Published May 2, 2011

With news that U.S. forces killed the world’s most wanted terrorist, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, spontaneous celebrations erupted in Boston and Cambridge Sunday night and Monday morning. UniversalHub has great video of the celebration streaming toward Boston Common.

Family members of Sept. 11 victims expressed relief that bin Laden had been killed. Mass. lawmakers from Sen. Scott Brown to Boston Mayor Tom Menino embraced the news but cautioned that the country’s threat from terrorist groups is not over.

The Herald headline sums up a lot of reaction around the country today: We Got Him! For families who lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 attacks, however, bin Laden’s death does little to replace their loss.

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Boston today in non-Osama bin Laden news:

The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority will sue several companies in response to the catastrophic water main break that left millions of Boston-area residents without drinkable water.

Murder investigations across the state could be compromised thanks to underfunded coroners, according to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Dr. Henry M. Nields — the head of the state office — says he can’t provide the right services without hiring more coroners.

Many Massachusetts school buildings were built significantly larger than what is required, according to a new report. The report questions whether communities in the midst of budget crises should close or consolidate schools.

Starting today, anyone with an Internet connection can see what’s going on in Quincy District Court. In an experimental project run by WBUR and funded by the Knight News Challenge, all proceedings will be live-streamed and an on-site blogger will provide full multimedia access. It’s called OpenCourt.us.

The Celtics dropped the first game of their playoff series to the Miami Heat yesterday. The Bruins, who won Game 1 of their series 7-3 Saturday, face off against the Philadelphia Flyers again tonight.