WBUR TODAY: Healey gives Bay Staters an energy bill discount

                        

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❤️ Donate Thursday, January 22, 2026 🌤️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. Good Morning Boston, Today will feel balmy compared to the frigid air on the radar this weekend — but keep your shovels close. The models now show it's increasingly likely we'll get over 6 inches of snow Sunday from the massive winter storm rolling across the country. (The National Weather Service puts the chances for southeastern Massachusetts at 80% to 90%.) Danielle Noyes has the latest details on the cold and snow here. Now to the news: On Beacon Hill: Gov. Maura Healey is scheduled to deliver her annual State of the Commonwealth address tonight. As WBUR's Chris Van Buskirk reports, governors typically use the speech to tease their budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, reflect on accomplishments and outline new priorities. They also often use it to announce new plans that play well with the general public. And on that note... The news of the day: During the speech, Healey will detail plans to provide Bay Staters some temporary relief on their utility bills this winter. Her office announced this morning that the state will use $180 million to cut electricity bills by 25% and gas bills by 10% for most residential utility customers in Massachusetts for February and March. Technically, it's part actual rate reduction, part deferred payments we'll have pay back later. Chris explains more here. What's next: Healey also acknowledged "that long term help is needed" to bring down energy costs. In a separate statement, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper said the administration will continue to lobby state lawmakers to pass the energy affordability bill they filed last spring. What else we're watching: This year's State of the Commonwealth comes just two days after Healey officially launched her reelection bid, so she could use the speech to test some campaign messaging. Chris talked to six local political observers about what they're looking for from Healey. Here's what they said. Watch it live: The speech starts at 7 p.m. below the Sacred Cod in the State House's House Chamber. You can livestream it here. New digs: Boston's Franklin Cummings Tech will officially open the doors of its new campus in Roxbury this afternoon. The two-year tech and trade college relocated from its longtime South End home to a redeveloped building on Harrison Avenue by Nubian Square. "Our building is a large redevelopment of a block that really didn't have much on it for the past 20 years," Aisha Francis, the school's president, told WBUR's Dan Guzman. "So we've taken an area that had a derelict property and repurposed it and built something beautiful." Another perk: Francis said the new location puts the commuter college closer to bus and transit lines. Of its 1,125 students, 15% live in Roxbury, she said. In related news: As part of the relocation, the college recently moved a rare, 200-year-old printing press that was forgotten in a closet in its South End building to the Museum of Printing in Haverhill. Roadwork ahead: MassDOT is planning to begin a multi-year construction project on a busy part of I-93 this spring. As State House News Service reports, the agency approved a plan to overhaul the highway's bridge structure and ramps in Dorchester near the JFK/UMass MBTA station (and contender for world's worst traffic circle). The work will mostly take place overnight — between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. But as the News Service reports, it isn't expected to wrap up until the fall of 2028. Pour one out for Trillium Brewing's seasonal beer garden on Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway. For the first time since its debut in 2017, the popular beer garden won't be returning this year. As The Boston Globe first reported yesterday, the group that oversees the Greenway decided to pick a different tenant this year. Trillium — which continues to operate locations in Canton, Fort Point and Fenway — will still have a presence downtown. The brewery opened an indoor beer garden near South Station this week. And in an Instagram post, the brewery said it is "working on a few exciting options" for fans of the Greenway garden. P.S.— CitySpace will play host to former Columbia University president Lee Bollinger for a conversation tonight about the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the nation's top colleges. Just us at 6:30 p.m. for the talk, moderated by WBUR Morning Edition host Tiziana Dearing. General audience tickets start at $20. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters The Rundown ICE confirms immigration surge in Maine, claims nearly 50 arrests so far ICE deputy assistant director Patricia Hyde's remarks offered the first confirmation from the agency that it is intensifying operations in the state. Hyde told Fox News her agency has a target list of 1,400 people in Maine. Read more. Trump backs off tariff threats and hails 'framework of a future deal' on Greenland The U.S. president is in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum's annual meeting. President Trump's push to acquire Greenland has turned to antagonism toward allies in recent days. Read more. Brown University students describe grief, hope as they return to class for the first time since shooting For many, going back to school posed a complicated mix of emotions: grief, anxiety, gratitude and hope. Read more. In meeting with members of Congress, Haitians voice fears of losing legal status next month With thousands of Haitians in Massachusetts set to lose legal status on Feb. 3, more than a dozen labor leaders, health care officials, clergy and community organizers testified before a congressional “field hearing” in the heart of Boston’s Haitian community Tuesday. Read more. Israeli fire strikes journalists and children in Gaza Israeli forces on Wednesday killed at least 11 Palestinians in Gaza, including two boys, three journalists and a woman, hospitals said, on one of the enclave 's deadliest days since the ceasefire took effect. Read more. Anything Else? Amid a spike in ICE arrests at courthouses in Massachusetts, state Sen. Lydia Edwards has proposed a bill that put restrictions on such detainments. If passed, it would require that ICE agents show a warrant and ban them from wearing masks inside the courthouse. A Cuban migrant who was held in solitary confinement at a detention facility in Texas died after guards held him down, according to an autopsy report released yesterday. While the report ruled the death was a homicide, state and local officials could have limited jurisdiction to investigate since it occurred on an Army base. The Associated Press has more here on the findings and the Trump administration's changing accounts of what happened.  All nine Supreme Court justices — both liberal and conservative — expressed doubts yesterday about President Trump's claim of the power to fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's governing board. WBUR book critic Carol Iaciofano Aucoin highlights two intriguing new novels by Boston authors to add to your winter reading list. What We're Reading 📚 How Mass. sheriffs add thousands of dollars to their six-figure salaries (The Boston Globe) Howard Lutnick heckled at Davos dinner as Christine Lagarde walks out (Financial Times) US science after a year of Trump (Nature) Tell Me Something Good 12-year-old cellist from Mass. competes as semifinalist in national competition Sofia Hernandez-Williams of Holden is the youngest semi-finalist in the Sphinx Competition this week in Detroit. Read more. Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Sunday's game somehow just got even more compelling for the South Shore. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here. 🔎 Explore WBUR's Field Guide stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. Check out all of our newsletter offerings.               Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? Click here. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright © 2026 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.

WBUR TODAY: What's the T's plan for the World Cup?

          

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❤️ Donate Wednesday, January 21, 2026 🌤️ Slightly cloudy, with a high around 27. Good Morning Boston, Today is the first day of classes for most students at Brown University since a shooter killed two and injured nine on the Providence campus last month. The Ivy League university says it's stepping up security for the spring semester, including more officers, security cameras and stricter key card requirements for buildings. Brown President Christina Paxson also announced yesterday that the school is planning a memorial service for the victims on Feb. 7. (You can read her full letter about the new semester here.) Now, to other local news: Off track: CRRC, the Chinese company that's building new Red Line cars for the MBTA, says it will furlough about 40% of the workers at its Springfield plant — 161 people, to be exact — for at least two months starting in March. The reason: CRRC says its car shells and other parts imported from China continue to be detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Trump administration first began holding up the shells last May over questions about whether any forced Uyghur labor in China was used to build them. CRRC has stressed that it went to lengths to ensure that was never the case. However, as WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reported, industry experts say actually showing proof that no forced labor was involved is "famously difficult." (Case in point: CRRC has tried to trace the parts through as many as eight tiers of sub-suppliers and submitted the equivalent of 100,000 to 150,000 pages of documentation to the government, according to the MBTA.) The big picture: The customs holdup is the latest delay for the decade-plus effort to upgrade the MBTA's aging fleet with newer, more reliable cars — which was already years behind schedule. CRRC was able to deliver the final two of the new Orange Line cars last month. Now, it's focusing on finishing the T's order for 252 new Red Line cars. As of last month, the T said they have about 60 of them. What's next: CRRC hinted that the furloughs could go longer than two months, depending on what happens with the detained car shells. The affected workers could even be laid off. The company plans to provide an update by May 8. Don't bet on it: A local judge plans to order the upstart online prediction platform Kalshi to stop offering wagers on sporting events in Massachusetts. Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Christopher Barry-Smith said yesterday he will issue a preliminary injunction against Kalshi, after Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued on the grounds that the company was basically an unlicensed sportsbook. “The Court has made clear that any company that wants to be in the sports gaming business in Massachusetts must play by our rules — no exceptions,” Campbell said. Go deeper: Here's a closer look at the rise of platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket that effectively offer betting on real-world events and how they have worked to operate outside of existing state gambling laws. Another one: Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn announced yesterday that he will not run for a fourth term this fall. During his nearly 12 years in office, Quinn oversaw high-profile prosecutions against Aaron Hernandez and Michelle Carter. He didn't say why he's stepping down. The news comes just over a week after Quinn's counterpart in nearby Norfolk County, Michael Morrissey, also announced he wouldn't run for reelection. On your marks: The elite women's field for this spring's Boston Marathon was announced yesterday, and it's loaded with top American runners. The 130th edition of the race will feature the entire 2024 U.S. women's Olympic marathon team, including American record holder and Providence College alum Emily Sisson. Last year's women's winner Sharon Lokedi, of Kenya, will also be back to defend her title. Why it matters: No American has won the Boston Marathon since Des Linden's rain-soaked upset in 2018. BAA Chief Operating Officer Mary Kate Shea said in a statement yesterday that the depth of the American field and the return of top international runners with Boston experience is "setting the stage for a clash that could result in records and sprint finishes on Boylston Street." P.S.— Harvard is your 2026 Women's Beanpot champion. The Crimson hockey team beat Boston University last night 2-1 in overtime. Here are the full game highlights or you can just watch freshman Carla McSweeney's game-winning goal here. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters The Rundown World Cup fans are coming to Boston. The T is still working out how to get them around The MBTA's transit plans for the World Cup are still up in the air, just months before millions of visitors arrive in the Boston area. Read more. Trump heads to Davos after upending European relations over Greenland The U.S. president is set to meet with an array of leaders to discuss Greenland. Trump's push to acquire Greenland has turned to antagonism toward allies in recent days. Read more. NASA astronaut who was stuck at the space station for months retires within a year of returning Williams, a former Navy captain and Needham native, spent more than 27 years at NASA, logging 608 days in space over three station missions. She also set a record for the most spacewalking time by a woman: 62 hours during nine excursions. Read more. It's showdown time for the Fed's independence at the Supreme Court At issue are President Trump's efforts to break with 112 years of law and precedent by firing Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve's governing board. Read more. 1 year into Trump's second term, a consumer watchdog agency is 'hanging by a thread' The Trump administration has ordered work stoppages and layoffs and has tried cutting off funding to effectively dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Read more. Anything Else? From a spooky winter market in Boston to a salty festival in Gloucester, here are five things to do this weekend. Sharks are known for their fearsome teeth. But a group of German scientists found that an increasingly acidic ocean could weaken those crucial weapons — to the point that it could even affect sharks' status at the top of the ocean's food chain. WBUR's Jacquinn Sinclair reviews the SpeakEasy Stage Company’s production of “Job,” a play encapsulated by a therapy session with a woman whose identity is tied up in her career. Harvard Kennedy School graduate Monik Bhatta grew up in Nepal, a "democracy in progress" that looked to the United States as a teacher. But as he compares the current state of the two countries' democratic systems in this Cognoscenti commentary, Bhatta writes that there's been an disorienting inversion. What We're Reading 📚 Bernie Sanders was not like other mayors (The Boston Globe) French national soccer team selects Boston as home base for 2026 FIFA World Cup (Boston Business Journal) The Chinese Island Where Dreams of Real Estate Glory Never Die (The New York Times) Tell Me Something Good Paul Mescal says he’s a 'big Red Sox boy' after falling for baseball at Fenway Park (Boston.com) The Irish actor revealed in a recent interview that he has become deeply invested in Major League Baseball — and, more specifically, the Sox. Read more. Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: "They should hire crows to enforce fare payment. Then fare evasion really could be punished by murder." 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up here. 🔎 Explore WBUR's Field Guide stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. Check out all of our newsletter offerings.               Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? Click here. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright © 2026 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.