Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Friday, April 25th. Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch says next year city budget will be up significantly to cover the cost of the $475 million pension bond obligation that was approved in 2021. Koch says a final number is not yet available. However, he will make a budget presentation to the city council on May 5.
[00:00:28] Hancock street in Quincy is being repaved between Furnace Brook Parkway and Fenno street this week. Officials say. Work is taking place today from 5am to 3pm and Saturday and Sunday from 5am to noon. Northbound traffic is being detoured to Newport Avenue via Beale street and southbound traffic is being detoured via Furnace Brook Parkway. You can call the Quincy Engineering Department at 617-376-1950 for more information.
[00:01:00] The Quincy Office of Healthy Homes will hold an informational event at the Kennedy center from 9 to 12:30 today to conclude Community Development Week. Information about the home improvement program, lead paint removal program, affordable housing assistance and more will be available.
[00:01:21] The Adams National Historical park in Quincy will conclude National Park Week events today at the Visitor center in Quincy center with Reading with a Ranger National Parks by Martha Schock. You can discover some of America's most special places and imagine yourself stepping into the shoes of a national park ranger, park ranger. Led book readings will be held today at noon and 2pm Saturday is Park Serve Day and cleanups will be held along Wollaston beach and that Uponstit river in Quincy. The Friends of Wollaston beach will hold a cleanup from 1 to 3pm tomorrow between Milton Road and Herbert Road. You can visit friendsofwallaston.com for more information and the Deponset River Watershed association will hold a cleanup from 9am to noon across the entire Neponsett watershed. Visit neponsett.org for more information.
[00:02:20] Congressman Stephen lynch will hold a Fight for the Working Class Race rally Saturday from 9am to 10:30am on the Hancock Adams Common in Quincy Center. Lynch says the rally will show support for veterans, federal workers, hospitals and health centers, Social Security, labor rights, pensions, legal protections and privacy rights. Participants are encouraged to bring their own signs.
[00:02:48] A soft rock concert will kick off the 2025 Free Music Series on the Hancock Adams Common and Quincy cent on Saturday. Four bands will perform from 1 to 6:30pm Featuring tributes to the Carpenters, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King and Fleetwood Mac. The event is free and food and drinks will be available for purchase.
[00:03:13] Thalia Theater Troupe is partnering with the Quincy Art association to present Vincent, a play about the life of Vincent Van Gogh at the Q Arts Gallery in Quincy center for six performances today through Sunday and May 2nd through the 4th at 7pm Tickets will be available at the door.
[00:03:38] The Quincy Symphony Orchestra will present Classical concert number three this Sunday at 2:30pm at Quincy High School featuring their Young Artist Concert. The music will include Sibelius Symphony Number two. The concert is free and open to all.
[00:03:59] The MBTA is trying out their new electric buses that will be stored and maintained at the new garage that's being built on Bergen Parkway in Quincy. Ten of the new battery electric buses are being tested on the streets of Boston. Recently. The T produced a video explaining how the new buses are different from the diesel buses. The T has ordered 80 battery electric buses at a cost of $1.4 million each for a total cost of $119 million. The T says the new buses will be stored at the new Quincy garage when it's completed in early 2027 and a newly renovated facility in Cambridge.
[00:04:44] About 1,000 people are expected to participate in tomorrow's 51st annual Stop the Stigma 5K Road Race to benefit Interfaith Social Services of Quincy. Participants will gather at the Kennedy center at 9:30 to raise funds for Interfaith's New Directions Counseling Center. The event is held each year to support the mental health counseling program and to remove the stigma associated with the treatment of mental health issues. The event began as the South Shore Walk and transformed to stop the stigma eight years ago. The New Directions Counseling center offers the first four mental health counseling sessions free of charge and then offers services on a sliding scale. Fee structure this year's event is expected to raise at least $150,000.
[00:05:37] The Quincy City Council recently honored two high school basketball players who each reached the 1000 point scoring level in their respective careers this year. North Quincy High School senior guard Kobe Nguyen and Quincy High senior forward Alyssa Hopps and their teammates were honored during the April 14th City Council meeting at City Hall. Councilor at Large Scott Campbell said both students are role models both on and off the court. Hopps and Nguyen became the 19th and 20th players in city history to score 1,000 points this past season. Both were chosen as Patriot League All Stars. Hopps will attend Babson College this fall. Nguyen's plans were still undecided.
[00:06:29] Massachusetts residents who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or snap benefits will be temporarily unable to use their electronic Benefits Transfer EBT cards to access their benefits this weekend due to system maintenance. Card holders will not be able to use their EBT cards to access food or cash benefits from 11pm Saturday to midday Sunday, according to the Department of Transitional Assistance. Department said it will post updates throughout the maintenance process and EBT cards will continue to work as usual after the transition to a new EBT vendor. Card holders do not need to replace their cards or take any additional action.
[00:07:20] There was a giant reminder of a species in danger in front of the New England Aquarium yesterday. Lessons were out of the water. In celebration of the third annual Massachusetts Right Whale Day to honor the state's official marine mammal scientists showcase the work being done to protect them. Like ropeless fishing systems, one of the top threats to right whales is becoming entangled in fishing gear along with boat strikes. Millions of dollars are spent yearly on research efforts to save the species. With only 370 left roaming the Atlantic, children took advantage of school vacation week to learn about the massive, majestic mammals that spend the spring in the Bay State. Just last week, scientists observed five right whale mom and calf pairs feeding along Sagamore Beach, a promising site as some local research is devoted to low birth rates. Researchers hope to keep the massive creatures and future generations visiting for years to come.
[00:08:28] Tomorrow is Healthy Kids Day at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy and Hanover from 10am to 2pm tomorrow. At both the Hale Family Y in Quincy and the Emelson Y in Hanover, kids can enjoy arts and crafts, touch a truck, bounce houses, family basketball, family Zumba, family swimming, musical performances and more. The event will also include some healthy snacks and information about the Wise summer programs. The events are free and open to everyone.
[00:09:03] Check of business news this morning and Stocks were higher. The Dow rose 486 points, the Nasdaq is up 457 and the S&P added 108. Asian markets were higher today after Wall street rallied for the third day, driven by hopes for the Fed to cut rates. The dollar rose, the euro is down, oil at $63 a barrel.
[00:09:29] Sports Red Sox lost to the Mariners 4 to 3 at Fenway yesterday. They are off to Cleveland for a series with the Guardians beginning at 7:10 tonight and the Celtics in Orlando tonight at 7 for game three of the first round of the NBA playoffs. The National Weather Service forecast for today Mix of sun and clouds mild, high 76 degrees for tonight, cloudy and a low of 53. Rain tomorrow, mostly in the morning, some showers in the afternoon at a high of 66. Sunday Cloudy and cooler. The high Sunday 58 and sunny on Monday with a high of 71, but the boater waves 1 to 2ft. Southwest winds at 5 to 10 knots, becoming easterly later today at a high tide at 9:49am sunrise 5:47 sets at 7:36.
[00:10:31] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Friday, April 25th.
