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Axios Boston
MBTA hits pause on modernizing fares
The MBTA was supposed to have a modern fare collection system up and running by 2021, but the Healey administration is once again tapping the brakes to reevaluate the project that's already years behind schedule.Driving the news: The 2-month-old Healey-Driscoll administration has already done a preliminary review of the project to assess its status and timeline, according to an MBTA spokesperson.But based on the contractor's most recent schedule, the project is unlikely to hit its 2024 target, T spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said in a statement.Why it matters: Updating and standardizing how the T collects fares would make the system more...
DIY yourself a cell phone MBTA pass
👋 Deehan here.You don't have to wait the better part of a decade for the MBTA's official system to tap your mobile phone to get onto the T if you're willing to be a little inventive and maybe break some rules and regulations.Just melt your CharlieCard with acid and then you can put the electronic bits wherever you want.OK, don’t actually use acid. Use acetone, aka, nail polish remover. Put the card in a hard plastic or glass container in a well-ventilated area away from flames. This is your CharlieCard on acetone. Photo: Mike Deehan/AxiosThen carefully fish out the RFID...
Suffolk Sheriff Steve Tompkins fined for having niece, other employees run errands on the job
Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins paid a $12,300 fine for creating a position on his staff for his niece and having her and other employees run personal errands while they were on the job, according to the state Ethics Commission.Why it matters: The state’s conflict of interest law forbids public officials from using their position for their own personal benefit.That includes child care and help with errands on the public dime, according to a disposition agreement between Tompkins and the state.Tompkins didn’t respond to Axios’ requests for comment via his spokesperson, Peter Van Delft.Zoom in: Tompkins created a position for...
A guide to spending the day in Chelsea
Photo: Mike Deehan/Axios👋 Deehan here. Chelsea, Boston's often-overlooked neighbor to the north, has just as much going on as some of the communities further down the Mystic River.After all, the city’s main drag along Broadway is just over two miles from downtown Boston, less than a 10-minute drive in light traffic over the Tobin Bridge or a 30 minute ride on the Silver Line.Chelsea is the geographically smallest city in the state, but with a 40,000-person population, it's the second densest next to Somerville.For breakfastChelsea's been an immigrant community for generations and has a host of options for anyone...
A guide to spending the day in Chelsea
Photo: Mike Deehan/Axios👋 Deehan here. Chelsea, Boston's often-overlooked neighbor to the north, has just as much going on as some of the communities further down the Mystic River.After all, the city’s main drag along Broadway is just over two miles from downtown Boston, less than a 10-minute drive in light traffic over the Tobin Bridge or a 30 minute ride on the Silver Line.Chelsea is the geographically smallest city in the state, but with a 40,000-person population, it's the second densest next to Somerville.For breakfastChelsea's been an immigrant community for generations and has a host of options for anyone...
Martha’s Vineyard's favorite late-night donut spot is coming to Boston
Back Door Donuts, a Martha’s Vineyard staple, is making its first foray into Boston with a late-night pop-up in Fenway.What’s happening: The speakeasy-style donut business is setting up shop at 1 Lansdowne St., next to Loretta’s Last Call, under a partnership with the country music venue.The pop-up will start serving donuts on March 15 from 7pm - 2am every night.The intrigue: Back Door Donuts will offer late-night treats for the crowds coming from shows at House of Blues and MGM Music.Perhaps the closest late-night alternative is Insomnia Cookies on Boston University’s campus.Flashback: The Martha’s Vineyard bakery’s roots go back to at least 1948, when Walmsley’s Bakery opened at 5 Post Office Square in Oak Bluffs. The bakery was known to pass out donuts at the back door in the early mornings, according to the shop’s website.The bakery has passed hands and changed names over the years, and the back-door donut deals have become a mainstay of the business.Details: The “Donuts After Dark” menu will include Boston cream, buttermilk glazed, chocolate coconut, lemon jelly, old fashioned and more.
What’s on Temu, the weirdest shopping app
Temu, the hot new online store that became the most-downloaded app in Apple’s store this year, is headquartered in Boston.It had ads all over social media, mobile games and even the Super Bowl.Details: The retailer is owned by Chinese company PDD Holdings, which also owns online agriculture platform Pinduoduo.The company is listed at 31 St. James Ave Suite 355 in the Park Square Building downtown by the Plaza.The intrigue: A quick browse through the app shows that it's a clearing house for dirt-cheap products from overseas. We thought we'd "shop like a billionaire" like the ads say to test the...
A queer woman safe haven in the works in the Back Bay
At last, Boston might once again have a bar that caters to queer women.Driving the news: The locals behind LGBTQ Nightlife Events, a group that holds monthly themed parties that cater toward women and non-binary people, is considering leasing the space formerly occupied by the Pour House.The space would house Dani's Queer Bar, landlord Charles Talanian confirmed. UniversalHub first reported the development.More details should be available in the next month, Talanian said.Why it matters: Boston has a dearth of LGBTQ+ bars and none dedicated to lesbians and queer women. Vicki's and Cavana's, two lesbian bars on Tremont Street, closed decades...
Healey's budget plan brings campaign promises into focus
Gov. Maura Healey yesterday took the first solid step toward making her campaign promises about affordability a reality by releasing her budget plan for the coming year.💰 The $55.5 billion spending plan covers every piece of state government from schools to the MBTA, and from public assistance programs to money for roads, parks and climate change.📈 It's 4.1% larger than this year's budget.⛑️ Over half the budget, $28.6 billion, is dedicated to health care.🎓 Healey wants to use the yearly budget to implement her plan for free community college.Students over 25 years old who don't yet have a college degree...
Gas prices are falling in the Boston area
Data: GasBuddy; Note: Price as of the 1st of each month; Chart: Axios VisualsBoston drivers spent an average of $3.37 for every gallon of gas in February, per GasBuddy data. That's down 7% from the same time last year, and about the same as January.Nationally, gas cost about $3.40 per gallon in February — down 6% year over year, but up 2% from January.The big picture: Cheaper gas is good news for American consumers, especially commuters.Yes, but: Lower prices may disincentivize drivers from switching to more efficient cars, going electric or embracing public transit — all of which can have...
The push for a $20 minimum wage in Massachusetts
Labor unions and worker advocates are pushing state lawmakers to implement the highest minimum wage in the nation at $20 an hour, just two months after Massachusetts raised the rate to $15.Why it matters: Inflation has taken a big bite out of the buying power of a $15 wage, and that's not lost on the key stakeholders who could lead the effort to increase the pay floor.State of play: Beacon Hill lawmakers played a key role designing a law that satisfied labor activists and employers the last time the wage floor was lifted. But if leading Democrats don't get behind...
Boston not immune from growing hurricane wind problem
The number of Boston buildings vulnerable to hurricane-caused wind damage could rise by 22% over the next 30 years, new research finds.84,700 buildings could be vulnerable by 2053, compared to 69,500 today.That's based on research from the nonprofit First Street Foundation, using peer-reviewed computer modeling of the intensity and tracks of more than 50,000 simulated tropical cyclones in a warming climate.The researchers made projections for a 1-in-3,000-year storm, meaning such an event has a 0.0333% chance of hitting in any given year — a standard commonly used in setting building codes.Why it matters: How hurricane-related wind damage risks are priced...
Healey proposes big tax breaks across the board
Gov. Maura Healey wants to reduce taxes even more than her Republican predecessor intended to just over a year ago.Driving the news: Healey yesterday announced as part of her first budget proposal a $742 million tax relief plan meant to ease the burden on working people, families and the elderly.Democratic legislative leaders signaled tacit approval of the outline, if not the specifics, of the plan after meeting with Healey later in the day.Healey's big break for families and lower-income workers is a $600 tax credit per dependent, which includes children under 13, seniors and people with disabilities.The tax break would...
Hokusai in, Bowling out, at the MFA
The Museum of Fine Arts' next major exhibition explores the iconic Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai — his inspiration and legacy of influence from his own time to the present.Hokusai's “Great Wave” and other woodblock prints have penetrated popular art and design for nearly two centuries.The intrigue: The MFA's exhibit features over 100 woodblock prints, paintings and illustrated books by the master himself. It features another 200 works by his own teachers, contemporary rivals and later imitators.Throughout his over 70-year career, Hokusai worked several styles and covered subjects as varied as landscapes, portraits and myths.The exhibit opens March 26.Of note: Boston museum-goers might be familiar with Monet's “La Japonais,” a portrait of the impressionist's wife inspired by the popularity of Japanese art in Paris in the 1870s. The piece is a celebrated example of the impact Japanese styles had on western art.This spring is also your last chance to catch the MFA's exhibit on African-American abstract painter Frank Bowling.Bowling relocated from London to New York in 1966 and the exhibit “Frank Bowling’s Americas” delves into how his art developed during the 1960s and civil rights era.The Bowling exhibit leaves the MFA April 9.
Boston grocery bills still inflating
Data: CPI; Chart: Axios VisualsGrocery prices rose 1.3% in Boston in January as compared to November 2022, per the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data.Nationally, the cost of groceries rose only about 0.7% in January from December, about half of the increase seen in metro Boston.Why it matters: For many of the approximately 63% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, rising food prices can be an especially difficult financial challenge.Such prices, meanwhile, are particularly vulnerable to outside and difficult-to-control forces, such as climate change and geopolitical happenings.Zoom in: Among the metro areas with newly published CPI data, some of the...
Massachusetts mom pioneers at-home strep solution
A Brookline mother of four’s dream of driving down family medical costs has led to the design of an at-home strep test she says will offer a faster, cheaper alternative to going to the doctor.Why it matters: The innovation could be a game changer for parents who don’t want to run up a bill at the doctor’s office, says Nathalya Mamane, who came up with the idea in 2020 while in graduate school at Babson College in Wellesley.What’s happening: Mamane and her team at RT MicroDx (formerly called RT Microfluidics) are developing what she describes as a PCR-quality, at-home kit...
Boston home prices cool off a bit
Data: CPI; Chart: Axios VisualsMassachusetts home prices continue to far outpace the national average, but could begin cooling in 2023.Why it matters: Any relief from sky-high home prices is welcome, especially as mortgage rates creep up.By the numbers: The Boston metro area's median home sales price was $610,000 in January, up just about 2% from last year and less than a percent from December.Inventory skyrocketed nearly 54% from the same time last year.Zoom out: Nationally, the median home sales price in January was $359,000.Sales were down 36.9% from the previous year.What’s next: Spring, which is typically marked by high demand, more competition and higher home prices, is right around the corner.If spring 2023 follows typical trends, we should expect home prices to rise again in the near future.Yes, but: Experts predict 2023 will see a far less frantic housing market than last year.The bottom line: We're starting to see a moderate market correction, but home values aren't falling.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Inside the new home for Boston bands
Up to a thousand Boston-area musicians will begin unloading their gear into a former radio station in Dorchester next week, settling into a massive new rehearsal space.Driving the news: March 1 marks the opening of a new rehearsal studio at 55 Morrissey Blvd. to replace the closing Sound Museum in Allston-Brighton that housed practicing acts for decades.The new "swing space" is meant to provide a temporary home for the displaced musicians while city officials and art advocates work on finding something more permanent with the company that bought the Sound Museum's building.Why it matters: Expanding life science companies, developments and...
The creepy billboard in Allston, explained
Steph here. Like some of you, I’ve seen the random guy's face plastered on this billboard in Allston (🎩 hat tip UniversalHub).The intrigue: The ad certainly grabs your attention, but to those who aren't “"super online," the guy is just a mystery creeper towering over the Banh Mi K (formerly Spike’s Junkyard Dogs).As your resident TikTok addict, I’m here to explain who he is and what he’s doing.What’s happening: Trevor Rainbolt, AKA @georainbolt the "GeoGuessr guy,” has amassed more than 2 million followers on the clock app by examining images of parking lots, dirt roads and other mundane items and...
Inside the new home for Boston bands
Up to a thousand Boston-area musicians will begin unloading their gear into a former radio station in Dorchester next week, settling into a massive new rehearsal space. Driving the news: March 1 marks the opening of a new rehearsal studio at 55 Morrissey Blvd. to replace the closing Sound Museum in Allston-Brighton that housed practicing acts for decades.
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