Episode Transcript
[00:00:16] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Thursday, March 12th. A utility pole caught fire in Squantum late last night, knocking out power in the area for a short time.
[00:00:29] Police say it happened at Dorchester street and Pratt road just after 11 o' clock last night. Quincy firefighters quickly doused the fire and National Grid had power restored in about an hour.
[00:00:42] A man was being treated for a stab wound after an incident outside the Adams Inn in North Quincy early yesterday. Police say a 30 year old man not from Quincy was stabbed in the parking lot of the Inn on Hancock street and at about 1:30 yesterday morning the unidentified victim was taken to Boston Medical center for treatment of what were described as non life threatening injuries. No arrests have been reported and there is no description of a suspect.
[00:01:13] A carjacking suspect was shot and killed last night by police in Roxbury, according to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. Officers were called to a report of a carjacking at 9:45 last night in the 1500 block of Tremont Street. Police found a stolen car at 10 Linwood Square with the suspect still in the driver's seat, Cox said. Officers approached the car and gave the suspect several verbal commands which he ignored, the commissioner said. The suspect then accelerated the vehicle in an attempt to flee, striking a Boston police cruiser. Officers discharged their firearms, striking the suspect. Suspect was taken to the hospital where he died. No identification has been made at this time. Cox said Two officers were treated for injuries but are expected to be okay. The shooting remains under investigation by Boston police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
[00:02:16] Authorities have identified a young man who was killed in a three car crash on Interstate 95 in Canton yesterday morning. Crash happened on the southbound side of the highway near mile marker 25 just before 6:30am According to state police. The driver of a Toyota sedan, 22 year old Matthew McTiernan from Marshfield, died from the injuries he suffered in the wreck. State police noted that all but one lane of traffic was impacted by the crash and no additional details were immediately available. The cause of that crash remains under investigation.
[00:02:57] One day after demanding billions in tariff refunds from the Trump administration for Massachusetts households, Governor Healy said she doesn't actually expect to see that money paid. Healy, a Democrat who's running for re election with a platform focused on reducing costs and creating jobs, made her demand in a letter sent on Tuesday to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant. In the letter, she argued that federal tariffs increase costs for consumers and businesses. She said the government should provide a refund of $1,745 for every household in the state. Speaking yesterday to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the governor admitted that the estimated $4.8 billion in refunds is unrealistic. Healy's letter followed a decision by the U.S. supreme Court that struck down Trump's tariffs and a ruling by a federal judge in New York that companies that paid tariffs struck down last month by the Supreme Court are due refunds. Healy, however, argued that the ultimate burden rests with consumers. Healy's letter also urged the administration to reconsider the global tariffs, arguing that the approach will also raise costs for consumers and businesses. Yesterday, she and 18 other governors joined in a letter urging Congress to reject any efforts to codify President Trump's costly and illegal tariffs.
[00:04:29] Gas prices are skyrocketing around the country amid the war with Iran, and in some New England states, including Massachusetts, there's talk of temporarily suspending the gas tax to bring relief to drivers at the pump. Brian Short Sleeve, a Republican candidate for governor, is calling on state leaders to immediately suspend the Massachusetts gas tax until prices fall below $2.50 a gallon. The gas tax in Massachusetts is 24 cents per gallon. Revenue raised from the tax pays for roads, bridges and public transit. Former governor Charlie Baker supported a suspension of the gas tax in 2022 when a gallon of gas averaged more than $5 a gallon, but it was rejected by the Democratic controlled legislature. Governor Healey did not directly address the gas tax issue when asked about it on Tuesday.
[00:05:26] White House press Secretary Carolyn Levitt said on Tuesday that prices will drop once the national objectives of Operation Epic Fury are fully achieved. According to AAA, gas prices in Massachusetts rose another 3 cents Wednesday to $3.44 a gallon, an increase of 53 cents in the past month. Prices in Massachusetts are still below the national average of $3.58 a gallon.
[00:05:57] Massachusetts highway chief says environmental clearances for the Cape Cod bridge replacement projects should wrap up this summer after seeking public comment from November through January. The state is expected to file an environmental impact report this month, according to State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. That'll be followed by a federal report expected in June. A process for selecting a contractor for the Sagamore Bridge is also ramping up this spring as the state seeks letters of interest in a major critical milestone this fall, Gulliver said the state will issue a request for proposals. Gulliver said the state's been in constant contact with labor groups about the Sagamore Bridge and other construction projects. The state is taking about 15 homes by eminent domain for the bridge replacement Massachusetts in 2024 secured a $993 million federal grant to replace the Sagamore Bridge, bringing the total federal commitment to $1.7 billion. The state is waiting to hear if it secured an additional $1.1 billion from the federal government for the Bourne Bridge.
[00:07:15] As sports betting has taken off, with associated taxes filling up state coffers, some elected officials on Beacon Hill on some new guardrails on gambling and certain types of betting. Senators on the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies last week released a favorable report on legislation sponsored by Senator John Keenan of Quincy. The vote was 5 to nothing. Also known as the Betor Health act, the bill aims to address higher harms that can come with wagering. It also bans sports betting ads during televised sporting events as well as in play and proposition bets. Prop bets are wagers on specific occurrences or statistical outcomes that are independent of the game's final score or results and have been at the center of recent scandals among college and professional athletes. Gamblers can suffer bankruptcy, divorce, job loss, according to Keenan, and the effects of their behavior can extend to friends and families. The bill also raises the state excise tax from 20% of gross receipts on online and mobile wagering to 51%, the same level as New York, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The bill requires online sports betting companies to double their contributions to the state's Public Health Trust Fund.
[00:08:43] As of January, the state had collected more than $408 million in taxes and assessments from sports wagering operators since the industry launched in Massachusetts in 2023. The bill's next stop is the Senate Ways and Means Committee. That panel can push important bills to the floor of the Senate for votes, but is also inundated with bills and has traditionally been a graveyard for legislation.
[00:09:11] The Dana Farber Cancer Institute's mammography van will be at the Kennedy center in Quincy today. Free mammograms will be offered from 7am to 3:15pm Pre registration is required by calling 617-632-1974.
[00:09:33] The Quincy Tree alliance will hold a meeting tonight to talk about the city's tree canopy.
[00:09:40] Residents are invited to bring their questions. The meeting will feature presentations from Quincy Department of Natural Resources Project Manager Michael Casinelli, City of Quincy arborist Ben Pond and Hannah Carlson, landscape architect and Quincy Tree alliance board member. The meeting will be held from 7 to 8:30pm in the community Meeting Room of the Thomas Crane Library in Quincy Center.
[00:10:08] The City of Quincy Cemetery Board of Managers is requesting that all Christmas decorations, wreaths and other items be removed from all lots in city cemeteries before this coming Sunday to allow for spring cleaning.
[00:10:25] Jack of Business news this morning. Stocks are mixed. The Dow down 289, the Nasdaq rose 19 and the S&P fell 5. Asian stocks were also mixed. The dollar rose, the euro was down and oil at almost $92 a barrel.
[00:10:45] In sports, the Bruins will host the sharks tonight at 7. Celtics are on the road against Oklahoma City at 9:30.
[00:10:54] The national weather Service forecast for today, some scattered showers with a high of 60 and temperatures flat falling throughout the day. For tonight, cloudy and cold and a low of 26. Partly cloudy tomorrow, high of only 42.
[00:11:11] Saturday, partly cloudy, windy at a high of 46. Mostly cloudy on Sunday, high 44.
[00:11:19] The marine forecast today, 2 foot waves, southwesterly winds at 10 to 15 will turn northwest and then gust to 25.
[00:11:28] High tide 7:18pm sunrise 7am sets at 6:46 1. Traffic note for river bridge is scheduled to open Friday morning at 9am I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Thursday, March 12th.
