Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Friday, June 6th an early morning fire at a three family home in Quincy today. The blaze broke out at 53 Chubbuck street in Quincy Point just before 5:30 this morning.
[00:00:32] Reports from the scene say the fire was in the kitchen of a second floor apartment and may have started on the stove. No injuries were reported, however, the apartment sustained extensive damage and is currently not livable. The home is very close to the Quincy Point Fire Station. Firefighters were on scene less than a minute after the first report.
[00:00:54] Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch is proposing a tax break for the Grossman Companies and their plans to redevelop the the Granite Crossing and Star Market shopping areas on Granite Street. The proposal would allow the mayor to negotiate a 20 year tax exemption in lieu of other payments to the city. A public hearing will be held on that plan on June 16.
[00:01:18] Public hearing also being held on June 16 regarding a proposal to create Transit Oriented Development Zones at the Crown Colony Office park and the North Quincy MBTA Station.
[00:01:31] Supporters say the new overlaid district would encourage more commercial development which would add to the city's commercial tax base.
[00:01:40] Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch says he is confident that the city followed proper procedures when it paid the former owners of the parcel at 1620 Hancock St. In Quincy Center $2.2 million to take that property by eminent domain in 2022.
[00:01:58] The former owners are suing the city claiming they were not paid fair market value. The burned out buildings were recently demolished. They had sat vacant since 1993.
[00:02:11] On the 27th annual Jimmy Kennedy Memorial Run for ALS, also known as the Squirrel Run, will be held Saturday at Pageant Field. Registration begins at 8am and the race starts at 10 and there'll be family activities, entertainment and refreshments following the race. Proceeds benefit the Angel Fund for ALS Research.
[00:02:36] The Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum will be open Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm for self guided walking tours of the Lions Turning Mill. Museum members will also be available to answer any questions.
[00:02:52] Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
[00:02:56] The Schiller Institute Chorus and friends will present a spring concert Songs of Hope Sunday at 3pm at Christchurch on Quincy Avenue. The performances will feature American composers of classical music and African American spirituals. A light reception will follow the concerts.
[00:03:20] Quincy Pride presents their annual Pride Festival Sunday from noon to 5pm at Pageant Field. The event will feature local and LGBTQ vendors, performances, children's activities and food and beer trucks.
[00:03:38] Quincy Tree alliance inviting the public to a free how to Plant a Tree events Sunday from 11am to noon at Safford park on Beale street in Wollaston. There will also be free small red oak saplings available to participants donated by the Thomas Crane Public Library. A Quincy Tree alliance member will lead a short tour of Safford Park's trees and other plantings.
[00:04:08] The Quincyopoly board game is back in stock at the Quincy 400 headquarters at 1247 Hancock street in Quincy Center. You can visit quincy400.com or discoverquinsee.com for more information.
[00:04:24] Reminder the Quincy Police Department is collecting donations for the USO through July 4th. Donations may be dropped off in the lobby of the station on C Street. Items needed include non perishable food, toiletries, paperback books, magazines and board games. The donations will be dropped off at the USO office at Logan Airport and then distributed to the troops.
[00:04:51] The Norfolk County Sheriff's Office is continuing its mission of visiting the homes of veterans in every community in Norfolk county and tomorrow the House to House for Heroes eventually moves to Walpole. Volunteers will be knocking on doors of veterans to present them with information about benefits and services for themselves and their families. Tomorrow's event kicks off at 9am at the Walpole Council on Aging, featuring the event's honorary chairperson, Vietnam veteran Steve Kenny. The sheriff's office has hosted other House to House for Heroes events here in Quincy, as well as Braintree, Norfolk and Weymouth 500 volunteers have visited 7,500 homes of veterans since the program started last year.
[00:05:44] Checking other news for you this morning. Four cases of suspected botulism linked to cosmetic injections are being investigated on the South Shore, according to the state Department of Public Health. The cases are linked to cosmetic bodies Botox injections, which are widely used for cosmetic purposes to reduce wrinkles and fine lines. Botulism is a rare and sometimes fatal disease.
[00:06:11] Initial botulism symptoms can include double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing. Symptoms could be followed by a descending symmetric muscle weakness that progresses over hours to days.
[00:06:29] The Department of Public Health has not said if they've traced the cases to a source, whether the cases are related or any information about patients in the cases. Anyone who is experiencing any of those symptoms should immediately go to the emergency room.
[00:06:47] National Grid is under fire again from Massachusetts customers over billing problems. Numerous gas and electric customers said the utility giant left them in the dark for months about a move from paper to electronic bills. Several said they only learned of the switch when a disconnection notice arrived in their mailbox. In the past few weeks with a demand for hundreds of thousands of dollars now, state regulators said some of those customers may be owed money back from the company.
[00:07:20] Problem comes just weeks after National Grid failed to bill thousands of gas customers for the better part of the winter.
[00:07:29] The March State regulators called National Grids billing problems systemic and inexcusable. National grid moved 266,000 people to paperless billing since last August as part of a new campaign to switch customers away from mailed bills. The company automatically enrolled customers if it thought it had their email address.
[00:07:52] Numerous gas and electric customers say the switchover is happening without enough notice.
[00:07:58] Bills aren't being sent to the correct email address. National Grid confirmed it only notified customers of the switch by sending an email.
[00:08:07] Nothing was printed on paper bills or sent by mail. Company said if an email bill bounced back, customers were automatically re enrolled in paper bills. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utility says it's received dozens of complaints about this from National Grid customers and confirmed that any customer who did not receive their bills is not responsible for charges older than 60 days. DPU says that applies to paperless bills that were sent to the wrong email address or those that were not sent to the customer of record listed on the bill. Customers who are eligible for the relief should first contact National Grid. If the company is not responsive in removing the charges, customers can file a complaint by calling the State DPU at 617-737-2836.
[00:09:03] Today is National Donut Day. Massachusetts loves its donuts. Here's where you can find free treats and other deals being offered in the Boston area.
[00:09:14] Dunkin, which celebrated its 75th birthday at its original location on the Southern Artery in Quincy last month, is offering a free doughnut with any beverage purchase. It's also dropping a coffee and donut merchandise line in collaboration with Stoney Clover Lane. The New England chain of Honeydew donuts is also giving out free donuts with the purchase of any medium beverage. The 7Rewards members can get a classic glazed donut for 50 cents. Participating 7Eleven stores. The Salvation army, which says National Donut Day began during World War I to boost morale among soldiers, is making special donut distributions to first responders and veterans in Boston, Fitchburg, Lynn Marlboro, Pittsfield, the North Shore and Southeastern Massachusetts.
[00:10:09] Jack of Business News this morning and stocks pulled back yesterday. The Dow sank 108 points. The Nasdaq dropped 162. The S&P lost 31.
[00:10:19] World stocks are mixed ahead of an update on the US Job market that will offer insights into how the economy is faring. The dollar rose, the euro fell, oil at $63 a barrel.
[00:10:33] Sports the Red Sox are in New York. A series with the Yankees that begins tonight at 7.
[00:10:39] The forecast from the National Weather Service today hazy warm and humid with afternoon and evening Thunderstorms. High of 83 for tonight. A shower possible low of 67 tomorrow. Scattered showers throughout the day. High of 75.
[00:10:55] Sunday, partly cloudy, high 76 and some more scattered showers on Monday. High 71.
[00:11:02] The marine forecast calls for 2 foot waves. Northeast winds at 5 knots. High tide 8:47am Sunrise 5:07 sets at 8:17.
[00:11:13] On traffic note, the Four River Bridge is scheduled to open at 9:15am I'm Joe Catalano with an AEM Quincy news update for Friday, June 6th.
