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Axios Boston
91-year-old Coolidge Corner Theater Gets a facelift
The Coolidge Corner Theater may be known for its classic 1930s art deco decor, but a new $12.5 million expansion means the nearly century-old moviehouse will be ready for the 2030s and beyond.Why it matters: Brookline's beloved cinema just completed a 14,000-square-foot expansion that added a new lobby, two new moviehouses and event space that will boost the nonprofit's arts and community programming.The Coolidge cut the ribbon on the new digs yesterday.The gorgeous new Moviehouse 5 has 145 seats and the 53-seat Moviehouse 6 will cater to smaller screenings.Both new spaces feature new digital projectors.Zoom in: That long line for...
Banishing cars at 2024's Open Streets
Boston's Open Streets program will return for the warmer months, and this year the pedestrian-friendly street festival is expanding to Hyde Park.Why it matters: Now in its third year, Open Streets blocks off motor vehicle traffic along some of the city's busiest roads to let people enjoy their neighborhood's food, drink and shopping without all the cars and noise.The festivals bring in food trucks, face painting and other attractions.Six streets will be open across one Saturday and five Sundays from 10:30am to 5pm:May 5 in Dorchester — Dorchester AvenueJune 22 in Roxbury — Blue Hill AvenueJuly 21 in Jamaica Plain — Centre StreetAug. 11 in Hyde Park — River StreetSept. 15 in East Boston — Meridian Street and Bennington StreetOct. 20 in Allston-Brighton — Harvard AvenueMotor vehicle traffic will be closed from 9am to 6pm on Open Streets days.Newbury Street will also be pedestrian-only on select days this year, but the dates haven't been announced.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Patriot Front propaganda, antisemitism rife in Massachusetts in 2023
Massachusetts was again one of the most active states for the Patriot Front as the Texas-based white supremacy group ramped up its use of antisemitic rhetoric, per a new report.The big picture: White supremacist propaganda and events are on the rise nationwide, with members sharing racist, antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ+ materials, per a report released Tuesday by the American Defamation League's Center on Extremism.Their activity has stoked tensions at a time when people are already fiercely divided over the Israel-Hamas war and its impact on Palestinian civilians.Between the lines: The Patriot Front veered away from explicit white supremacist language and antisemitic...
The Boston startup behind the next generation of smartphone lenses
The startup behind the next generation of smartphone lenses is testing the technology at a lab a few hundred feet away from TD Garden.Why it matters: Metalenz's technology not only verifies users' identity, but eventually will detect signs of poor air quality and dehydration through facial recognition, said co-founder and CEO Rob Devlin.Catch up quick: Metalenz inked a deal with Samsung earlier this year to use Samsung's image sensors in Metalenz's biometric security product, "Polar ID."Metalenz is focusing on getting Polar ID out to market in the next year.Flashback: The startup, born out of Harvard University, began mass producing its...
Boston concerts this week: Guster, Grouplove, Flipturn and more
Hometown boys Guster show the MGM Music Hall some love this week, along with classic groups like Girlschool and new acts like Flipturn, Stolen Gin and Grouplove.TuesdayAustralian indie singer Angie Mcmahon will be at The Sinclair.Worlds Biggest Army comes to the Rockwell.WednesdayThree hardcore bands — KOYO, Anxious and One Step Closer — perform at the Sinclair.ThursdayKenny Mason brings his combination of rap and indie rock to Brighton Music Hall.Arlo Parks is at Royale.Baltimore's Tomato Flower plays a softer, dreamier kind of indie rock at the Rockwell.FridayAlt rockers Grouplove come to Roadrunner.Flipturn plays at the House of Blues.Girlschool, one of the...
Massachusetts to limit shelter stays to one-month increments
Massachusetts will soon start making adults in shelter prove they're getting jobs, or at least work authorization and training, every month if their families want to keep receiving help.Why it matters: The state is trying to rein in its shelter spending, which has ballooned to $75 million a month.Thousands of families, just under half of the emergency family shelter population, are migrants.Starting May 1, families in the family shelter system will be evaluated monthly to see if they are taking steps toward becoming independent, per the Healey administration.Those steps could include applying for work permits, doing a workforce training program...
Logan Airport lagged in holiday timeliness
81% of flights out of Logan International Airport departed on time in December 2023, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report from the latest Transportation Department data.The big picture: Logan trailed the average national on-time departure rate for domestic U.S. flights of 83% in December 2023.The national average is a big upswing compared to December 2022, when Southwest Airlines' epic meltdown dragged the industry-wide average down to about 70% for the month.Zoom in: Florida's Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (89.5% on time), Salt Lake City International Airport (89.2%) and Hawai'i's Lihue Airport (88.8%) had the best on-time departure performance in December...
Logan Airport lagged in holiday timeliness
81% of flights out of Logan International Airport departed on time in December 2023, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj report from the latest Transportation Department data.The big picture: Logan trailed the average national on-time departure rate for domestic U.S. flights of 83% in December 2023.The national average is a big upswing compared to December 2022, when Southwest Airlines' epic meltdown dragged the industry-wide average down to about 70% for the month.Zoom in: Florida's Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (89.5% on time), Salt Lake City International Airport (89.2%) and Hawai'i's Lihue Airport (88.8%) had the best on-time departure performance in December...
CIC, Basque Culinary Center team up to explore food science innovation
The Cambridge Innovation Center is teaming up with the Basque Culinary Center in Spain to explore innovation in gastronomy.Why it matters: The partnership supports researchers and entrepreneurs tackling some of the biggest challenges in farming, the plant-based market, restaurants and more.Zoom in: This is CIC's first food collaboration across multiple locations and, CEO Tim Rowe argues, the first food science collaboration of its kind.The partnership opens the door to networking opportunities, startup incubators and other collaborations between entrepreneurs in Boston's tech hub and academic researchers in San Sebastián, a culinary destination.CIC and Basque celebrated the partnership with a gastronomy showcase in Kendall Square.The showcase included a mixologist, a Boston-based vertical farming startup, a Spanish brewery specializing in alcohol made from fermented teas and other projects.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Messi game drives New England Revs ticket prices
Ticket prices are surging for the New England Revolution game against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on April 27.Why it matters: The hype around Messi, the Argentine soccer star and Inter Miami forward, has drawn record crowds across the globe, bringing attention and driving ticket sales for opposing teams.State of play: Some pairs of tickets are reselling on Ticketmaster for nearly $1,000 as of Thursday. Individual club seats, which typically go for roughly $100, are selling for more than four times as much for the Inter Miami game.The Revs sold out packages with lower-level seats and other perks for the game.Reality check: There's no guarantee Messi will appear at Gillette.He didn't play in Washington, D.C., after suffering a hamstring injury, disappointing fans.Inter Miami CF coach Gerardo Martino said Messi's condition will be evaluated "week by week."Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Messi game drives New England Revs ticket prices
Ticket prices are surging for the New England Revolution game against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on April 27.Why it matters: The hype around Messi, the Argentine soccer star and Inter Miami forward, has drawn record crowds across the globe, bringing attention and driving ticket sales for opposing teams.State of play: Some pairs of tickets are reselling on Ticketmaster for nearly $1,000 as of Thursday. Individual club seats, which typically go for roughly $100, are selling for more than four times as much for the Inter Miami game.The Revs sold out packages with lower-level seats and other perks for the game.Reality check: There's no guarantee Messi will appear at Gillette.He didn't play in Washington, D.C., after suffering a hamstring injury, disappointing fans.Inter Miami CF coach Gerardo Martino said Messi's condition will be evaluated "week by week."Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Things to do in the Boston area, week of March 25
Here's what's in store for Greater Boston residents this week.MondayHarpoon Brewery is letting people play on its new pickleball courts free this week through Friday.Hours: 4pm-10pm, Monday through Friday.Reservations can be made here.🎨 Try paint-and-sip with an oyster as your canvas at Limani Chestnut Hill, 6pm-8pm.Price: $75. Includes materials, one drink and snacks.📖 The Roxbury Reads Book Club hosts author Renée Watson at Frugal Bookstore, 6pm-7:30pm.Watson will discuss her award-winning novel "Piecing Me Together" and her poetry collection, "Black Girl You Are Atlas."Free, but registration required.Tuesday🎨 Harpoon Beer Hall hosts a beer tasting and ceramic stein (or bong) painting class,...
Mass. could finally ban "revenge porn"
Massachusetts is one of the last states in the country to make "revenge porn" illegal, but it likely won't be dead last.Why it matters: It took nearly seven years for lawmakers to near the finish line on a bill to outlaw the malicious sharing of explicit images without the subject's permission."Revenge porn" is the term for when someone threatens to release intimate material — typically nude photos or a sex tape created for private viewing — as a means to embarrass, coerce or extort the subject of the footage.Victims face humiliation and personal and professional consequences if explicit material...
Why converting Boston's empty offices to homes is harder than it looks
It's an uphill battle to transform Boston's vacant downtown office buildings into homes, but the Hub does have one advantage: its sky-high residential rents.Why it matters: Filling empty offices with new downtown dwellers may look like killing two birds with one stone, but it's not nearly that easy.It takes sizable up-front investments to physically transform offices into suitable residences with individual units, plumbing, fire suppression, egress spots, kitchens and power.Spending millions to add hundreds of toilets, showers and new windows to meet residential building codes makes investors nervous when there's little guarantee of a return.The big picture: Residential space is...
Seaport pharma firm launches world's most expensive medicine
A new gene therapy drug from a Boston-based company to treat a rare genetic disorder comes with a whopping price tag: $4.25 million.Why it matters: The drug, known as Lenmeldy, is now the most expensive medicine in the world.The Seaport's Orchard Therapeutics won approval for Lenmeldy Monday.Around 40 children are born with the genetic disorder treated by Lenmeldy — metachromatic leukodystrophy — in the U.S. each year, according to CNN.Makers of the new drug claim it can slow or even stop the progression of MLD with a single dose.The bottom line: Instead of charging patients over $4 million, the price is what insurers, including public payers like Medicaid, will have to pay for the treatment.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
How Massachusetts can watch the 2024 solar eclipse
Bostonians can catch a glimpse of the April 8 solar eclipse within city limits, but they'll have to hit the road to experience the full effect.Why it matters: This is the only total solar eclipse that can be seen from the continental U.S. until August 2044.The big picture: The total eclipse will be visible in Mexico and 13 U.S. states, including Texas and parts of upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.Massachusetts isn't in the path of totality, but residents can still see a partial eclipse.State of play: The moon will block out up to 92% of the sun...
Boston city councilor suggests St. Patrick's Day parade move out of Southie
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn suggested moving the annual St. Patrick's Day parade out of South Boston indefinitely after a series of arrests and complaints about public drinking.Why it matters: The popular Irish celebration has drawn hundreds of thousands of people to the Boston neighborhood, but some locals raised concerns about violence, fighting and other incidents at the celebration.Catch up fast: Police arrested at least 10 people on Sunday in South Boston on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to assault, per Boston.com.Officers responded to multiple other calls for fights in the area that afternoon.MBTA Transit Police also arrested a man they said was "highly intoxicated" and had a gun.What they're saying: Flynn wrote on Facebook calling for a "zero tolerance" approach to public drinking, fighting, property damage and other quality of life issues or else the parade should be moved."This is a neighborhood, and many of the spectators that come to the parade do not treat residents of South Boston with respect," he wrote.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Massachusetts libraries saw dozens of book ban attempts in 2023
Massachusetts libraries faced dozens of book ban attempts in 2023, according to new data from the American Library Association.Why it matters: Even liberal Massachusetts isn't immune to attempts to ban books that opponents argue are inappropriate for children — often books that center LGBTQ+ people or people of color.Zoom in: Massachusetts schools and public libraries reported 37 book ban attempts involving 63 titles last year.Book ban attempts are down from 2022, but the number of titles challenged is up, per the ALA.The most targeted title in Massachusetts was, "Gender Queer: A Memoir"A plainclothes officer searched an eighth grade classroom in...
Cambridge startup is tracking heart health in a bra
A Cambridge-based startup is about to launch a clinical trial for bras that could help detect heart irregularities and other conditions that can lead to heart disease.Why it matters: Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, yet they're under-diagnosed and under-treated.Researchers say that's because women are underrepresented in clinical trials and because many mistakenly believe heart disease is limited to men.State of play: Bloomer Tech received a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health last year to start a clinical trial on its medical device, a bra outfitted with flexible, washable sensors.The company is enlisting...
Boston-area concerts this week
Some all-time legends are in town this week, including:Frankie Valli, Patti Labelle and Emmylou HarrisAs well as some legends to a certain set of people, like Joey Fatone & AJ McLeanCheck out some of the best concerts around town:TuesdayEnglish pop singer and visual artist Hannah Diamond will be at The Sinclair.WednesdaySka punk will never die and Less Than Jake will never stop touring. They're at Big Night Live.Flutist and composer Nathalie Joachim comes to the Crystal Ballroom.Mahalia is at the Paradise Rock Club.Lola Young plays at The Sinclair.ThursdayThrowback country rock act Blackberry Smoke plays at the House of Blues.Balladier Nolan...
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