Massachusetts
Massachusetts to cut gas and electric bills in February and March, Gov. Healey says
Gas and electric bills in Massachusetts are about to go down temporarily, according to Gov. Maura Healey.
In a preview of her State of the Commonwealth Address Thursday night, Healey said she will immediately reduce electricity bills by 25 percent across the state and gas bills by 10 percent.
Massachusetts gas and electric bill reductions
The discounts will come in February and March. The governor said the rate reductions will cost the state $180 million, and her administration will cover that by using “existing funding sources.”
The move comes two days after Healey announced she was running for re-election.
Last month, National Grid proposed a nearly 10 percent rate hike for its gas customers in Massachusetts, starting in 2027. Healey opposes that increase.
National Grid bill deferrals, not rate cuts
A National Grid spokesperson told WBZ-TV Thursday they are working with the governor and “implementing a targeted winter relief effort that will lower energy bills for February and March.”
National Grid gas customers can expect to save about $27 in each of those two months.
The utility’s electric customers should get a $60 a month reduction for February and March.
However, those reductions are deferrals for February and March. Customers will end up paying some of that money back later in the year.
National Grid plans to collect back all of the deferred gas bill amounts gradually from customers between May and October.
They’ll collect part of the deferred electric amounts between April and December. The rest of that 25-percent gas cut is covered by Healey’s plan.
More about the governor’s plan is expected to be revealed during her State of the Commonwealth speech at 7 p.m. You can watch it live on CBS News Boston and in the video embedded in this article.
Medford native Maria Menounos hosting ‘Heal Squad Day of Reset’ in Yarmouth
Medford native and celebrity Maria Menounos is hosting ‘Heal Squad Day of Reset’ at Red Jacket Beach Resort & Spa in Yarmouth.
Looking for a beach where fellow beachgoers have good manners?
Travel website Exoticca conducted a survey and found the beach with the best beach etiquette in each state, including Massachusetts, so you can know the place where Bay Staters treat both the beach and each other with the most respect.
“We surveyed 3,011 Americans to find out where beachgoers are seen as having the best etiquette, and the results say quite a lot about what people actually want from a beach vacation,” Exoticca said.
In Massachusetts, voters said to head to the North Shore.
Crane Beach — Ipswich, Massachusetts
The extremely popular Crane Beach in the North Shore town of Ipswich was voted the best for beach etiquette by Exoticca’s readers.
Exoticca said that the places that scored the highest in positive beach etiquette were places where people focused on the clarity of the water and the beautiful scenery rather than external distractions like seaside restaurants or shops on the boardwalk, where “everyone around seems to understand that nobody wants the place spoiled.”
Crane Beach is known for its white sand and conservation. It’s one of the nesting places for piping plovers, according to The Trustees.
“To protect threatened shorebirds during your visit, we ask that you avoid the fenced nesting areas and the wrack, the line of washed-up organic debris where the birds feed and hide,” the Trustees said.
Despite having 350,000 people visit annually, according to the Trustees, Crane Beach still achieved the top spot of beach etiquette.
How to visit Crane Beach
Barring going on Martin Luther King Jr. Day or on Veterans’ Day for families with veterans, visitors do have to buy tickets for vehicle entry and parking. Tickets are cheaper if visitors arrive via motorcycle, biking, or walking.
“Strict rules apply: no drop-offs, re-entry for nonmembers, or outside food delivery; dogs and horses are not allowed April 1–September 30,” the ticket selection webpage said.
Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@usatodayco.com.
Massachusetts
Mass stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Cape Cod said to be largest in Massachusetts history
Rescuers were working to save around 30 bottlenose dolphins that got stranded off the coast of Cape Cod early Monday morning. It is the largest known stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Massachusetts, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The dolphins had become stranded between First Light and Ellis Landing in Brewster at about 5:30 a.m. when they came in with the tide. A woman noticed the animals and reported it. The IFAW quickly responded to the area, but five to six of the marine mammals died before help arrived.
The IFAW worked throughout the day on Monday to get the mammals away from the shoreline before the next low tide at 5:13 p.m. They said late Monday afternoon that they were still successfully being steered away.
“Our team remains in the area to monitor and herd the animals away from shore,” an IFAW spokesperson said. “We know these events can sometimes repeat in the coming hours and days, but we remain hopeful.”
The organization said it had seen an uptick in bottlenose dolphins becoming stranded off Cape Cod in the last few years.
“Bottlenose dolphins are typically an offshore species,” the spokesperson said.
They asked that anyone who encounters a stranded or distressed marine mammal not get close and never drag or push the animal back into the water.
“Similar to a person involved in a car accident, dolphins can become injured and exhausted during a stranding event,” the IFAW said.
Instead, they recommend calling their IFAW stranding hotline at 508-743-9548.
A man has died following an apparent drowning at a pond in Randolph, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
The Randolph police and fire departments received a 911 call at around 4 p.m. for a swimmer in distress in the water on Pond Street, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office..
Firefighters located the man a short time later, officials added, and he was taken by ambulance to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Kingston Fire Department had said just before 4 p.m. that their dive team was activated for a missing swimmer in Randolph, but that the activation was canceled after the swimmer was located.
Further information is not being released at this time, including the man’s name.
Massachusetts State Police detectives and the Randolph Police Department are investigating.
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