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How the wildfire smoke is affecting Boston's air quality
Data: AirNow; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosIt’s (mostly) safe to breathe today. The worst of the haze from Canada’s wildfires is over for Greater Boston.What's happening: The Boston area faced the brunt of the smoke on Tuesday and early Wednesday, prompting the state to issue an air quality alert.Winds are pushing the haze farther west and mitigating the impact on us the rest of the week, says Bill Leatham, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Boston.Why it matters: Breathing unhealthy levels of smoke and other air pollution can increase someone’s risk of developing lung and heart conditions, per the Environmental Protection Agency.For...
Where Massachusetts ranks among the worst dog bite states for mail carriers
Dogs bit at least 93 mail carriers in Massachusetts last year.What's happening: The USPS released data last week showing the 10 worst "dog bite states" for its workers.California canines were the fiercest, biting 674 people. Texas was second-worst (404), followed by New York (321).How we ranked: Not terrible! Per an agency spokesperson, we're 17th in the country.Be smart: The USPS says it trains carriers to make some noise or rattle a fence to alert — but not startle — a dog if they’re entering a yard.They're also told not to pet or feed a pooch.Yes, but: Still best to keep your dog out of arm's reach.💡 Pro tip: Don't have a child get your mail from the carrier as the dog may see the carrier as a threat to the kid.
Inside the job training programs attempting to bridge biotech's racial gaps
A collection of Massachusetts nonprofits and higher education institutions are trying to tackle the diversity problem in the biotech workforce with free and paid job training programs.Why it matters: The region’s fastest-growing industry has largely left out people of color who lack connections and, often, college degrees.The big picture: The state’s biotech industry grew nearly 15% between 2019 and 2022, outpacing the national average, according to a recent report from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation.But the industry doesn’t have enough workers to keep growing apace, much less nonwhite or women workers.By the numbers: Only 7% of life sciences graduates in...
Scoop: New doggy day care death renews call for state regulations
Another dog has died after being watched by a former doggy day care owner in Massachusetts, reigniting interest in a proposal to regulate pet care facilities.Why it matters: Dog lovers and advocates who learned about the latest death say it illustrates the need for statewide standards of care and severe penalties for those who violate the rules.What's happening: A three-year-old dog named Cooper was in the care of Denise Degon when he died unexpectedly in March, according to an email written by East Longmeadow's health director that was obtained by Axios.Flashback: Degon was the owner of Pampered Pets doggie day...
Charted: Boston's shrinking unemployment
Data: BLS; Chart: Axios VisualsUnemployment in the region dropped to 2.3% in April, according to seasonally unadjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Why it matters: Despite market volatility and layoffs in tech and life sciences, we've continued to see joblessness shrink.Zoom out: Boston’s unemployment rate is 0.8 percentage points lower than the national rate.Editor’s Note: This chart and the test have been corrected to label the unemployment rates as seasonally unadjusted (not adjusted). Boston’s April unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points lower than the national rate (not 1.1% lower).Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Charted: Boston's shrinking unemployment
Data: BLS; Chart: Axios VisualsUnemployment in the region dropped to 2.3% in April, according to seasonally unadjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.Why it matters: Despite market volatility and layoffs in tech and life sciences, we've continued to see joblessness shrink.Zoom out: Boston’s unemployment rate is 0.8 percentage points lower than the national rate.Editor’s Note: This chart and the test have been corrected to label the unemployment rates as seasonally unadjusted (not adjusted). Boston’s April unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points lower than the national rate (not 1.1% lower).
Boston is one of the best cities for public parks
Boston ranked 10th among the 100 largest U.S. cities for its public parks, per the latest report from the Trust for Public Land, a pro-parks nonprofit.Why it matters: Parks bring a wealth of benefits — including, as TPL points out in its latest annual report, significant health boosts. They offer space for physical activity and social gatherings, improve visitors’ moods and provide a reprieve from noise and air pollution.Residents of the top 25 cities by ParkScore are less likely to report poor mental health or low physical activity, per the report.How it works: The group rates cities on the percentage...
Boston Holocaust Museum plans take shape
The organization behind Boston's upcoming Holocaust Museum and Education Center is filing architectural renderings today with city planning officials.Driving the news: A stainless-steel metal fabric will wrap the facade of the six-story building, representing the curtains that remained drawn in Jewish households as the Nazi regime gained power, according to the firm Schwartz/Silver Architects.The curtain stops short in one corner, where a railcar comes into view. The railcar was used to send Jewish people to their deaths in Nazi Germany’s extermination camps, per the Holocaust Legacy Foundation, the nonprofit behind the museum.Why it matters: As Massachusetts sees a surge in...
Suffolk Downs racetrack set to become a music venue
In two weeks, a gravel patch left of the Suffolk Downs racetrack will transform into The Stage, an outdoor venue for up to 8,500 concertgoers.Why it matters: The project led by The Bowery Presents brings concerts to the old racetrack site for the first time in two decades.Driving the news: The Stage’s season kicks off with the Re:SET concert series June 16-18.The lineup includes LCD sound system, Steve Lacy and boygenius.The intrigue: The Stage will prioritize shows that are longer than typical concerts but shorter than music festivals that take over our entire weekends.What they’re saying: “It’s no knock on festivals. It’s no knock on individual shows,” says Josh Bhatti, The Bowery Presents’ senior vice president for New England. “It’s really trying to think about what was out there and how do we create something.”
What to know about the Cliff Diving World Series in Boston
Twenty-four of the world’s best cliff divers will leap off a board as high as the Institute of Contemporary Art roof tomorrow.What’s happening: The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series is back. Here’s what to know if you want to go and experience the secondhand adrenaline (or dread).Zoom out: Boston is the only U.S. stop in the competition. The event will continue in France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina and New Zealand through November.What to know: The contest starts around noon. Admission is free.The women’s division has competitors diving from 69 feet above water. The men’s division has them...
This 77-pound potbelly pig at the Boston shelter needs a new home
🍀 the 🐷 Photo: Courtesy MSPCAClover is a shy girl that needs a patient new owner to make her feel at home on their farm.Details: She's a two-year-old, 77-pound potbelly pig that hasn't had much experience living around humans, but seems willing to learn.She may be shy, but she's a pro at communal pig-living, so if you have a sty with a few social porcine friends for her, all the better.She loves to wallow, so a nice shady, wet place would be right up her alley.Check Clover out at the MSPCA site.
Ayanna Pressley votes no on debt deal
Rep. Ayanna Pressley wasn't among her Democratic colleagues when the U.S. House agreed a deal to raise the debt ceiling until 2025 in exchange for cuts to the budget deficit.Why it matters: The bill was crucial to preventing the country from defaulting on its debt — which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had said could happen soon.But some Democrats, like Pressley, voted no on the measure, saying the deal cut too deeply into Democratic priorities and should not end the moratorium on student loan payments.Driving the news: The bipartisan agreement hashed out between President Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy...
Dot Block fills in a stretch of Dorchester Avenue
A sleepy stretch of Dorchester Avenue is about to get a lot more bustling after one of the neighborhood's largest new housing developments opens.What's happening: Nearly 500 residential units across four buildings make up Dot Block, which welcomes its first residents June 14.Around half of the apartments come online this summer; the second phase of the complex is opening in the future.When completed, the project will cover over 400,000 square feet over nearly 4 acres with 1.3 acres of green space open to the public.Why it matters: The infusion of new residents and consumers to the Glover's Corner section of...
Charted: Boston's highest-paid CEOs
Data: SEC filings; based on largest public companies by revenue compiled by the BBJ; Chart: Alice Feng/AxiosSeveral CEOs leading Greater Boston’s largest public companies saw bigger paychecks in 2022 despite volatility in the stock market.What’s happening: 11 chief executives saw increases in pay last year, while five saw drops, according to an Axios analysis of financial disclosures for 16 companies.Why it matters: Even in the worst stock market year since 2008, the heads of these companies were paid hundreds of times more than their median employees.Zoom in: Thermo Fisher CEO Marc Casper’s total compensation grew by $7 million last year, reaching...
Charted: Boston's highest-paid CEOs
Data: SEC filings; based on largest public companies by revenue compiled by the BBJ; Chart: Alice Feng/AxiosSeveral CEOs leading Greater Boston’s largest public companies saw bigger paychecks in 2022 despite volatility in the stock market.What’s happening: 11 chief executives saw increases in pay last year, while five saw drops, according to an Axios analysis of financial disclosures for 16 companies.Why it matters: Even in the worst stock market year since 2008, the heads of these companies were paid hundreds of times more than their median employees.Zoom in: Thermo Fisher CEO Marc Casper’s total compensation grew by $7 million last year, reaching...
A missing Bengal in Boston
Kailee Kennedy has put up flyers, posted online and hired a professional tracker to find her Bengal Nala. No dice.But Kennedy’s holding out hope that her cat’s still alive.What’s happening: Nala went missing during a walk in January.The intrigue: Many would have given up, but Kennedy says Nala is still out there. The professional tracker’s dog typically finds the cat, alive or dead, though tracking cats in cities is harder. Kennedy said the tracker suggested someone took Nala inside.She also hired someone to search for Nala using a drone with thermal energy.What she’s saying: “Nala is my family,” says Kennedy, a graduate student in JP.Nala has green eyes, a beige coat and brown spots. She’s microchipped.Kennedy is limiting what personally identifiable information she shares, including Nala’s age, so she can better vet reports of Bengal sightings.Some people have reported spotting a Bengal in JP, but those turned out to be two other outdoor Bengals in the neighborhood.Of note: Kennedy asks anyone who spots a Bengal to take a photo and send it to her at 617-710-0948.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
A missing Bengal in Boston
Kailee Kennedy has put up flyers, posted online and hired a professional tracker to find her Bengal Nala. No dice.But Kennedy’s holding out hope that her cat’s still alive.What’s happening: Nala went missing during a walk in January.The intrigue: Many would have given up, but Kennedy says Nala is still out there. The professional tracker’s dog typically finds the cat, alive or dead, though tracking cats in cities is harder. Kennedy said the tracker suggested someone took Nala inside.She also hired someone to search for Nala using a drone with thermal energy.What she’s saying: “Nala is my family,” says Kennedy, a graduate student in JP.Nala has green eyes, a beige coat and brown spots. She’s microchipped.Kennedy is limiting what personally identifiable information she shares, including Nala’s age, so she can better vet reports of Bengal sightings.Some people have reported spotting a Bengal in JP, but those turned out to be two other outdoor Bengals in the neighborhood.Of note: Kennedy asks anyone who spots a Bengal to take a photo and send it to her at 617-710-0948.
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