Massachusetts

A boating incident in Boston Harbor brought out first responders on Tuesday morning, though it wasn’t immediately clear what took place.

Boston EMS confirmed having multiple crews at a scene, and several first responder boats were seen near Long Island.

It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hurt, but three people were seen being pulled from stretchers to ambulances; Boston EMS said it was still assessing any injuries.

NBC10 Boston has reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard and Massachusetts State Police.

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Researchers recently spotted a great white shark off the shores of Scituate, Massachusetts, and this fishy friend was not shy at all.

Great whites have about 300 teeth, and this one probably showed off more than we needed to see.

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So many of us have had to deal with skyrocketing rent, or bidding wars for homes.

New legislation is being touted as a $5 billion investment in tackling the Commonwealth’s housing issue. It’s called the Affordable Homes Act, and it’s the largest housing bill in Massachusetts history.

The hope is it will both increase housing production and improve the affordability of existing housing.

It includes $2 billion to accelerate the development of affordable units and mixed income multifamily housing.

There are also zoning reforms as part of the bill – like allowing so-called “accessory dwelling units,” or additions on single family homes – that the governor’s office says could create 10,000 new units.

And there are tax credits intended to “spur housing production.”

With Massachusetts continuing to be one of the most expensive states in the country to buy a home or rent an apartment, state lawmakers say this bill is crucial in improving the housing crisis here.

Beyond that, state officials predict Massachusetts will need to build upwards of 200-thousand new homes by 2030 to keep up with demand.

Gov. Maura Healey is scheduled to sign the bill into law at a ceremony in Newton at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

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Tuesday in Paris, runner Gabby Thomas will push for a gold medal.

Thomas, who grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University, earned two medals in Tokyo — silver in the 4X100m relay and bronze in the women’s 200m.

She posted the fastest time Monday in the 200m semifinal, and she’s a favorite for the gold in Tuesday’s final.

“I feel really good, I feel confident, in control,” she said after the semifinal. “I feel confident that it’ll all come together tomorrow, so I’m excited.”

You can watch the women’s 200m final at 3:40 p.m. on NBC10 Boston, on Peacock or right here.

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The Springfield Police Department said in a Facebook post Sunday that Felix Rivera of Chicopee was recently reported missing.

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With athletes from all around the world hoping to gain competitive advantages in the Olympics, doping scandals have impacted the Games for decades. A Massachusetts company is trying to use new technology to keep the playing field level.

Epicore Biosystems in Cambridge is no stranger to woring with athletes, partnering with Gatorade on a wearable patch that monitors hydration.

The company is modifying that technology to detect illicit substances.

Epicore is working with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to develop a new way to test athletes for performance-enhancing drugs.

“We’re able to now have miniaturized devices that you could wear remotely and not be in the laboratory setting,” said Roozbeh Ghaffari, CEO and cofounder of Epicore Biosystems.

“We’re using discovery patches to collect sweat from athletes,” said cofounder AJ Aranyosi.

“What we found is that sweat could be a much more effective, comfortable, and less invasive biofluid target than the existing approaches that we have with blood and urine,” Ghaffari explained.

Doping has long been a problem at the Olympic Games. In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who tested positive for an anabolic steroid, had his gold medal taken away and given to American Carl Lewis. One of Team USA’s biggest track stars, Marion Jones, lost all five of her medals from the 2000 Sydney Games after lying about using performance-enhancing drugs. And most recently, Russian athletes were banned from competing under their country’s flag after the discovery of a state-sponsored doping scheme during the 2014 Sochi Games.

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Those are just three of many examples that led to increased anti-doping testing.

While the patches can tell if an athlete is cheating, they can also be beneficial to their training.

“What we’re able to do is collect small quantities of sweat — while measuring other biomarkers, such as your skin temperature, your motion, your activity — and we’re able to look at all of that data and determine whether or not you need to rehydrate,” Ghaffari said. “We can even tell whether or not you’re physically starting to feel fatigue.”

Epicore says its technology can also be used by everyday people who work in hot climates, and that the patches can help workers better understand their hydration needs while on the job.