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Struggling T May Be Stuck With Reduced Ridership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

MBTA officials are weighing whether persistent reduced ridership warrants a more pessimistic fare revenue projection in the upcoming budget, and one overseer thinks the sluggish outlook might just be “the new normal.”Almost exactly three years after the COVID-19 crisis pushed public transit ridership numbers off a cliff, average systemwide use of the T remains only a bit more than half of pre-pandemic levels. The rate of recovery has slowed in the past year, driven in part by widespread service disruptions and a month-long shutdown of the Orange Line.That trend creates major financial pressure for the MBTA, and chief financial officer Mary Ann O’Hara on Thursday floated the idea of expecting even less income from paying commuters in fiscal 2024.Budget-writers at the MBTA in recent years have used a trio of ridership models or “scenarios.” The most optimistic of those would project about $596 million in fare revenue in fiscal 2024, the moderate option wo...

Bova’s Bakery to temporarily close for Matt Damon, Casey Affleck movie filming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

Hollywood will be back in Boston later this month as a film starring a pair of local A-list actors brings cameras to the North End.The filming will prompt a temporary closure for the famous Bova’s Bakery, whose owner recently said he is “nervous but excited,” for a moment in the spotlight. Bova’s hasn’t closed its doors for nearly a hundred years. That streak is about to come to an end though as owner Ralph Bova has agreed to close his around-the-clock bakery for five days from March 20 to March 25 to make way for stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. A new production company created by Damon and Affleck’s brother, Ben, is producing the movie, which is called “The Instigators.” The movie follows two crooks who go on the run with their therapist when a robbery goes wrong. Bova said a police officer will come in for the scene at Bova’s Bakery and smash glass cases with a nightstick following the botched heist. The glass, Bova said, is movie glass. “Not mine...

Shooting at Jehovah’s Witness hall in Germany causes deaths

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Shots were fired inside a building used by Jehovah’s Witnesses in the northern German city of Hamburg on Thursday evening, and an unspecified number of people were killed or wounded, police said.The shooting took place in the Gross Borstel district, a few kilometers (miles) north of the downtown area of Germany’s second-biggest city.Police said on Twitter that “several people were seriously wounded, some of them fatally,” but didn’t give a precise figure.German news agency dpa reported seeing rescue services taking people out of a building used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.Police said they were alerted to the shooting about 9:15 p.m. and were on the scene quickly. They said that after officers arrived, they heard a shot from an upper floor.The police statement said there was no immediate indication that a shooter was on the run and tehat it appeared likely that the perpetrator or perpetrators were either in the building or among the dead.Police had no information on the even...

Boston will stop giving residents $75 for COVID vaccines and boosters, virus wastewater data plunges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

If you’re looking to get a COVID vaccine or booster in the city, you only have a few more weeks to also take home $75 while getting the jab.The Boston Public Health Commission’s $75 COVID shot incentive expires at the end of March.“Attention residents! The $75 gift card incentive for COVID-19 vaccination/boosters at our standing sites is ending,” the Boston Public Health Commission tweeted on Thursday. “The last day you can get a $75 gift card is March 31. To find a standing site near you, visit boston.gov/covid19-vaccine.”People who have not received a COVID booster since August 2022 are due to get the updated bivalent booster.Meanwhile, the city’s virus wastewater data is continuing to take a plunge. Data from the city’s wastewater surveillance program shows that the number of COVID particles in the wastewater dropped 64% over the past two weeks.The citywide average is now 496 viral RNA copies per milliliter, down from 897 viral RNA ...

Biden’s budget would transfer ownership of Cape Cod bridges to Massachusetts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

The president’s 2024 budget, as written, would partially fund the replacement of the Cape Cod bridges and proposes eventually transferring ownership of the busy spans from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the state.“The Budget includes an initial $350 million for replacement of the Cape Cod Canal bridges, toward a commitment of $600 million, and a legislative proposal that would allow the Corps to transfer those funds to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which is better suited to design and construct the replacement bridges,” President Biden’s budget reads, in part.“The Budget proposes authorizing the Corps to transfer ownership of these bridges to the Commonwealth, which would be responsible for their future operation and maintenance,” the proposal reads.MassDOT and the USACE have been working together on plans to replace the federally-owned Bourne and Sagamore bridges since 2020, when the Army Corps determined both structures would require replacement. The two bridges pr...

Former NBA star Shawn Kemp released from jail after shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — No charges are immediately being filed against former NBA star Shawn Kemp following his arrest in connection with a drive-by shooting in Washington, prosecutors said Thursday.Kemp, 53, was booked shortly before 6 p.m. Wednesday for investigation of felony drive-by shooting in Tacoma. He was released by mid-afternoon Thursday, online jail records show. No one was injured in the shooting Wednesday afternoon.Adam Faber, a spokesman for the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, said in an emailed statement Thursday that no charges were immediately being filed against Kemp and that he was being released from jail pending further investigation.Tacoma police said they arrested a 53-year-old man after a shooting in a parking lot near the Tacoma Mall on Wednesday, but a spokeswoman on Thursday did not confirm whether that was Kemp. The shooting followed an altercation between people in two vehicles; one car fled and a gun was recovered, police said.Kemp, who has...

Former NBA star Shawn Kemp to be released after drive-by shooting arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

Retired NBA All-Star Shawn Kemp won’t be charged, pending a further police investigation, following his arrest on suspicion of a drive-by shooting felony, officials said Thursday.Kemp is expected to be released from jail Thursday, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Seattle news station KIRO. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.Kemp, who played eight of his 14 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics, was booked at a Pierce County jail just before 6 p.m. local time Wednesday, hours after police say they responded to a report of shots fired at the Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, Wash.“Responding officers determined an altercation had occurred between two parties in vehicles,” the Tacoma Police Department said. “One of the drivers fired off several rounds at the occupants of the other vehicle. The victim vehicle fled the area.”No injuries were reported.“Officers located the suspect who had ...

Orioles observations on Tyler Wells’ aggressiveness, a table tennis title, first roster cuts and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

Tyler Wells’ first two pitches Thursday were balls. The third was launched more than 400 feet.A leadoff home run from Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott marked a poor beginning to Wells’ second start this spring for the Orioles, but he allowed only one hit through the rest of it. His fastball velocity ticked up after the long ball, striking out Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm in succession to end the first.In all, five of Wells’ eight outs in Clearwater came via strikeout, and the home run accounted for the only run he allowed.“It pissed me off,” Wells said. “For me, I think that’s what happens whenever you fall behind 2-0 to the first guy of the game and you throw him a cookie.“I think that that definitely kind of helped me kind of get into that aggressive mode real quick. It is what it is, but not going to let it happen again.”That aggression, Wells said, was a focus after allowing three runs in two innings in his f...

Norfolk Southern brings apology, aid to Ohio derailment hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

By STEPHEN GROVES and JOSH FUNK (Associated Press)WASHINGTON — Norfolk Southern’s CEO apologized before Congress on Thursday and pledged millions of dollars to help East Palestine, Ohio, recover from last month’s fiery, hazardous materials train derailment. But he stopped short of fully endorsing a Senate bill to toughen safety regulations.CEO Alan Shaw said his railroad supports the goal of improving rail safety, but he also defended the railroad’s record.He did back proposals to tighten standards for tank cars that the railroads don’t own, expand hazardous materials training for first responders and establish standards for the trackside detectors railroads use to spot problems.“I’m terribly sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the folks of that community,” Shaw said. “We’re going to be there for as long as it takes to help East Palestine thrive and recover.”He pointed to a $20 million commitment so far to help the community recover. Norfolk Southern’s final financial re...

Gun used in Alec Baldwin 'Rust' shooting 'destroyed by the state,' defense lawyer reveals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:14 GMT

NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Alec Baldwin's attorney told a judge on Thursday that the state destroyed the gun used in the deadly "Rust" movie-set shooting. The announcment was made during a status hearing in the case against "Rust" actor-producer Alec Baldwin and the film's armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. During the hearing, an attorney for Baldwin, Alex Spiro, said he received an email from the state that the defense would be receiving discovery today. Spiro also brought up the fact that the firearm at the center of this case has been destroyed by the state. "That's obviously an issue, and we're going to have to see that firearm – or what's left of it," Spiro said. Local man who originally was offered armorer job on ‘Rust’ speaks out The prosecution did not dispute whether the gun was destroyed or if it was in pieces. Baldwin fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in October 2021. The actor was rehearsing a scene in front of a camera when a gun he was handling f...