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Axios Boston
First lady Jill Biden to speak on women's health in Cambridge
First lady Jill Biden will speak at an event in Cambridge today as part of the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research.Why it matters: If successful, the initiative could help address gender-related research gaps in health care, which affect half of the country's population.Catch up fast: The first lady attended a political fundraiser for the Biden Victory Fund yesterday in Connecticut before heading to Boston, according to the White House.Of note: The president's re-election campaign has a whopping $130 million.The latest: Biden is expected to speak at 11:30am.Flashback: The president announced the new initiative in November to tackle historically...
What to know about Judge Gabrielle Wolohojian's nomination hearing
Gov. Maura Healey is about to make one of the riskiest moves of her term so far.What's happening: Healey will ask the Governor's Council to elevate Appeals Court Judge Gabrielle Wolohojian to a seat on the Supreme Judicial Court.Why it matters: By all accounts, Wolohojian is extremely well qualified to join the state's highest bench.She's also the governor's former long-term domestic partner, having lived with Healey for years before Healey's run for the corner office.What we're watching: If Healey's connections to Wolohojian will bring up questions about conflict of interest or even disqualify her nomination in the eyes of some...
Social calendar: Upcoming Boston-area events
Here's what's going on around Boston the week of Feb. 26.Monday, 2/26The Boston Public Library hosts a family-friendly historical scavenger hunt, 4pm.Price: $10.📰Journalists Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy will be at the Harvard Book Store to talk about their new collaboration "What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate," a look at success stories in the digital media era.Tuesday, 2/27The Boston Public Library's Special Collections is hosting an open house to showcase the work of Black authors, artists and creators, 2pm-4pm.That includes two paintings by Boston artist Allan Rohan Crite.Learn how to...
Social calendar: Upcoming Boston-area events
Here's what's going on around Boston the week of Feb. 26.Monday, 2/26The Boston Public Library hosts a family-friendly historical scavenger hunt, 4pm.Price: $10.📰Journalists Ellen Clegg and Dan Kennedy will be at the Harvard Book Store to talk about their new collaboration "What Works in Community News: Media Startups, News Deserts, and the Future of the Fourth Estate," a look at success stories in the digital media era.Tuesday, 2/27The Boston Public Library's Special Collections is hosting an open house to showcase the work of Black authors, artists and creators, 2pm-4pm.That includes two paintings by Boston artist Allan Rohan Crite.Learn how to...
Massachusetts' air quality predicted to backslide due to climate change
After decades of progress in the U.S. toward cleaner air, climate change-related events will set back gains in parts of Massachusetts through 2054.Driving the news: At least six counties in Massachusetts — primarily in Western and Central Massachusetts — over the next 30 years will see an increase in "bad air quality" days per year, when pollution is above 100 on the air quality index, per new research from the nonprofit First Street Foundation.Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester Counties may see the number of "bad air quality" days double from two to four in that time frame, thanks in part...
Massachusetts' air quality predicted to backslide due to climate change
After decades of progress in the U.S. toward cleaner air, climate change-related events will set back gains in parts of Massachusetts through 2054.Driving the news: At least six counties in Massachusetts — primarily in Western and Central Massachusetts — over the next 30 years will see an increase in "bad air quality" days per year, when pollution is above 100 on the air quality index, per new research from the nonprofit First Street Foundation.Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester Counties may see the number of "bad air quality" days double from two to four in that time frame, thanks in part...
TD Garden using AI-based security screening system
TD Garden is the latest sports arena to use AI to detect potential weapons at the door.Why it matters: The downtown Boston arena says the AI-based detection tool can make security lines faster and safer.Driving the news: TD Garden implemented a new security system developed by Evolv Technology, a Waltham-based security screening company.The arena also now "strongly discourages" visitors from bringing bags and won't allow any larger than 6" x 4" x 1.5."Visitors with bags over the limit will be directed to a mobile locker company on site, where they can store the bag during the event.Both changes took effect...
Portugal. The Man, Chelsea Cutler, Rebirth Brass Band and more come to Boston
Portugal. The Man, singer Chelsea Cutler and the always welcome Rebirth Brass Band are in town this week.Check out our rundown of local concerts:TuesdayChicago singer, songwriter and poet Jamila Woods headlines The Sinclair.WednesdayPost-hardcore group Thursday plays at Paradise Rock Club on a Wednesday. Don't get confused. It's not a post-Wednesday band called Hardcore that only plays on Thursdays.Canadian singer-songwriter Ekkstacy is at Brighton Music Hall.ThursdayIndie, but successful: it's Portugal. The Man and they're at Roadrunner.Joe Russo's Selcouth Quartet plays at the Sinclair.Young man with a guitar Evan Honer will be at Brighton Music Hall.FridayTkay Maidza — a Zimbabwean-Australian singer and rapper — will be at Brighton Music Hall.SaturdayChelsea Cutler brings her "The Beauty Is Everywhere Tour" to MGM Music Hall at Fenway.It's still Mardi Gras month, so check out classic New Orleans troupe Rebirth Brass Band at the Crystal Ballroom.Turkish-Dutch rapper Murda is at Paradise Rock Club.SundayLil Tecca plays at MGM Music Hall at Fenway.Country bro Tanner Usrey plays at The Sinclair.Jane Remover pioneered a style called "dariacore" and that just about sums it up. She and Quannnic play at Brighton Music Hall.MondaySinger-songwriter Jess Williamson performs at the Sinclair.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Finding Boston's rat terminator
The City of Boston is looking to add a new weapon in its eternal battle against rats: busting bureaucracy.What's happening: South Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn is pushing for a dedicated pest control office and appointed "rat czar" to streamline the city's efforts to neutralize the rodent population.Flynn's proposed ordinance would create an Office of Pest Control to prioritize and coordinate the city's rodent response, which is currently handled by several different departments.Why it matters: Aside from being a general nuisance, rats pose a significant public health problem — and Boston is still considered one the "rattiest cities" in America.Zoom...
Things to do around Boston this week
Here's what's happening in the Boston area the week of Feb. 19.Monday, 2/19🆓The JFK Museum on Dorchester's Columbia Point and the ICA in the Seaport are free in honor of President's Day.📖 Author and Pulitzer Prize in fiction finalist Kelly Link speaks at the Harvard Book Store about her new novel "The Book of Love."Tuesday, 2/20🎨 The ICA is offering a hands-on art-making lab Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for February School Vacation Week.🌱 Studio by Garden Streets in Cambridge hosts a terrarium workshop 6pm-7pm for those who can't wait until spring to get their hands dirty.Price: $65.Wednesday, 2/21❄️ For those...
Boston could see permanent downturn in revenue, services
The City of Boston is facing an irreversible decline in revenue that could lead to permanent decreases in funding for education, safety and quality of life, according to a new report on the floundering commercial real estate market.What's happening: Working with the Center for State Policy Analysis, the Boston Policy Institute, Inc. found that Boston could face a budget gap of up to $1.5 billion over the next five years as highly-taxed office buildings remain empty in the new remote era.Why it matters: Report author Evan Horowitz describes an economic "doom loop" for the city, in which decreased spending makes...
Microchip helps reunite Brockton family with dog found during arrest
A Brockton family was reunited with their dog Speedy after she'd been missing for three months.What's happening: Brockton Police arrested a 32-year-old man on a litany of charges last Monday, and in his backseat was a female dog.Authorities scanned the dog's microchip and alerted Speedy's family that she'd been found.Why it matters: Those RFID chips implanted in pets really do work when a four-legged loved one goes missing.Watch Speedy wiggle herself silly when she first sees her owner.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Massachusetts taps tech leaders, Boston officials for AI task force
Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order Wednesday launching a task force on AI implementation in Massachusetts.Why it matters: AI has the potential to transform the state’s largest industries, higher education, state operations — or could upend those sectors, if Massachusetts falls behind.Driving the news: The Healey administration tapped nearly two dozen business leaders, college administrators and local government officials to join the strategic task force.Leading the task force are four co-chairs, including Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao and Technology Services and Security Secretary Jason Snyder.The task force includes tech veterans like C10 Labs co-founder Patricia Geli, Duckbill founder Meghan...
In Boston, Black historians push to preserve the city's history
Boston has preserved buildings, statues and boats that enshrine its legacy as the "birthplace of the American Revolution," yet some of the city's connections to Black historic figures have nearly fallen into obscurity.Why it matters: At a time when state governments are restricting classroom instruction and banning books about Black history and racism, creating and preserving markers commemorating Black Americans' stories is more important than ever.Driving the news: Individual projects led by historians, such as Clennon L. King and Dart Adams, have sparked efforts to honor previously ignored historic sites in Boston.Adams, who for years has researched, delivered tours on...
The South End native keeping Boston's Black history alive
Dart Adams grew up hearing about how Quincy Jones hung out in the South End and how Malcolm X recruited locals for the Nation of Islam back in the day.But there weren't any statues, plaques or other historic markers pointing to the legacy behind his neighborhood at the time.Why it matters: Thousands of Bostonians drive past or walk the streets where Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and other jazz legends performed — and they might not even know it.What's happening: Adams, a journalist, historian and Boston native, has spent more than 15 years digging into Boston's Black history.What...
How Boston got the King's Heritage Trail
After years of research, historian Clennon L. King found several sites tied to Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott in their early years in Boston.He selected 21 addresses to make up the King's Heritage Trail.Why it matters: Few sites in Boston commemorate the Kings' early lives and work on civil rights in the neighborhoods they actually frequented.What's happening: The city recognized the trail last year in a resolution proposed by City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, after Clennon L. King contacted her and Mayor Michelle Wu in October 2022.Protip: See the full map here.A few highlights from Clennon King's map:The...
Lyft's Women+ Connect program expands to Boston
Women and nonbinary people in Boston can now request Lyft rides with other women or nonbinary drivers.Driving the news: Lyft is expanding its Women+ Connect feature nationwide today, the company announced.The feature is part of an effort to boost safety and get more women and nonbinary drivers on the road.Why it matters: Lyft and Uber have come under fire in recent years over sexual assault and other incidents that targeted women.Zoom in: Uber's most recent safety report shows nearly 1,000 sexual assault incidents in 2020, including 141 rapes. More than three-quarters of the victims were women.In 2022, a Hyde Park man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting six people in his car. Police said five of the victims thought they were getting into an Uber.Details: Lyft launched the Women+ Connect feature in September in San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Phoenix and Chicago. Lyft expanded the option to another 50 cities the next month.The company says 67% of eligible drivers have opted into the feature, and those using it keep it on 99% of the time.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Boston metro area vacancies among lowest in 20 years
Just 0.4% of Boston metro area homes were vacant and for sale at the end of 2023, per the latest quarterly census data.Why it matters: The percentage of homes that are vacant is one way to gauge the tightness of the housing market, Axios' Matt Phillips writes.What's happening: Home vacancies in Greater Boston have hovered below 1% for most of the last decade.While homeowner vacancies slightly increased between 2020 and 2022, home sale prices remain as high as ever, according to the 2023 Greater Boston Housing Report Card.Rental vacancies still dropped in 2022.The big picture: Low inventory is enticing U.S....
Boston metro area vacancies among lowest in 20 years
Just 0.4% of Boston metro area homes were vacant and for sale at the end of 2023, per the latest quarterly census data.Why it matters: The percentage of homes that are vacant is one way to gauge the tightness of the housing market, Axios' Matt Phillips writes.What's happening: Home vacancies in Greater Boston have hovered below 1% for most of the last decade.While homeowner vacancies slightly increased between 2020 and 2022, home sale prices remain as high as ever, according to the 2023 Greater Boston Housing Report Card.Rental vacancies still dropped in 2022.The big picture: Low inventory is enticing U.S....
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