Massachusetts
As ‘intense’ heat arrives, Massachusetts extends lifeguard hours; officials expect a rise in heat-related emergencies; tips on how to stay cool
![As ‘intense’ heat arrives, Massachusetts extends lifeguard hours; officials expect a rise in heat-related emergencies; tips on how to stay cool](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/weathercc01.jpg?w=1024&h=594)
With oppressive heat and humidity making it feel close to 100 degrees, Bay State officials are warning residents about the risk for heat stroke and heat exhaustion, while they extend hours at swimming pools, beaches, waterfronts and spray decks.
The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Massachusetts with heat-index values of 95 to 104 degrees on Thursday and Friday afternoon. A heat emergency has been declared for Boston.
To help residents beat the heat, the state Department of Recreation and Conservation has extended lifeguard and operating hours at agency-managed pools, beaches, waterfronts, wading pools and spray decks by one hour.
DCR pools will be closing at 7:45 p.m.; beaches and waterfronts will be guarded until 6:45 p.m.; wading pools will operate until 7 p.m.; and spray decks will run until 9 p.m.
“As Massachusetts will experience some of its most intense heat in the coming days, it’s important for people to make a plan to stay safe — including staying hydrated, limiting strenuous activity, and checking in on one another,” said Gov. Maura Healey.
“We’ve expanded hours at DCR swimming pools, beaches, waterfronts and spray decks to allow for more opportunities for residents to cool off,” the governor added. “We’re grateful to the workers who are putting in the time and effort to support these extended hours. All of us can do our part to help our friends and neighbors beat the heat.”
Oppressive hot temps and high humidity may spark heat illnesses in the next couple of days, meteorologists and officials warn.
“The members of Local 718 remain prepared to continue their diligent service to the citizens of Boston as we expect an increase in heat-related emergencies,” Boston Firefighters Local 718 tweeted.
So how can you stay cool when the temps spike to triple digits? Here are some extreme heat safety tips:
- Limit time outdoors, especially during the hottest parts of the day.
- Try to rest often in shady areas so your body temperature will have a chance to recover. Use sunscreen with a high SPF and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water, and avoiding alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.
- Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Light colors reflect heat and sunlight, and help maintain normal body temperature.
- Seek out air conditioned buildings, like libraries and community centers to spend time in. Boston is opening cooling centers at 15 BCYF community centers on Thursday and Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
- Never leave children or pets in the car alone. The temps will rise to unhealthy levels very quickly.
- Check in on neighbors who may need help, including the homebound, elderly, or disabled.
Meanwhile, if the heat wasn’t enough, the region will be facing a risk for severe thunderstorms and torrential rain on Thursday afternoon and evening. The ground is incredibly saturated from all the recent rain, so there will be a flooding risk on Thursday.
“Some of these storms may become severe,” the National Weather Service’s Boston office tweeted. “The primary threat is damaging straight line wind gusts and localized flash flooding. But a Tornado is also possible.”
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Massachusetts
Scouting Massachusetts for great lobster rolls
![Scouting Massachusetts for great lobster rolls](https://www.bostonherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/BHR-L-ROLL1.jpg?w=640&h=480)
Look up “quintessential New England summer food” in the dictionary and there should be a picture of an ice-cold fresh-shucked New England lobster roll.
You know the top spots: The long-time local-owned clam shack on your local waterfront. The upscale city spot that charges a bit extra but delivers. The seafood restaurants with world name recognition. You can count on them to deliver.
But there are some other special locales to scarf down a fantastic lobster roll. Here are some perhaps surprising spots to savor that New England classic.
At a landmark: We’re talking beloved Fenway Park. For the most part, I’m anti “other types of food” at the ballpark. Chowder at a Sox game? Nah. I’m all about the classics: Kettle corn, peanuts, Hoodsies and of course, Fenway Franks.
So it was a delicious surprise when, while at a recent game, I opted to tuck into a Luke’s Lobster lobster roll.
Perfection. It’s a buttery roll stuffed full with sweet, fresh and meaty lobster seasoned with a tiny bit of mayo and a few secret spices Luke won’t divulge. They’re sublime.
And lobster rolls pair perfectly with a Red Sox game. Sure, a roll (with a bag of chips) will cost you $38 at the game. But hey: with a fountain lemonade ringing in at $10.50 at Fenway, that feels like a value.
Behind the barn: The big red barn at the fork of Sandwich and River Streets in the Chiltonville section of Plymouth has been many things over the years. Carpentry center, penny candy stop, farm stand, and ice cream spot are just a few of its iterations, and always under the same family, the Bramhalls.
This generation of Bramhalls have taken that classic red barn and ramped it up to a must visit for their out-of-this-world lobster rolls.
Bramhall’s butters and toasts a fresh roll and then fills it with super fresh shucked meat (so fresh, they can name the lobsterman/woman who dropped them off that very morning). They leave the seasonings to you, giving you a little mayo, salt and pepper to make your own choice. It works. The fresh sweet lobster meat is – as it should be – the star.
You’ll dine at simple picnic tables under shade trees (or down the street looking out over the beach and ocean). Pro tip: follow it with one of Sally’s fresh and made on site ice cream sandwiches. www.bramhallscountrystore.com
Off a truck: When it come to serving fresh, local and perfect lobster rolls, the Lobsta Love Truck, created and operated by award-winning chef Stephen Coe (chefstephencoe.com) – who “Beat Bobby Flay” and is in development for his own food series – is a sure thing.
Lobsta Love pops up all over – city streets, small town beer gardens, fundraisers and more. You might spot it pulled into a firehouse: Coe and Lobsta Love believe in serving those who serve us.
Coe, who calls the South Shore home and is a believer in shopping local, fresh and sustainable, has direct links to lobster boats right on the docks of the South Shore.
When the boats pull in, Coe and his team pick up their lobsters, cook them and let them sit and chill for a day before mixing in his own secret dashes of this and that – enough to amp up flavor but let the fresh, cold lobster meat shine through.
Find them and dig in.
Massachusetts
Mass. House approves updates to insurers insolvency fund
![Mass. House approves updates to insurers insolvency fund](https://www.wwlp.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2023/07/Statehouse-Boston.jpg?w=1280)
BOSTON, Mass. (SHNS)–Massachusetts residents and businesses would secure stronger protections if their property and casualty insurance carriers end up going bankrupt, under a bill gaining late-session momentum on Beacon Hill.
Without debate, the House last week quietly passed a bill (H 4772) that aims to update parameters for an insurance social safety net fund, created by the Legislature in 1970, and raise the caps on property and casualty claims that have not been revised in decades. The Senate sent the redrafted bill, originally sponsored by Rep. Daniel Cahill, to the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday.
The bill would ensure that the Massachusetts Insurers Insolvency Fund aligns with a framework promoted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2009, said Barbara Law, who administers MIIF and is the CEO of Guaranty Fund Management Services. The bill also clarifies that MIIF covers cybersecurity insurance claims.
“The Massachusetts version of the statute was one of the oldest in the country — it has not been updated from time to time over the years,” Law told the News Service. “So there are a lot of opportunities to bring current best practices from other states to Massachusetts, plus an opportunity to increase the cap for coverages. So individuals, particularly on the property side, we would be able to ensure that there was enough coverage allowed by the law so they would have a greater likelihood of having the entirety of their claims covered.”
Weather-related events in recent years have caused property insurance insolvencies in Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina, she said.
“We wanted to be prepared if those insolvencies started to have a greater effect on Massachusetts, and we also wanted to make sure that if we start to experience that type of weather up here, that we were prepared,” Law said. “So it really is about preparedness. We wanted to make sure that our law was in shape to make sure that it afforded enough coverage for the residents in Massachusetts.”
The bill would boost the existing claims cap, such as for car accidents and environmental cases, from $300,000 to $500,000, a level already enacted in Connecticut and Rhode Island, according to testimony Law sent to the Financial Services Committee co-chairs last fall. The new limit would not apply to workers’ compensation claims, which do not have a cap and are paid by the fund for life, Law said.
Aiming to provide a safety net for Massachusetts home and property owners, the bill also proposes a $1 million cap for residential or commercial property, a policy that Law said was implemented in California after a wildfire caused an insurer to go bankrupt.
“We do recognize that Massachusetts has high reconstruction values for property, so we recommend a $1 million limit for property claims just to ensure that we keep pace with the time,” she said.
All insurance companies that are licensed to provide property and casualty coverage in the commonwealth are members of MIIF, and they contribute to the fund to help pay out claims, according to GFMS.
The Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents supports the bill, particularly the special real property cap provision due to the “increased severity and frequency of these claims,” said CEO Nick Fyntrilakis. In written testimony, Fyntrilakis warned Massachusetts is “currently disadvantaged compared to other states” that have embraced updated insurance policies.
“This bill would enhance benefits to Massachusetts residents affected by insurer insolvencies and reduce costs to the property and casualty insurance guaranty fund framework in the Commonwealth with no tax increases or increased appropriations if enacted,” Fyntrilakis said. He added, “These updates are much-needed and, in some instances, long-overdue.”
Law said MIIF, which is regulated by the Division of Insurance, has paid roughly half a billion dollars in claims to policyholders throughout its history when small and large insurance companies were insolvent. Workers’ compensation claims have largely driven activity in the fund, though Law said MIIF has also seen bursts of activity tied to insolvencies from asbestos-related claims in the late ’80s and early ’90s and the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Massachusetts
The Biggest Fish Ever Caught In Massachusetts
![The Biggest Fish Ever Caught In Massachusetts](https://townsquare.media/site/920/files/2024/06/attachment-448473378_10100504555439881_1195189464992627895_n.jpg?w=1200&q=75&format=natural)
I went deep sea fishing for the first time last week while on vacation. I have a little more respect for people who love to fish now. I didn’t understand the love of it, but now I appreciate the sport. There is a lot more finesse to fishing than I thought.
Where and what was Massachusetts biggest fish ever caught? For the purpose of this post, we are talking about freshwater fish.
There are two main lakes in the Berkshire County’s biggest city. Lake Onota and Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield are two busy spots when it comes to fishing whether it be summer or winter.
The photo above is courtesy of Joshua Christman on Facebook from Pittsfield’s CARP Palooza on June 15, 2024 on Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield and Lanesborough.
A man shows a northern pike caught in Lake Onota earlier this year. Note: this is not the actual biggest fish caught.
Two 45-inch northern pikes both caught in Lake Onota, according to mass.gov
Ashley DePaoli in 2017 (45.5 inches Lake Onota)
Craig Strong in 2021 (45.5 inches Lake Onota)
A 46 pound carp measuring 42 inches was caught in 2012 in Quinsigamond Lake in Shrewsbury MA.
A 35 pound Northern Pike measuring 47 inches was caught on Quacumquasit Pond in Brookfield, MA back in 1988.
A 27 pound Tiger Muskellunge measuring 46 inches was caught in Pontoosuc Lake in Pittsfield, MA in 2001.
LOOKS: Things you’d likely see in an awesomely ’80s garage
From scandalous bikini calendars to your dad’s AMC Gremlin, ’80s garages were a treasure trove of adventure, good fun, and sometimes downright danger.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
-
News1 week ago
Joe Biden, Barack Obama And Jimmy Kimmel Warn Of Another Donald Trump Term; Star-Filled L.A. Fundraiser Expected To Raise At Least $30 Million — Update
-
News1 week ago
It's easy to believe young voters could back Trump at young conservative conference
-
World1 week ago
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 842
-
World1 week ago
Swiss summit demands 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine
-
World1 week ago
Protesters in Brussels march against right-wing ideology
-
News1 week ago
A fast-moving wildfire spreads north of Los Angeles, forcing evacuations
-
World1 week ago
Al-Qaeda affiliate claims responsibility for June attack in Burkina Faso
-
Politics1 week ago
Judge rules Missouri abortion ban did not aim to impose lawmakers' religious views on others