Dirty beaches and four more stories

 

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The Saturday Send

Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed.  This week, Hallie Claflin dives into the ongoing challenges of a pilot program aimed at tackling pollution at a North Shore beach using UV light. Plus: advocates push for access to menstrual products in public spaces, Trump sends mixed messages on affordable housing, Boston struggles to find applicants for its green roofs grant program, and a look back at a Republican gubernatorial campaign from 11 years ago that may have lessons for today’s GOP hopefuls. Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading. — The CommonWealth Beacon team

Lynn, Swampscott team up to clean Greater Boston’s dirtiest beach  By Hallie Claflin A three-month pilot program is working to tackle the century-old problem of pollution at King’s Beach in Lynn and Swampscott using ultraviolet light. The initial results have been promising, but between the high cost projected for a long-term fix and cuts to federal funding, whether the system could be permanently implemented remains to be seen. READ MORE

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Despite widespread support, ‘menstrual equity’ bill has stalled for two sessions in the House   By Bhaamati Borkhetaria Despite seeming widespread support and no public opposition, the bill has had a hard time getting over the finish line. READ MORE

Trump policies offer mixed messages on affordable housing  By Jennifer Smith The Trump administration has expanded the main federal program that provides tax incentives to build affordable housing, but it’s looking to cut the federal rental assistance that low-income tenants depend on to live in that housing. READ MORE

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Boston struggles to find takers for green roof grants By Tavishi Chattopadhyay and David Abel The Boston Water and Sewer Commission has had a hard time persuading residents to take them up on their offer of grants of up to $8,000 to install green roofs to reduce stormwater runoff. READ MORE

Flashback Friday: Threading the needle By Paul McMorrow A look back at Charlie Baker’s 2014 run for governor, which may offer a playbook for the challenging landscape facing Brian Shortsleeve and Mike Kennealy, the two Republicans now vying for the right to go up against Gov. Maura Healey next year. This article first appeared in CommonWealth‘s Spring 2014 issue. READ MORE

Job Board Senior Reporter — CommonWealth Beacon Director of Green Infrastructure — City of Boston Solar Construction Manager — Resonant Energy Sr. Business Development Manager — Resonant Energy Senior Economic Development Planner — Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) Senior Director of Offshore Wind — Environmental League of Massachusetts Senior Manager, Technology Market Transformation — Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) ADVERTISE YOUR JOB LISTING

Rebalancing broker’s fees This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith and Todd Kaplan, senior attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services, set the stage for a new law changing the way broker’s fees in Massachusetts have been handled for the past decade. Starting August 1, the balance is meant to shift away from the renters and towards landlords when the property owner insists on a broker’s services. LISTEN NOW

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