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Tell us: What was your top offbeat local story of the year?
Things got pretty weird around these parts in 2025. Which of these stories stood out to you as the weirdest?
When it comes to the “serious” news stories of 2025, there are certain ones we’d rather not revisit — let’s face it, they were hard enough to take the first time around. But when it comes to the weird, offbeat happenings that dotted the 2025 landscape, well, that’s another thing. Especially when those wild occurrences reflected the peculiar nature of life in New England in general and Massachusetts in particular.
With that in mind, we’d like you to weigh in on which of those offbeat stories resonated most with you over the last year. Fill out the form below, or e-mail [email protected], and let us know your choices and comments. We may use your responses in a future article. (Need a refresher? You’ll find links at the bottom of the page for our top picks for Massachusetts and New England, with a separate category for the celebs who seemed ubiquitous around these parts this year.)
What was the wildest story of 2025?
Massachusetts:
- Borgs and raucous behavior: UMass’ unsanctioned ‘Blarney Blowout’ leads to dozens of arrests and a St. Patrick’s Day parade borg bust in Southie
- A banner year for public nudity and brothel rings: Naked bike ride, topless protest, and Cambridge brothel customers identified
- Animals (and some people) run amok: Cat mayor elected, bat-in-mouth incident, shark-bait influencers, clam-chucking seagull, woman stung by scorpion at Logan, turkey meets demise at drive-in theater
- Food face-off: This North Shore Whole Foods is sinking and Martha’s Vineyard pierogi vendor vs. Alan Dershowitz
- Towns dealing with unexpected change: Lexington’s 250th commemorative arch did not go according to plan; Obscene, somewhat official-looking sign near the Zakim Bridge; Stow renames itself “Dunkin’”; and Ludlow woman accused of dumping 1.5 tons of trash on street
- For better or worse, Bill Belichick will always belong to us. Whatever makes him happy.
New England:
- “Family Feud” contestants struggle with New England states
- Man, 40, rescued from Conn. tube slide
- Conn. professor touts time travel theory
- Marauding seagull becomes social media star
- N.H. coffee shop bills itself as ‘disgustingly pro-women’
- Swingers club vs. Conn. church
- Maine fire chief shares “F- This Job” music video
- Fart spray upends Conn. carnival
- Mt. Washington snowboarder outruns avalanche
- Broken foghorn drives Rhode Islanders crazy
Celebrities:
- Conan O’Brien spotted riding bus in Cambridge
- Donnie Wahlberg filming “Boston Blue” on Common
- Charlie Day plays “Dayman” at Boston bar
- Bill Nye turns up at Celtics Media Day
- John Cena pops up locally around his final match
- Kurt Russell visits Arlington on July 4
- Mass. family invites Benson Boone to 4-year-old’s birthday
- Dua Lipa visits North End restaurant twice
- Ed Sheeran is everywhere
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