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Boston's Morning Newsletter
No bonfires, shorter showers: Officials want you to follow these tips as wildfires surge in Mass.
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
The Celtics debuted their special green-and-black court for the NBA’s second annual in-season tournament last night. However, by the looks of the final score, maybe they prefer the parquet. (You can watch a time-lapse of the new court being installed here.)
To the news:
PSA: Gov. Maura Healey did her best Smokey Bear impression yesterday, urging Bay Staters to get serious about preventing wildfires. Since the start of October, over 450 fires have burned over 1,500 acres in Massachusetts. Healey said the number of fires last month was roughly 12 times what the state usually sees in October. And while worsening drought conditions have contributed to the unusual trend, officials say they continue to see fires sparked by humans.
- The main message: Refrain from any outdoor burning right now, even if the chilly weather may make campfires and bonfires appealing. “No fire pits, no charcoal grilling, no burning leaves,” Healey said. “Nothing that can send sparks right now.”
- Healey also asked people to conserve water, as the drought strains the local water supply. “We need it to fight fires,” she said. “It’s really important that people do things like run their dishwasher less frequently. Make sure you’re running your washing machine at only full capacity. Take shorter showers. I’m gonna tell my kids, ‘take shorter showers.’ And fix plumbing leaks immediately.”
- Zoom out: Healey’s office estimates about 45% of all homes in Massachusetts are “in or near” areas at severe wildfire risk.
On Beacon Hill: Plans for a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution in Everett just took a big step toward reality. State lawmakers included language to re-zone part of Everett’s industrial waterfront to allow a stadium in a long-awaited and wide-ranging economic development deal filed yesterday.
- Why it matters: The move comes after several years of debate on Beacon Hill about the potential soccer stadium’s traffic and environmental impacts — and after over a decade of the Revs’ owners, the Kraft family, trying to find a site around Boston.
- The fine print: In addition to re-zoning the property, the bill’s language prohibits the use of public funding for the stadium’s construction, meaning the Kraft family will foot the bill. It also requires the Krafts to sign community impact agreements with both Everett and Boston by the end of next year.
- What’s next: Democratic leaders are planning votes on the compromise bill tomorrow in both the House and Senate.
Two Massachusetts cities are moving to curb homeless encampments. The Lowell City Council voted 10 to 1 last night to ban sleeping and camping in public spaces when shelters are available. The ordinance also requires Lowell to offer shelter to violators, who may face fines or arrest, if they refuse or reestablish campsites.
- Supporters say unhoused people have been harassing local business customers. “It is the purpose of this ordinance to promote public health, public safety, general welfare, and the economic health and well being of Lowell,” City Councilor Corey Robinson said last night. However, Erik Gitschier, the lone dissenter on the council, questioned whether the harshened penalties would actually address homelessness. “I think that we are too new to having these ordinances in other communities to be able to look and understand the long term impacts on the community and on the population affected,” Gitschier said.
- Meanwhile, the Brockton City Council advanced two ordinances last night — one that would establish a $200-a-day fine for camping on public property and another that would broadly prohibit loitering, punishable by a $50 fine. Both still need sign-off from the mayor.
Pentagon leak latest: Jack Teixeira, the 22-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guard member who leaked highly classified documents, is set to spend 15 years in prison. The North Dighton native received the sentence yesterday from a federal judge in Boston, after pleading guilty to six charges under the Espionage Act.
- Before his sentencing, Teixeira apologized for the harm he caused. Read more about the scenes inside the courtroom here.
No progress on the North Shore: Schools are closed again today for nearly 10,000 students in Massachusetts, as teacher strikes stretch on in Beverly, Gloucester and Marblehead.
P.S.— There’s been a flurry of news this week about President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration — from the “Department of Government Efficiency” to a Fox News host set to serve as defense secretary. Check out NPR’s guide to how the administration is taking shape and what we know about each individual appointee.
