Most of the key business-related bills before the state legislature were still in limbo as of Thursday morning, including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposal to shift more property taxes onto commercial owners in coming years.
On Tuesda…
Massachusetts
Intense heat, humidity expected over the next few days in New England
The heat is back and it’s taking names. Highs soar to the low 90s under hazy – sometimes smoky – skies.
Obviously, it’s not just the heat that’ll slow you down Thursday. Humidity will also swarm over us, making it feel like t…
Heavy Boston traffic brings delays and changes to duck boat tours
Thanks in large part to championship parades, the duck boats are an iconic image in Boston. But another common sight in the city — the traffic — is slowing them down.
Duck boat driver Katherine Lamonic considers herself an expert when it comes to getting people where they need to go.
“If it has wheels, rails, or wings, I’ve done it, and now I’ve got water,” she said. “It’s such a unique experience.”
But lately, no amount of skill can help Lamonic with the gridlock around Boston.
Every work day has been spent navigating around obstacles on the road. In one instance, a car carrier stopped abruptly to unload during a recent trip, blocking one of two lanes on the always-busy Tremont Street.
“Traffic has gotten horrific,” said Darnese Carnes, another duck boat driver. “When I first started, it was pretty nice.”
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The duck boats can use dedicated bus lanes, but those lanes are often blocked by other vehicles.
“The changed lanes, what they’ve done with the lanes, has taken a toll on us,” Carnes said. “The scooters, in and out, dipping up under us, it’s really tough. It makes a tough day.”
The traffic has led to big headaches for Boston Duck Tours as it tries to make the vehicles run on time.
“It’s as bad, if not much worse, than it’s ever been,” said Boston Duck Tours CEO Cindy Brown.
The tours are tightly scheduled to run 80 minutes, with drivers and narrators then getting 40-minute breaks before heading out on another ride.
Tours now regularly can last two hours. In one recent case, a crash along the route stretched tours close to three hours.
“We’ve had to change our schedule to add breaks in, because obviously, the drivers and narrators need breaks in between,” Brown said. “So we’re pushing our schedule to be longer in between tours, which, of course, is less tours going out, less revenue, but, you know, there’s nothing else we can do.”
The company has also eliminated a pass through Charlestown in a bid to save time.
The boat’s tour through the Charles River is really the only smooth sailing — something customers notice, too.
“They ask us to go back to the water,” Lamonic said. “Cut through the harbor.”
Brown says the company continues to work with the city on traffic enforcement, because when time matters — as it does here — how you start and how you finish matters.
Jaylen Brown gives back to Boston-area kids with 7uice Foundation
The MIT Media Lab welcomed about 70 middle schoolers from diverse backgrounds to participate in the finals of a robotics competition that featured a live dialogue with astronauts on the International Space Station.
The unique opportunity – created by Zero Robotics – also attracted Jaylen Brown’s 7uice Foundation, which sent five high school interns to participate.
“I think just the amount of people the 7uice Foundation has connected us to that looks like us, and fill spaces we want to fill, is really inspiring,” said Jesse Givens, 17, an intern who is attached to the 7uice Foundation’s Bridge Program.
Brown did not attend the event, but he sent a video message to inspire students.
The Boston Celtics star and NBA Finals MVP has shown an effort to introduce math, science and engineering to kids that appears even more ardent than his work to get young people into basketball.
More on Jaylen Brown’s 7uice Foundation
“The whole reason we’re here is because of Jaylen’s vision for the Bridge students and our foundation,” said Amanda Kuffoh, executive director of the 7uice Foundation, “and I think he wanted to make sure that was the center of who we are and what we represent.”
In addition to the MIT Lab, 17 sites across the country held similar events to engage with the ISS and figure out which code writing entries produced the best outcomes for robots in space. It’s the 13th year for the Zero Robotics program.
Man hit and killed by MBTA Commuter Rail train in Beverly
A man was hit and killed by an MBTA Commuter Rail train Wednesday evening in Beverly, Massachusetts.
The MBTA Transit Police said the crash happened near Prides Crossing.
An inbound train on the Gloucester Branch fatally hit the man on the …
South Shore towns feuding over oyster farms
Two neighboring Massachusetts towns with a shared harbor are feuding over shellfish.
Scituate wants oyster farming, while Cohasset does not want the farms in the nearly 270 acres of Cohasset Harbor.
The towns will be heading to court over t…
