Five things you need to know, plus Boston's bus stop award – Boston Business Journal – The Business Journals
Good morning, Boston, and happy Good News Tuesday, or should we call it “Monsoon Tuesday“? Here are the five most important things you need to know to start your workday.
Walsh pushes chip bill
Mass. research institutions and local science- and tech-based industries could see a significant federal funding boost with legislation working its way through Congress, Labor Secretary Walsh and other Biden officials said Monday.
Mask mandate overturned
A federal judge in Florida yesterday ruled that the CDC overstepped its authority when it issued a mask mandate for planes, trains, taxis, buses and other forms of public transportation.
Flash sale: Join the BBJ for a panel discussion on The Future of Energy this Friday at 7:30 a.m., at Seaport Hotel Boston. Use code ENERGY25 to receive $25 off.
Who’s delivering commencement speeches?
The Business Journal’s annual roundup of commencements speakers is here. Find out who’s speaking at your alma mater’s graduation ceremony, and email Grant Welker if you know of one we’re missing.
Best Places to Work announced
This year marks the 20th annual Best Places to Work awards for the Boston Business Journal, and we’re celebrating by announcing each category with its own special rollout this week, culminating with the full list of winners in Friday’s print edition. Yesterday was the first category: Extra Small Companies that are the best workplaces.
Hot housing? Ho hum.
More of the same was delivered in the U.S. housing market last month, with March 2022 being the hottest market on record, Ashley Fahey of The Business Journals reports. Here’s how Boston’s home sales compared with other cities’.
What else you need to know
By the numbers
Good News Tuesday
When local businesses, economic development entities and government work together, they can have an immediate and long-term impact on educating our future workforce. Read more Good News here, sponsored by Santander.
Tell us about your workplace
Take 2 minutes to answer the latest BBJ/Seven Letter poll on the workplace of the future here.
This day in history
On this day in 1775, the first shots were fired in the cause of American independence at the battles of Lexington and Concord.
What I’m watching
The Gilded Age, on HBO Max
What I’m (still) reading
Parable of the Sower, by Octavia E. Butler
What I’m listening to
Political feuds don’t take vacations, on the Shared State podcast
Battle of the bus stops
From the late 1990s through the late 2000s, I took the 109 bus from the Everett/Malden line all the way to Sullivan Square, where I then transferred to the Orange Line to commute to the Business Journal’s downtown Boston newsroom). So I speak from experience that bus stops with a nice bench, a nice rain/snow shelter can make a big difference. A recent contest for America’s Best Bus Stop celebrates such things and Boston was in the final, championship round, thanks to its Walnut Avenue stop along the MBTA’s Columbus Avenue Busway. That stop was facing off against a highly decorative bus stop in Portland, Maine.
Boston seemed certain to win as of Friday: The city is larger and more populous and, sure enough, had 55% of the vote with minutes to spare at the contest’s midmorning deadline. But Portland, home of the mighty Sea Dogs, made an epic comeback (with the help of a recount in which third-party bot votes were discarded…) and took the gold prize.
The Forest City was an early favorite to win the competition, according to StreetsBlog, with much credit to the enthusiasm of residents and the attention from local media. The website cited the Portland bus stop’s unique message of “hope, friendship, and celebration of the local immigrant community to which artist Ebenezer Akakpo belongs.” Boston’s bus stop, meanwhile, is a great example of the public sector’s ability to move quickly when public need arises and much has been written about those dedicated bus lanes along Columbus Avenue.
When public transit works well, everybody wins. Let’s hope this positive news gets more people on board, so to speak, and that the term “Boston busing” can mean something different in the years to come.
Want to know more about those bus lanes? Check out this video from the T:
Join the Boston Business Journal for a discussion on the Future of Energy!
Good News Tuesday is a new BBJ feature in partnership with Santander Bank highlighting positive acts that provide inspiration to others to follow suit.
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