Hampshire Judicial Branch

ReportingNew Hampshire

New Hampshire Supreme Court dismisses Michael Addison's bid for new death sentence review

The court ruled only on what state law allows, one comparative review, which Addison had in 2015. It did not decide whether his sentence is constitutional after the 2019 repeal; that claim is still in superior court.

Published Oct 8, 2026

A red brick courthouse with a central tower, crenellated corner towers and arched entrances stands behind a large autumn tree. — 2023 file photo: The Fairfield County Courthouse at 172 Golden Hill St. in Bridgeport, Conn., on Nov. 26, 2023. The building houses Bridgeport Superior Court, Geographical Area No. 2, where Dennis Bradley is due to appear Oct. 21, 2026. Credit: Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

ReportingConnecticut

Former state Sen. Dennis Bradley charged over absentee ballots in Bridgeport probate primary

Prosecutors allege Bradley opened a voter's completed ballot and told her how to change it to support his brother. His lawyer called the allegations "paper thin" in comments to Hearst.

Published Oct 8, 2026

A rendering of a brick and wood mid-rise apartment building on a street with autumn trees, cyclists, and a lake behind it. — Rendering: Watershed Building A, the first apartment building planned in Burlington's South End Coordinated Redevelopment, on Lakeside Avenue in Burlington, Vt., in an undated design from Jonathan Rose Companies. The city targets a spring 2027 construction start; the building is not built. Credit: GOA Architecture, courtesy of Jonathan Rose Companies

ReportingVermont

Champlain College not in current Burlington South End deal as city targets 2027 start

The college signed the 2023 planning memorandum and the 2024 pre-development agreement. The city's May 2026 agreement for the first 205 apartments is with Ride Your Bike and its venture with Jonathan Rose Companies.

Published Oct 8, 2026

AstraZeneca's research center at 290 Binney St. in Kendall Square. Credit: Aram Boghosian, courtesy of AstraZeneca

ReportingMassachusetts

AstraZeneca announces Kendall Square research center opening at 290 Binney St.

AstraZeneca said its Kendall Square center and a nearby site will hold nearly 2,000 researchers. BXP developed the Cambridge lab building and held a 55% interest after a 2024 sale to Norges.

Published Oct 7, 2026

ReportingMassachusetts

Boston-based Klaviyo lays off design workers and other staff

Workers in design, product, and brand strategy posted about losing their jobs. The company has not given a count.

Published Oct 5, 2026