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Boston, MA
99 Restaurant in Charlestown may close for apartments
Food News
If it closes, the nearest 99 Restaurant locations to Boston will be in Revere and Quincy.
A beloved New England chain restaurant’s last Boston location may close as developers eye the lot around it for future apartments at Charlestown’s Bunker Hill Mall.
Universal Hub first reported the news that the 99 Restaurant on Austin Street could shutter as part of a proposal to replace much of the site with a six-story, 240-unit apartment complex.
A spokesperson for the restaurant said the 99 has been at its 31 Austin St. location for 33 years.
“We are aware that the owners of Bunker Hill Mall property are considering a redevelopment of the entire site, and as such, we are exploring our options to remain in this community far into the future,” a spokesperson said. “We will continue to serve our loyal guests in our current location as long as our lease remains in place.”
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Boston.com readers have a runaway favorite for favorite food chain
The property owner, New England Development, originally proposed a plan in 2021 that would build apartments around the 99 in a U-shape design, according to previous documents and members of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council who spoke to Boston.com. But the neighborhood council development chair Nancy Johnson said the community had a hard time envisioning that design.
Since then, a key zoning change has reshaped the project. In late 2023, the Boston Planning Department changed the Bunker Hill Mall site’s zoning from neighborhood shopping to mixed-use, clearing the way for residential builds. New England Development now proposes replacing the 99 entirely, with construction to be finished by 2028.
In a statement, New England Development said the restaurant “will remain in operation through at least the end of 2026.”
“The residential development, which adheres to zoning, will provide needed housing, and also complement and support the existing grocery and commercial uses with no reduction in parking for those businesses,” the statement read.
In a March meeting, some public comments opposed the project because of the likely shuttering of the 99.
“The 99 is one of the few family-friendly restaurants in Charlestown,” said one commenter. “We have celebrated numerous end-of-season sports events there. We need these kind of community spaces in Charlestown.”
Residents also raised broader concerns about the development, including parking and the potential loss of retail in addition to the 99. It isn’t immediately clear which stores will stay. A draft project impact report filed this year indicates redevelopment would only be considered after the “expiration of long-term retail leases.”
But along with zoning changes, Boston’s planning department approved a modification to the urban renewal plan to allow for the residential build. Johnson said the community is worried it could mean less retail stores at the site, which is the opposite of what the community wants.
The Bunker Hill Mall currently includes a Whole Foods, CVS, an Ace Hardware, and other stores. The 99 and a Dunkin’ are the last remaining restaurant spaces on site — the 99 being the last full-service option. The mall previously housed a Papa Gino’s and a Friendly’s.
The Charlestown Neighborhood Council expressed frustration mostly with the Boston Planning & Development Agency over the lack of a community process during the 2023 zoning change and a subsequent update to the site’s urban renewal plan.
“We want our neighbors and other residents to have good, affordable housing that’s safe and well-made,” Johnson said. “But you have to plan for the future, and a neighborhood is going to need retail spaces.”
The 99’s long history in Charlestown includes a 1995 shooting that killed four people. More recently, the chain has maintained a loyal following: It topped a Boston.com reader poll in 2020 and drew a wave of praise from readers in 2024 reacting to a Reddit post declaring the chain was underrated.
If the Charlestown location ultimately closes at the Bunker Hill Mall site, the closest 99 locations to Boston proper would be in Revere and Quincy.
Although it is just June 22, it’s certainly starting to seem like the Boston Red Sox could end up being sellers later on this summer when the 2026 Major League Baseball trade deadline gets here.
Boston took two out of three games from the Seattle Mariners over the weekend, but still finds itself 13 games under .500 at 31-44. Right now, Boston is six games out of an American League Wild Card spot as well. Boston needs a long winning streak to turn the tide. If not, the club will certainly trade pieces away. The conversation has gotten loud enough around the team that Red Sox starter Sonny Gray said he “would be open” to having a conversation about waiving his no-trade clause if someone from the club approached him about it to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe.
“If someone came to me from the Red Sox and made a decision that that’s the direction that this team was going to go, I would be open for a conversation,” Gray said to Healey. “Whatever happens from then, only time will tell. But I would be open for a conversation.
Could Sonny Gray Be The Next Star Out Of Boston?
“Holding veto power is ‘an earned thing’ and means a lot, Gray said. He negotiated it into the three-year, $75 million deal he signed with the Cardinals heading into 2024.”
When it comes to Gray, he has been a major addition for Boston so far this season. He has a 3.12 ERA in 13 starts to go along with a 55-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 69 1/3 innings pitched. Gray is also 8-1 on the season. Even in a campaign full of losses for Boston, Gray has been able to consistently be a stopper for the club.
If he were to become available, he would be an intriguing, although imperfect trade candidate. From a talent perspective, he’s awesome and would help a contender. But from a contract point of view, he has a $30 million mutual option for the 2027 season with a $10 million buyout. Mutual options rarely get picked up. The buyout is very high and could be a barrier. That will be a bridge to cross later on, though. What’s important to note right now is the fact that Gray is “open” to a conversation about a trade. It doesn’t mean that it will happen, but it’s possible.
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Boston, MA
Jets were 300 feet apart in Boston close call that forced Delta flight to abort landing, expert says
BOSTON (AP) — A Delta Air Lines jet was roughly 300 feet (90 meters) from an American Airlines plane during a close call at Boston’s airport that forced the Delta aircraft to abort a weekend landing attempt, an aviation expert said Sunday.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating the incident between two commercial flights that happened Saturday at Boston Logan International Airport.
Todd Curtis, a former safety engineer at Boeing, estimated the distance between the two jetliners using Flightradar24, a website that tracks flights. Curtis now coproduces a podcast about flight safety issues.
“This is a significant incident,” Curtis said, adding that it was particularly concerning because it involved two professional airline crews.
He said federal aviation officials have been concerned about such runway incursions for a while now and will scrutinize Saturday’s close call.
Near-misses and runway incursions at U.S. airports will be the subject of a hearing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation will seek ways to strengthen safety across the national airspace system.
The Delta flight from Dallas had to execute a go-around, or aborted landing, to avoid the American plane departing from an intersecting runway, according to the FAA and flight logs.
The crew of Delta flight 2351 coordinated with air traffic control to perform the go-around, an airline spokesperson said. The plane, which had 129 passengers and six crew members on board, landed safely and deplaned normally, according to the spokesperson.
Go-arounds are safe, routine procedures performed at the discretion of the pilot or air traffic controllers, according to the FAA.
Boston, MA
Volunteer rescuer seriously injured Friday helping unresponsive teenage hiker in NH – The Boston Globe
A volunteer rescuer was seriously injured while helping multiple hypothermic hikers who called for help near the summit of a New Hampshire mountain Friday night, officials said.
The rescuer, who had to be helped back to the trailhead, was carrying an unresponsive teenager through stormy conditions on Mount Lafayette in Franconia when they were hurt, according to a statement from the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. The hiker, 19-year-old Dmytro Grechko of New Jersey, later regained consciousness and was taken to Littleton Regional Hospital for treatment.
A small rescue team set out around 8 p.m.for reports that the two teenagers were suffering from severe hypothermia about an eighth of a mile below the summit, according to the statement. More than five hours later, rescuers found Grechko and his friend, 19-year-old Jason Fisher of New Jersey, who was cold and wet but remained conscious.
Rescuers began warming the teenagers, who had set out without warm clothing or lights, around 1 a.m., according to the Fish and Game Department. Additional crews were called to help carry Grechko to the Greenleaf Hut, a mountain hostel operated by the Appalachian Mountain Club located on the shoulder of the mountain.
As crews worked to rescue the New Jersey teenagers, another group of hikers called for help about a mile away from the trailhead, the statement said. Rescuers found those hikers wet, cold, and suffering from hypothermia, and gave them lights and dry clothing before helping them to safety.
Crews reached the hut with Grechko just before 3 a.m. and began treating all rescued hikers for hypothermia and other cold-related injuries, according to the statement. Grechko later regained consciousness, and after the group was warmed and dried, rescuers escorted him down the Old Bridle Path. They reached the trailhead around 7:55 a.m.
The Fish and Game Department warned that conditions in the White Mountains can change rapidly and urged hikers to check forecasts from the Mount Washington Observatory before attempting a summit. Officials also reminded visitors to carry proper gear.
“Hikers are encouraged to be prepared for their trek to include packing the ten essential items: map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets & pants, and a knife,” the statement said.
Lila Hempel-Edgers can be reached at lila.hempeledgers@globe.com. Follow her on X @hempeledgers and on Instagram @lila_hempel_edgers.
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