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Feds bust upscale brothels in Watertown, Cambridge
Federal authorities took down a ring of what they're calling "high-end" brothels operating in suburban Boston and Washington D.C. yesterday.What's happening: In court documents prosecutors allege that the prostitution ring included apartments in the Arsenal complex in Watertown and the Fresh Pond area in Cambridge.Details: One women and two men, Han Lee of Cambridge, Junmyung Lee of Dedham and James Lee of Torrance, California were charged with conspiracy to coerce and entice to travel to engage in illegal sexual activity.Prosecutors say the trio rented high-end apartment complexes to use as brothels in greater Boston, Fairfax, VA and Tysons, VA.They advertised...
Boston City Council results: Santana, Fitzgerald and Weber poised to join incumbents
Boston voters returned every active incumbent city councilor to City Hall last night and elected progressive newcomers to fill open seats in Boston's off-year election, according to unofficial results and declarations from the candidates.Driving the news: At-large councilors Erin Murphy, Ruthzee Louijeune and Julia Mejia maintained comfortable leads in the race to retain their citywide seats with 100% of precincts reporting.Former aide to Mayor Michele Wu Henry Santana finished with a significant lead over Bridget Nee-Walsh and Shawn Nelson to fill the fourth at-large slot.Louijeune finished with the most votes, with 20.2% to Murphy's 19.9%, per the initial results.Of note:...
Where to find Thanksgiving to-go orders around Boston
There's no shortage of food options for those who want a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal without the work.Here are some places accepting orders now.🥘 Zaz in Boston is taking orders for its Thanksgiving menu, which includes Caribbean-inspired dishes like Oxtail and sweet plantains and holiday classics.Cost: Starts at $250 for up to eight servings.🍗 Bar Mezzana in Boston is accepting Thanksgiving dinner orders until Nov. 19.Its Thanksgiving meal includes roasted turkey breast, confit legs and three sides.Cost: $70 a person, with options for two, four or six servings.🍠 Woods Hill Pier 4 in Boston and Woods Hill Table in Concord are...
Massachusetts taps nonprofits to shelter waitlisted families
Massachusetts is tapping community groups to set up overnight shelters for homeless families on the state's new emergency shelter waitlist.Driving the news: The state and United Way of Massachusetts Bay announced Tuesday a $5 million grant program for grassroots organizations setting up overflow shelters for waitlisted families with nowhere to stay, says Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, the state's emergency assistance director.Massachusetts is allotting $5 million from a state housing trust fund, which will then be backfilled by federal housing aid, a housing spokesperson said.Why it matters: The state will stop immediately placing eligible families in emergency shelter once the...
How Massachusetts schools are responding to influx of migrants
Schools across Massachusetts have brought in social workers, upgraded technology and made other changes to anticipate the influx of migrant students this year.Driving the news: Education officials tell Axios they have seen enrollment increase in Brockton, Boston, Lynn and other cities even after the start of the school year, in large part because of recently arrived migrant families.Some of those students not only need help learning English, but had interruptions in their schooling because of COVID-19, discrimination, poverty and other reasons, meaning they will need more help in school.Why it matters: Even some of the most welcoming school districts with...
Logan Airport to test wastewater from arriving planes for viruses
Logan Airport has begun testing the wastewater drained from arriving planes for viruses.What's happening: Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks and XWELL, Inc. have teamed with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor for pathogens like the flu, RSV and COVID-19.What they're saying: "Persistent monitoring can give officials an early warning by offering a view into how pathogens spread across the globe," said Matt McKnight, General Manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks, according to a release.Zoom in: The organizations use triturators to spin samples from the bathroom waste pumped off arriving planes, then track the presence of viruses.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Early birds on the rise
Data: Resy; Chart: Alice Feng/AxiosIt's not just the sunset that's getting earlier. More Bostonians, some of whom continue to work remotely, are making earlier dinner reservations — 5pm early.By the numbers: 5pm dinner reservations are more popular now than they've been in the last five years, according to data Resy shared with Axios.Boston-area reservations on the platform in 2023 for 5-6pm are up 1.4% compared to 2019 numbers.And reservations made for the 8 o'clock hour have dropped almost 2%.Boston's uptick in 5pm dining is less than the 2.1% increase seen nationwide, but the city is still one...
Logan Airport to test wastewater from arriving planes for viruses
Logan Airport has begun testing the wastewater drained from arriving planes for viruses.What's happening: Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks and XWELL, Inc. have teamed with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor for pathogens like the flu, RSV and COVID-19.What they're saying: "Persistent monitoring can give officials an early warning by offering a view into how pathogens spread across the globe," said Matt McKnight, General Manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks, according to a release.Zoom in: The organizations use triturators to spin samples from the bathroom waste pumped off arriving planes, then track the presence of viruses.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Boston social calendar: Things to do this week
🍃 Ever wanted to make your own bong? Pottery with a Purpose is hosting a "puff puff pottery class" Monday at Dorchester Brewing.Tickets: $105. Tickets cover materials, the workshop, trivia with prizes.🏆 Fresh Boston hosts sports Jeopardy Tuesday night.Winners get Fresh merch or gift cards.Admission is free.🎭 Wednesday is opening night for "The Real James Bond ... Was Dominican" at the Emerson Paramount Center.Tickets start at $10."Freakonomics Radio" explores the hidden side of failure Thursday at WBUR CitySpace.Tickets: $25.🐕🦺 Park-9 Dog Bar in Everett is hosting an adoption event Thursday night with Great Dog Rescue New England.Admission is free.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Boston native wants to bring Hollywood magic to Seaport
Before Tommy Maddox-Upshaw worked in Hollywood, he was installing plumbing in the Big Dig project, hoping to save up for a film class.Why it matters: Maddox-Upshaw, a Mattapan native, is now a cinematographer, with titles like "Snowfall" and "Iron Man 2" under his belt.Now he wants to bring some of that Hollywood magic to Boston.What's happening: Maddox-Upshaw plans to open a film studio in the Seaport if Cronin Development wins a bid to redevelop an unused lot.He and Tavares Brewington, a partner with Cronin, see the studio as not only a production hub, but an opportunity to build a pipeline...
Boston votes on new faces for City Council
Tuesday is election day in Boston and at least four new members will be selected to join the 13-person City Council.Why it matters: After a tumultuous few years of infighting and turmoil in the council chamber, returning incumbents and fresh faces are pledging more harmony next year.The new council will contend with Mayor Michelle Wu's agenda as she approaches reelection in 2025.What's happening: Early voting has already begun for the citywide election and ends tomorrow at 5pm.Physical polls open at 7am Tuesday and voting wraps up at 8pm.Find out where to vote here.Zoom in: The top of the ballot in...
Boston votes on new faces for City Council
Tuesday is election day in Boston and at least four new members will be selected to join the 13-person City Council.Why it matters: After a tumultuous few years of infighting and turmoil in the council chamber, returning incumbents and fresh faces are pledging more harmony next year.The new council will contend with Mayor Michelle Wu's agenda as she approaches reelection in 2025.What's happening: Early voting has already begun for the citywide election and ends tomorrow at 5pm.Physical polls open at 7am Tuesday and voting wraps up at 8pm.Find out where to vote here.Zoom in: The top of the ballot in...
City council district seats up for grabs after incumbent losses
Voters in three of Boston's nine council districts are charged with electing new representatives for their neighborhoods in City Hall this year.What's happening: In Dorchester's District 3, the race to replace the retiring Councilor Frank Baker is between John FitzGerald and Joel Richards.FitzGerald had a commanding performance in September's three-way preliminary election, winning over 43% of the vote to Richards' 19%.Richards, a Boston Public Schools teacher and pastor, has the backing of the Boston Teachers Union, SEIU Local 1199 and other progressive organizations.He ran unsuccessfully for the District 4 seat in 2021 before the political lines were redrawn last year.FitzGerald...
Massachusetts may proceed with family shelter cap, judge rules
Massachusetts may proceed with its cap of the emergency family shelter system, a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled Wednesday.Why it matters: Massachusetts will not guarantee shelter to eligible families because of capacity limitations for the first time since the state’s right-to-shelter law took effect in 1983, in what housing advocates call a violation of the law. Catch up fast: Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a lawsuit against the state on Friday, alleging the cap and waitlist the state planned to implement this week ran afoul of the state’s shelter law.Gov. Maura Healey said the waitlist would launch once the emergency...
Mass. lawmakers target health care costs
As they reach the halfway point of their session, the state House and Senate are taking different paths to improve and lower the cost of health care for Massachusetts residents, a divide in strategy that's led to political logjams and inaction in the past.What's happening: Democratic leaders of both branches say they'll consider their counterparts' bills this session, meaning compromises on prescription drug prices and long-term care could reach Gov. Maura Healey's desk by the summer.Why it matters: Experts have warned that spending on health care in Massachusetts has spiraled out of control.Commercial health care spending rose more than 5%...
Boston Public Library launches 'spice bank'
The Boston Public Library has launched a "spice bank" to help people access seasoning during the holidays and beyond.What's happening: Starting Wednesday, BPL patrons are asked to bring unopened spices and dried herbs to participating branches.The library has teamed with the Greater Boston Food Bank to distribute the spices to needy families and individuals.Why it matters: The library hopes that by making expensive spices easier to come by, patrons can maintain cultural traditions and cook more nutritious meals.Of note: The Brighton, Copley Square, Charlestown, Connolly, Fields Corner, Jamaica Plain, Lower Mills, Roslindale, Roxbury and South Boston branches are accepting donations.Spice donations dropped off at the Newsfeed Café inside the BPL's main branch in Copley Square will be matched by the cafe.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Boston Public Library launches 'spice bank'
The Boston Public Library has launched a "spice bank" to help people access seasoning during the holidays and beyond.What's happening: Starting Wednesday, BPL patrons are asked to bring unopened spices and dried herbs to participating branches.The library has teamed with the Greater Boston Food Bank to distribute the spices to needy families and individuals.Why it matters: The library hopes that by making expensive spices easier to come by, patrons can maintain cultural traditions and cook more nutritious meals.Of note: The Brighton, Copley Square, Charlestown, Connolly, Fields Corner, Jamaica Plain, Lower Mills, Roslindale, Roxbury and South Boston branches are accepting donations.Spice donations dropped off at the Newsfeed Café inside the BPL's main branch in Copley Square will be matched by the cafe.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Boston Public Library launches 'spice bank'
The Boston Public Library has launched a "spice bank" to help people access seasoning during the holidays and beyond.What's happening: Starting Wednesday, BPL patrons are asked to bring unopened spices and dried herbs to participating branches.The library has teamed with the Greater Boston Food Bank to distribute the spices to needy families and individuals.Why it matters: The library hopes that by making expensive spices easier to come by, patrons can maintain cultural traditions and cook more nutritious meals.Of note: The Brighton, Copley Square, Charlestown, Connolly, Fields Corner, Jamaica Plain, Lower Mills, Roslindale, Roxbury and South Boston branches are accepting donations.Spice donations dropped off at the Newsfeed Café inside the BPL's main branch in Copley Square will be matched by the cafe.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Red Line speeds up after Ashmont branch reopens
Forty-thousand daily Red Line riders will see faster service after a lengthy closure of the branch serving Dorchester and Mattapan came to an end.What's happening: The T announced yesterday its 16-day shutdown of the Red Line between JFK/UMass and Ashmont resulted in track improvements and the removal of speed restrictions that had plagued riders for months.Why it matters: The Red Line is Boston's most popular subway line, and by some measures, its worst.The new tracks mean travel time on the branch will be about 10 minutes shorter.Of note: The T also improved the stations along the Ashmont line, replaced floors, fixed stairways, cleaned and gave some areas a fresh coat of paint.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Red Line speeds up after Ashmont branch reopens
Forty-thousand daily Red Line riders will see faster service after a lengthy closure of the branch serving Dorchester and Mattapan came to an end.What's happening: The T announced yesterday its 16-day shutdown of the Red Line between JFK/UMass and Ashmont resulted in track improvements and the removal of speed restrictions that had plagued riders for months.Why it matters: The Red Line is Boston's most popular subway line, and by some measures, its worst.The new tracks mean travel time on the branch will be about 10 minutes shorter.Of note: The T also improved the stations along the Ashmont line, replaced floors, fixed stairways, cleaned and gave some areas a fresh coat of paint.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
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