Our Top 10 Most-Popular Stories of 2024
Here’s what you loved reading the most this year.
Clockwise from top left: Eliza Dushku / Photo by Steph Larsen; Photo courtesy of Party Favors; Photo by Michael Adno; Photo illustration by Benjamen Purvis; Claudine Gay / Photo via Getty Images; Officer John O’Keefe / Courtesy Boston Police Department.
Below you’ll find the 10 most-popular longform stories we published this year, a handy list of things to (re-)read that includes Boston’s in-depth coverage of local trends (luxury kids’ parties, commercial real estate), tabloid murder victims (Sandra Birchmore, John O’Keefe), local institutional turmoil (Harvard University), and more. It’s all just a fraction of the work we publish throughout the year. Pro-tip for 2025: Be the best version of yourself and (re-)subscribe.
Illustration by Benjamen Purvis
10. The Betrayal of Sandra Birchmore
When a Stoughton police officer preyed on a teenage trainee, a nightmare began—and a ghastly crime lay hidden for years. Is justice for Sandra Birchmore still possible?
by Michele McPhee
Photo by Paige Brown Photography
9. Inside the New World of Luxury Kids’ Parties, Where Parents Are Plus-Ones
Today’s soirees of the century are where VIPs still raid their parents’ closets for couture. From bubble artists to custom teepees to swag bags, welcome to the new frontier of children’s parties, where cupcakes are so last season, and the only thing inflated more than the balloons are the blockbuster budgets.
by Kara Baskin
Illustration by Dale Stephanos
8. Why Harvard University Is Failing at Everything
A crushing cancel culture, accusations of plagiarism, protests on campus, lawsuits, Congressional investigations, and big-dollar donors running for the door. Inside the campus turmoil, where the emperor by the Charles has no clothes.
By Jon Keller
Shirley Grispi (neé Rogers) was just 20 years old when she embarked on a decade-long romantic relationship with Stephen Flemmi, a violent Boston gangster. Unlike Grispi, some of his other girlfriends didn’t live to tell their stories. / Photo by Michael Adno
7. Confessions of a Moll: A Boston Gangster’s Long-Time Girlfriend Speaks
Twenty years ago, Stephen “The Rifleman” Flemmi pled guilty to 10 counts of murder. Now, for the very first time, the notorious mobster’s former companion tells her story—and what she’s realized in the decades since.
By Dave Wedge
Photo by Pat Piasecki
6. Why I Left My Dream Job at WBZ
Across the country, men are grappling with the rapidly changing definition of what it means to be a good dad. For television anchor Liam Martin, it meant having to make the most agonizing decision of his career.
By Liam Martin
Hersh jots down a few notes on the blackboard for his American Conservatism course at Tufts University. / Photo by Tony Luong
5. A Conservative Thought Experiment on a Liberal College Campus
Last fall semester, professor Eitan Hersh and a class of undergrads embarked on a mission to understand conservative thought. Here’s what happened.
By Rachel Slade
4. “Free Karen Read” Blogger Turtleboy Will Not Go Quietly
Controversial Massachusetts blogger Aidan Kearney says he’s a confrontational truth teller intent on righting wrongs. Critics, though, say he’s a mean-spirited bully. Maybe he’s both?
By Catherine Elton
Photo illustration by Benjamen Purvis / Photos via Getty Images
3. Is Boston’s Economy Doomed?
Hybrid schedules and fewer office workers are causing buildings in Boston to sit empty and property values to plummet, which could mean less tax revenue, fewer city services, and ultimately fewer residents. Welcome to the “Doom Loop.” What are our leaders doing to stop it?
By Jon Keller
Photo by Steph Larsen / Hair by Robert Ramos / Makeup by Natasha Smee / Styling by Alisa Neely
2. Eliza Dushku’s Bold New Journey
Psychedelic therapy helped turn her life around. Now the former Hollywood actor turned certified therapist is on a trailblazing mission to do the same for others—and revolutionize trauma treatment in Boston and beyond.
By Gretchen Voss
The author, with a portrait of her good friend, John O’Keefe.
1. Remembering the Real Victim in the Karen Read Case, My Friend John O’Keefe
Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her Boston Police officer boyfriend, has been painted as a scapegoat, a symbol, and a true-crime celebrity. But what about the man who died—and the people closest to him?
By Tara Kerrigan
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