Below you’ll find the 10 most-viewed longform stories we published this year, a handy list of things to (re-)read that includes Boston’s in-depth coverage of watery deaths (Nathan Carman’s deadly fishing trip, a Charlestown houseboat murder), civic controversies (bike lanes, South Station Tower), and much more. But our most-read story of 2025 wasn’t about national AI or influencers. It was about what can still happen in the basement of a fraternity house. Scroll down to revisit the stories people couldn’t stop reading.

10. The Quiet Evolution of Joe Kennedy III

by Tom McGrath

Photo by Tony Luong

Four years after becoming the first Kennedy ever to lose an election in Massachusetts, JK3 is ready to talk—about his 2020 defeat, his divisive uncle, and how the Democratic Party desperately needs a radical reinvention. Read the story>>

9. This Isn’t About Bike Lanes

by Jon Keller

City Hall’s ambitious plan to reshape Boston’s streets has ignited a battle over who really controls the town’s future—and exposed an identity crisis long in the making. Read the story>>

8. The Ultimate (and Unabridged) Guide to New England Seafood

by Rachel Leah Blumenthal, Wyndham Lewis, and Jacqueline Cain

7. Could This High School Football Tragedy Have Been Prevented?

by Julie Suratt

Illustration by Benjamen Purvis / Photo illustration by Benjamen Purvis

When Sharon sophomore Rohan Shukla suffered a devastating brain injury during a Thanksgiving game, the small Massachusetts town had to confront a difficult question: How can we get the balance of sports culture and student safety right? Read the story >>

6. They Tried to Silence Her COVID Origin Theory. Now Even the CIA Agrees with Alina Chan.

by Rowan Jacobsen

Portrait by Ken Richardson

In 2020, the Broad Institute scientist ignited a controversy by suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 originated in a Chinese lab. Five years later, it sure looks like she was right. Read the story >>

5. The Crypto Con Woman and the Charlestown Houseboat Murder

by Michele McPhee

Courtesy of the Donohue family (Joseph Donohue); Pool (Nora Nelson)

Nora Nelson charmed Boston’s elite with tales of virtual millions and Harvard dreams. Prosecutors say her final performance was homicide on the water—taking the lives of a lawyer who’d fallen for her and his dog. Read the story >>

4. Inside South Station Tower, Boston’s Big Bet on Downtown Living

by Kyle Paoletta

Completed renditions of the new South Station Tower. / DBOX for Hines/Pelli Clarke & Partners

At 51 floors, the city’s newest skyscraper embodies both the neighborhood’s potential and its inequality problem. Read the story>>

3. The Chilling Case of Nathan Carman’s Deadly Fishing Trip

by Casey Sherman

Illustration by Comrade

Linda Carman vanished on a boating excursion near Block Island, Rhode Island. Her 22-year-old stood to inherit millions. Then came one final surprise. Read the story >>

2. I’m a Rapper Who Starred in “The Town.” Then Addiction Nearly Killed Me.

By George Carroll

Photo by Tony Luong

A Boston kid became a Hollywood actor and an underground rap legend, then watched it all disappear. He’s since returned to the streets that raised him, trying to save the ones still fighting the same disease that nearly killed him. Read the story >>

1. Greek Tragedy: A Drowning at Dartmouth College

By Susan Zalkind

Left: Photo via Gary Kuhlmann/Getty Images. Right: Won Jang, Dartmouth College class of ’26. / Photo via LinkedIn

Last summer in New Hampshire, a night of ritualized drinking ended with a sophomore drowning in the Connecticut River. Yet in the place that gave us Animal House and beer pong, will the party ever really end? Read the story>>