The U.S. men's national team won their first World Cup knockout round game since 2002 last night, but they'll be without star striker Folarin Balogun in the next round against Belgium on Monday due to a controversial red card. Meanwhile, the Celtics will be without star Jaylen Brown for the foreseeable future, after the team's decision to trade the 2024 NBA Finals MVP to the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday for 36-year-old Paul George and a bunch of draft picks. The Associated Press has more details on the trade that has a lot of analysts scratching their heads here. Now, to the non-sports news: What's driving the MeVa bus strike: Bus drivers and mechanics for Merrimack Valley Transit remain on strike for a second day today. The work stoppage comes after union members rejected what leaders of the regional transit authority said was their "last, best and final" contract offer earlier this week. MeVa Administrator Noah Berger said the proposal would continue to fully cover health insurance premiums for employees and their families — and includes a 25% base pay increase over the next three years. In the current economic climate, Berger said it was an "extraordinary" offer. So what gives? Jim Marks, a business agent for Teamsters Union Local 170, said the primary issue is MeVA's attempt to remove what's called "open work" on Saturdays. - What's "open work"? The previous agreement allowed those drivers to voluntarily sign up to work Saturdays and they can get overtime if they go over their 40 hours. But the transit agency's contract proposal would incorporate Saturdays into the regular schedule. "So some people, depending on where their seniority is, could be forced to work a Saturday when they don't want to," Marks told WBUR's Stevee Chapman. "And also right now they're doing that same work at an overtime rate, and the company wants to take that overtime rate away."
- On the other hand: Berger told reporters yesterday the open work policy for Saturdays has made it "very difficult logistically" for the agency to schedule — and grow — their Saturday service. More weekend service was the "number one request" from riders, according to Berger.
- In the meantime: MeVa's fixed-route buses — which serve around 13,000 daily riders — are suspended during the strike. The transit authority’s paratransit service, miniMeVa (which operates under a different union contract), is also operating at about 10% capacity. "This is something we would love to see end quickly, because we know this is hurtful to a lot of people," Berger said.
All clear: Several popular North Shore beaches are reopening for swimming, after Haverhill officials announced yesterday that they stopped the sewage leak that was releasing 8 million gallons of sewage a day into the Merrimack River. The reopened beaches include Crane Beach in Ipswich, Newburyport's Plum Island beaches and Salisbury Beach. State officials said yesterday that water quality testing at the beaches showed no evidence of elevated bacterial levels — fortunate timing with scorching heat and a holiday weekend bearing down on us. - How'd they do it: WBUR's Miriam Wasser reports contractors in Haverhill completed the first of two bypass pipes that will reroute wastewater around the broken segment of pipe to the treatment plant. It's a temporary solution, as crews now begin work to permanently repair the main break.
On Beacon Hill: For the second year in a row, Massachusetts' state budget won't be that late. The House and Senate sent their $63 billion compromise to Gov. Maura Healey's desk yesterday. She now has until July 11 to sign the budget, veto it or return sections with amendments. - The details: There wasn't a ton that the two chambers had to compromise on, as State House News Service reports. But there are some small policy changes, from MassHealth dental insurance caps to state funding for cities and towns. See where they landed on the different negotiating points here.
- Meanwhile, the Senate passed its energy affordability bill last night. On that, there are actually a lot of differences to work out with the House.
Pour one two out: Cambridge's License Commission decided this week to drop two proposed updates to its alcohol regulations, after they were roundly criticized by bar owners, restaurateurs and city councilors. One would have moved up last call to an hour before closing time, while the other would have restricted alcohol sales to once every 30 minutes per customer. Critics said the rules were overly burdensome and impractical to enforce. - Now what? The three-person License Commission — an unelected body made up of a city manager-appointed chair, police chief and fire chief — is still moving forward with updating its regulations for the first time in a decade, but with less controversial tweaks. Cambridge Day has more on the process here.
P.S.— For those of you not trying to beat the holiday weekend traffic, Boston is getting into the Fourth of July spirit early today with the city's 44th annual Harborfest. The three-day downtown festival includes fireworks over the harbor tonight at 9:15 p.m. — a little tuneup to Saturday's show over the river . In related news, tomorrow's newsletter will be a special WBUR Today/Weekender crossover edition, featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Saturday's extra spectacular, 250th anniversary-themed Boston Pops fireworks show. |
