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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).
Boston home prices cool off a bit
Massachusetts 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...
What happened to the Harriet Tubman House in Boston?
During Black History month, we’re looking at what became of the local spots that made it into the “Negro Motorist Green-Book.”Why it matters: The book listed businesses and homes that welcomed Black travelers during the Jim Crow era. The sites drew Black musicians, boxers and civil rights activists, but many of them disappeared amid urban renewal efforts.ICYMI: Last week, we looked at what happened to one of Boston’s most iconic safe havens for Black travelers: Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe.📍Today’s stop is the Harriet Tubman Hotel, also known as the Harriet Tubman House.The 1962 edition of the Green Book lists the address...
Will the Eastie ferry level up?
The East Boston ferry drew an average of a couple hundred passengers every day in the fall, far below the 1,750 daily riders it saw during the Blue Line shutdown, a new MBTA report shows.Why it matters: Officials are looking to the Eastie ferry as a possible alternative during the Sumner Tunnel closure, like it was during last year’s shutdown. And some want to see ferry service year round in the majority-immigrant neighborhood.But the report, which was recently submitted to lawmakers, suggests the ferry service saw little interest from the public outside of those transportation disruptions. By the numbers: The...
Boston bombing survivors talk struggles finding mental health help
Survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing learned the hard way that mental health treatment is hard to come by in the aftermath of a disaster.A new law could change that. Why it matters: Boston rallied around maimed survivors, first responders and everyone affected by the domestic terrorist attack. But that didn’t prevent survivors with injuries that aren’t visible, like traumatic brain injuries or PTSD, from being turned away.How it works: The new law, which Democratic U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley proposed and President Biden signed in December, requires FEMA to offer mental health funding to states, territories and tribes after an...
Massachusetts borrowers in limbo during student loan standstill
Data: U.S. Department of Education; Map: Thomas Oide/AxiosSome 380,000 Massachusetts residents are in limbo amid a legal battle to determine whether they can get up to $20,000 in student loan debt forgiveness. Catch up fast: President Biden announced last August the federal government would forgive some college debt for people making less than $125,000 a year. The program is now paused while the Supreme Court considers a legal challenge from a group of GOP-led states.By the numbers: 593,600 borrowers in Massachusetts applied or were deemed automatically eligible for forgiveness. 380,200 were approved.Zoom in: The 7th Congressional District, which includes...
Boston bombing survivors talk struggles finding mental health help
Survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing learned the hard way that mental health treatment is hard to come by in the aftermath of a disaster. A new law could change that. Why it matters: Boston rallied around maimed survivors, first responders and everyone affected by the domestic terrorist attack. But that didn’t prevent survivors with injuries that aren’t visible, like traumatic brain injuries or PTSD, from being turned away.
An idiot's guide to the Boston Bruins
The Bruins are the top team in the NHL and could go all the way to the Stanley Cup. Situational awareness: You might start hearing more about the team around the water cooler, at the bar or from gold and black-clad strangers you see on the T.Here’s your guide to catch up fast on the Bruins' season so far and what to expect as the playoffs loom.Players to know: Captain Patrice Bergeron, in his 18th season in Boston, is something of a hockey Tom Brady, with league-topping scoring numbers at 37 years old.Right winger David Pastrnak leads the team...
The classic Boston restaurants that never recovered
While most of Boston’s iconic restaurants recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, a few beloved spots closed and never reopened.Why it matters: COVID-19 took a heavy toll on foot traffic, as remote and hybrid work kept many commuters home. Downtown restaurants were hit particularly hard.Pair that with price hikes for food, energy, labor and credit card processing fees, and it makes sense that some of the city’s grand old restaurants aren’t reopened.1. Pour House in the Back BayKnown to generations of hungry Bostonians for its dirt-cheap menu and half-off specials, the Pour House remains empty along Boylston Street, but that may...
The classic Boston restaurants that never recovered
While most of Boston’s iconic restaurants recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, a few beloved spots closed and never reopened. Why it matters: COVID-19 took a heavy toll on foot traffic, as remote and hybrid work kept many commuters home. Downtown restaurants were hit particularly hard. Pair that with price...
Apex Noire dispensary opens downtown
Apex Noire, former City Councilor Tito Jackson’s downtown cannabis dispensary, is open. Flashback: Jackson envisioned a 62-seat cannabis lounge above his shop on 150 State St., but ended up getting a liquor license instead of a cannabis consumption license. The liquor license will be limited to the lounge on the third floor, separate from the dispensary area on the second floor. Jackson said at the time he would still like to open a cannabis lounge one day, but wants to hold off until the state finalizes its social consumption regulations. The latest: The business held a soft opening earlier this month. The lounge isn’t open yet, but customers can buy edibles, flower and other cannabis products on the second floor. ✍️ Steph’s pro tip: Betty’s Eddies makes great melatonin- and cannabis-infused fruit chews for bed time (or so I’ve heard), but among the most popular is the non-drowsy passion fruit flavor.Apex carries both.Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Apex Noire dispensary opens downtown
Apex Noire, former City Councilor Tito Jackson’s downtown cannabis dispensary, is open. Flashback: Jackson envisioned a 62-seat cannabis lounge above his shop on 150 State St., but ended up getting a liquor license instead of a cannabis consumption license. The liquor license will be limited to the lounge on...
Annual Common's Frog Pond skating event cancelled
Two weeks and about 75 degrees after record-cold temperatures, it's now too warm to go ice skating.What's happening: The annual Skating with Friends event which offers free ice skating, hot chocolate and cookies on the Common's Frog Pond had to be canceled because it's too hot for skating.It was supposed to happen this Sunday.The event would have been in partnership with the Skating Club of Boston and offered free skating sessions, gear rentals and supervisions from skating assistants.A spokesperson for the organizer, the Friends of the Public Garden, wrote to the media saying "unfortunately, the warmer-than-usual winter New England weather this season is making it so that the rink and equipment can't keep up with the heat."Deehan's thought bubble: I hope whoever's inside the Frog Pond Freddie costume gets to take the day off now. Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
Annual Common's Frog Pond skating event cancelled
Two weeks and about 75 degrees after record-cold temperatures, it's now too warm to go ice skating. What's happening: The annual Skating with Friends event which offers free ice skating, hot chocolate and cookies on the Common's Frog Pond had to be canceled because it's too hot for skating. It...
Inside the "right to die" in Massachusetts
Before Bev Baccelli dies, she wants her friend Liz to feed her some mocha chip ice cream."That’s the last taste I want," said Baccelli, a Mattapoisett resident with multiple myeloma. "And with 'death with dignity', I can make those decisions."What’s happening: Baccelli and advocates made their pitch to legislators yesterday as lawmakers review a bill to legalize medically assisted suicide, also called "medical aid in dying."The legislation proposes a 10-step vetting process for adult patients expected to die in six months or less who want life-ending medication. Why it matters: Baccelli and supporters say they want terminally ill patients to...
Inside the "right to die" in Massachusetts
Before Bev Baccelli dies, she wants her friend Liz to feed her some mocha chip ice cream. "That’s the last taste I want," said Baccelli, a Mattapoisett resident with multiple myeloma. "And with 'death with dignity', I can make those decisions." What’s happening: Baccelli and advocates made their pitch...
Flights out of Logan are mostly on time
Data: BTS; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/AxiosEighty-two percent of domestic flights from Boston Logan International Airport departed on time in November 2022, per the latest Bureau of Transportation Statistics data.That's just 1 percentage point better than the national average of 81%.The big picture: At the national level, airlines performed admirably throughout the fall of 2022, with on-time departure rates at or above 80% between September and November.It's an improvement from last summer, when nationwide staff shortages and foul weather combined to muck up the complex, interconnected web that is the air travel system, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.Zoom in: Across the cities with...
Business leaders push to support Black businesses' pandemic recovery
With a new investment, business leaders are trying to make sure Black-owned businesses in Massachusetts aren’t left behind in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery.Why it matters: The federal government is pouring billions into states to reduce inflation, boost public infrastructure and address tech manufacturing hurdles. But business leaders worry Black owners won’t see any of that money. Many were left out of pandemic relief funding, and small businesses tend to lack the administrative resources to navigate often complicated application processes for funding and work opportunities.What’s happening: The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts is investing $750,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation in small...
Reintroducing Maura Healey
Beyond the issues she faces on Beacon Hill, Gov. Maura Healey has her work cut out making a name for herself now that she's in the corner office.The big picture Healey beat conservative Republican Geoff Diehl last November by nearly 30 points. But she was always a shoe-in in the uncompetitive race, and it doesn't mean everyone in her state knows much about her.By the numbers: Over one-third of Mass. voters have either never heard of Healey (15%) or know her and haven't formed an opinion of her yet (22%), according to a poll conducted earlier this month by MassINC...
Boston's Green Book sites, then and now: Charlie's
To celebrate Black History Month, we wanted to see what became of the local spots listed in the “Negro Motorist Green-Book.” Published from the 1930s to the mid-1960s, the annual guidebook highlighted businesses and resources that welcomed Black travelers. We’ll spotlight a few locations this month. Background: The guides were lifesaving for Black travelers during the Jim Crow era. Iconic musicians, boxers and civil rights activists flocked to the vetted spots at a time when much of New England, including the Boston area, was hostile to Black visitors. Why it matters: For all of the attention Boston gives to preserving...
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