Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: Why a Cambridgeport riverfront hotel just sold for $50 million

And check out Solstice Tai Chi in the Barn Room on the Cambridge Patch calendar

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Coffee in hand, Cambridge? We've got the latest town updates for you. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Why a Cambridgeport riverfront hotel just sold for $50 million
  • What a Cambridge research scandal just taught employers about investigations
  • What will Michael Keaton do on stage in Harvard Square?

Also on today's calendar: Solstice Tai Chi in the Barn Room and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Cambridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: Last night I had a dream. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Cambridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Saturday: Colder with clouds and sun, with a high of 39 and low of 33 degrees.
  • Sunday: Mostly cloudy and windy, temps: high: 48, low: 23.
  • Monday: Colder; breezy in the morning, with a high of 34 and low of 27 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Cambridgeport Hotel Trades for $50M (bankerandtradesman.com) — A major Cambridgeport landmark, the Courtyard by Marriott Boston Cambridge on Memorial Drive, has just been sold to new investors for $50 million. The 207-room hotel, long a fixture on the riverfront, changes hands amid a softening regional hotel market, with analysts predicting flat revenue growth and weaker group bookings for Boston and Cambridge properties in 2025.
   

2. Lessons for employers conducting or outsourcing workplace investigations (jdsupra.com) — A recent Massachusetts court ruling tied to the Cambridge-based Whitehead Institute offers important guidance for local employers on how workplace investigations should be run. The judge let some defamation claims proceed but cleared the institute and its director of discrimination, emphasizing that investigations must be reasonable and in good faith, not perfect. The article then lays out concrete best practices for employers and investigators.
   

3. Michael Keaton named Harvard's Hasty Pudding 2026 Man of the Year (cbsnews.com) — Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals will bring actor Michael Keaton to Cambridge on February 6, 2026, to be honored as its Man of the Year. Local theater fans can expect a playful roast, the traditional pudding pot presentation, and a performance of the troupe’s 177th production, all staged right here in Harvard Square.
   

4. Mayor Washington-Spivey travels to Harvard for new mayor program (wxow.com) — Harvard University in Cambridge is the setting for a national training program that recently brought in La Crosse, Wisconsin’s new mayor to sharpen his leadership skills. The Bloomberg Center for Cities course focuses on helping first-term mayors align teams, set long-term visions, and better engage residents—experience he plans to use back home after sessions that continue into April.
   

5. Judge blocks new HUD funding restrictions for Housing First initiatives • Maine Morning Star (mainemorningstar.com) — Cambridge is one of several cities joining a national lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s attempt to sharply limit federal “Housing First” funding for permanent supportive housing. A Rhode Island judge has temporarily blocked HUD’s withdrawn funding notice, keeping pressure on the agency to issue a lawful replacement while cities like Cambridge warn that thousands could lose housing if the new rules stand.
   

📸 Around Cambridge

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology posted a job opening for Financial Assistant 2 in Cambridge. Apply here.
  • City of Cambridge Massachusetts posted a job opening for ESOL Teachers for Adult Education Classes (ESOL Literacy through Intermediate ESOL), Part Time in Cambridge. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Cambridge here.

Ok Cambridge! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I dreamed I was swimming in a pool of orange soda, but it was just a Fanta-sea.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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