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| ⛅ Partly sunny, with a high near 51 and a slight chance of rain. |
After yesterday's record-breaking, sunbathing-worthy temperatures from Boston to Bangor, we now return to our regularly scheduled March programming. Temps are dipping back into the 40s and 50s for most of New England for the next week — save for the lucky residents of western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Now to the news: Heating help: Massachusetts is increasing home heating assistance to help lower-income residents get through the rest of the cold-weather season. Gov. Maura Healey's office said yesterday that this winter's persistently cold temperatures drained benefits for most of the households enrolled in the state's Home Energy Assistance Program — and the chilly weather isn't over yet. “We know heating costs are putting a strain on families, especially during a winter like this one," Healey said. "And costs are only increasing because of President Trump’s war in Iran.” - By the numbers: According to Healey's office, nearly three-quarters of HEAP recipients in Massachusetts — or 54,000 households — have less than $100 in benefits left for the rest of the heating season, which runs through April. And on Monday, the Massachusetts Association of Community Action estimated that 30,000 with oil heating had "exhausted all resources for another delivery."
- What they're doing: Currently, the maximum HEAP benefit for deliverable fuels like oil, propane and kerosene is $1,000 for the winter while the maximum benefit for utilities like natural gas or electric is $850. To get households through the next two months, the state is increasing those maximums from $1,000 to $1,400 and from $850 to $925.
- How they're doing it: State officials say they set benefits conservatively this winter and are able to use money from the initial 90% of their federal HEAP allocation. They expect to get the final 10% — roughly $15 million — in the coming months. (Officials said the state typically revisits benefit levels once the final allocation is released, but were able to make that increase earlier this year.)
- Is it enough? Not according to the Massachusetts Association of Community Action. The coalition of nonprofits has been calling on the state to put another $35 million into HEAP — enough to provide about $650 each to recipients with oil heating. MASSCAP said that amount would be enough to cover one more half-tank delivery of heating fuel, as prices rise rapidly amid the war with Iran.
Meanwhile: Healey is calling on the Trump administration to issue tariff refunds to Massachusetts residents. And by her office's calculations, the state's 2.8 million households are owed approximately $1,745 each. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Healey said that the tariffs — which were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court last month — cost Bay Staters a total of nearly $5 billion in the form of increased prices for food, household goods and construction materials. - U.S. customs officials said last week that they're actually working on a system to deliver tariff refunds. But it's designed for businesses that imported products, rather than individual consumers who paid downstream price increases.
Somebody call 311: The city of Boston is marking 311 Day today. As WBUR's Amy Sokolow reports, it's a nationally recognized day each March 11 meant to help residents better understand the resources available through the city's non-emergency hotline. Lexi Shetty, the city's 311 communications manager, said the city will host an event this afternoon (4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.) at the public library branch in Mattapan to give residents a look "under the hood" of the service. " A lot of people don't know how the report goes from, say, the Bos:311 app to the city crew on the street," Shetty said. - The event will include a live demonstration of a 311 call showing how requests are triaged, the opportunity for residents to submit 311 requests in real time and — last but not least — giveaways, like a 311-branded tote bag.
Reinforcements incoming: After releasing Stefon Diggs, the New England Patriots are adding some new faces to bolster their offense. The Associated Press reports that the Pats plan to sign wide receiver Romeo Doubs and offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker to multi-year contracts. Click here for more details on the deals' terms. P.S.— The Boston University men's basketball team has a chance to punch their ticket to March Madness for the first time in 15 years tonight. After a wild buzzer-beater win over the weekend, the Terriers will play Lehigh University at 7 p.m. for the Patriot League title and an automatic seed in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. ( According to BU, the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.) |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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A report on the Boston Archdiocese was made public in 2003, but the investigation into the dioceses of Worcester, Springfield and Fall River has never been released. Read more. |
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Attacks and counterattacks continued throughout the Middle East Wednesday. Two cargo ships were struck in the Gulf, as some lawmakers in Washington pressed for answers on the war's rationale. Read more. |
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The 36th annual Ig Nobels ceremony will be held in Zurich. It’s usually held in Boston in September. The move announced Monday comes amid President Donald Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigration. Read more. |
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Warm nighttime temperatures could affect the flavor of syrup, and are indicative of a trend caused by climate change. Read more. |
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Bam Adebayo had a night for all time on Tuesday, with a point total second to only Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA record books. Read more. |
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- ‘Can’t seem to get their act together’: Boston’s bold dream of hosting World Cup is on shaky ground (The Boston Globe)
- MBTA tosses cold water on developer’s proposal to expand transit in Seaport area (GBH)
- Lowell imposes moratorium on data centers, targeting state's largest facility (Boston Business Journal)
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As temperatures neared 70 degrees Tuesday, Pat’s Peak in Henniker was a scene of spring skiing in early March: sticky snow, t-shirts and plenty of sun. Read more. |
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