Massachusetts

‘Sound of freedom’ raised at annual White Cane Awareness Day for visually impaired in Hub

Published

1 month ago

October 19, 2024

‘Sound of freedom’ raised at annual White Cane Awareness Day for visually impaired in Hub

BOSTON — While October is designated as White Cane Awareness Month, the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and Perkins School for the Blind chose Friday to bring its membership, local and national advocates and service providers together at the State House to mark the month and a special awareness day.

“This event is designed more as an educational day to alert people to the importance of white cane awareness and to increase the safety of the vision-impaired and blind residents,” said Michela Meaney, one of five orientation and mobility specialists working in Massachusetts. “Cane users spend hours, days, trying to rehabilitate into our world. This day provides a way to make it safer for them.”

More than 300 people gathered in the Great Hall at the State House to help extend awareness of the law that requires motorists come to a full stop when they see a person wielding a white cane or walking with a service dog, attempting to cross an intersection.

“Pump the brakes,” said Joseph Buizon, director of programs and services with the commission. Individuals who are visually impaired, Buizon said, walking with a cane or a dog, are protected under Massachusetts law. Those who fail to follow the law are subject to a ticket and fine.

He asked all those in attendance who walk with a white cane to open the tools and hold them high.

“When I hear the click, click, click of the white canes, to me that’s the sound of freedom,” Buizon said.

White canes, as their users will tell you, need hours of practice to master. They impart information to the user and communicate spatial relationships, textures, changes in paving material and irregularities in walkways and sidewalks.

“I know a white cane is so much more than a mobility tool,” said Kate Walsh, state secretary of health and human services. She called it a tool of independence and self-determination for the visually impaired and the blind that allows them to live freely and safely and participate fully in their communities.

Walsh was given a special gift to commemorate the day: a Barbie doll packaged in a box labeled in Braille. The doll was sporting a white cane and high heels; those heels were made to order, said John Oliveira, the leader of the commission, who was appointed to the job last year.

That Barbie doll is wearing high heels to counter the common misconception that blind women cannot wear high heels, Oliveira said. The commission acted as consultants with Mattel to ensure accuracy in depicting a vision-impaired Barbie.

Walsh, visibly moved by the gift, looked around the packed Great Hall and found a special child to be the recipient of the doll. Amyah Walker, 7 of East Taunton, was attending the day with her mother, Victoria, and her family. Her mother said the girl had been “wanting the doll forever.” The family held up her white cane when Buizon called for the audience to do so.

Sharing personal stories was a big part of the day. One of the featured speakers, Kate Higgins, associate director of Harvard University Disability Resources and a board member at the Perkins School for the Blind, became blind as a teenager.

“I was just looking to get my driver’s license,” Higgins said, adding that she received a white cane instead. She outlined the “long, annoying” task of learning how to use the cane, telling of countless times the tip became lodged in a crack or crevice, and times when she jabbed herself in the stomach.

“It took a long time for the white cane to become an extension of my arm,” Higgins said. She also discussed the first time she ventured beyond her cul de sac on her own with just her white cane. She made it across two streets, but it started the process of her gaining confidence “with every step,” and to learn to trust and depend on the information conveyed by the white cane.

“It wasn’t as fast as a car, but it allowed me to explore the whole world,” Higgins said. She took a minute to detour from her life’s narrative to talk about that first journey out of her comfort zone. Two neighborhood classmates took it upon themselves to walk behind her. “They coached me on how to swing my cane and yelled periodically, ‘Watch out!’”

Those shouts prompted her to question how she would “watch out now that I can’t see.” In an aside, she counseled the seeing people in the audience to be specific in their advice to “watch out!” She mentioned several instances where being specific would help a blind person understand a peril: the car that’s running the red light where you were about to cross or the person sleeping on the bench where you were about to sit.

Higgins, who uses both a white cane and has a service dog, Dodger, depending on the circumstances of her schedule, said White Cane Awareness Day matters to the vision-impaired community. The day highlights the importance of the tool that ensures all Massachusetts residents have the same access to mobility as the seeing community.

“This is an opportunity to acknowledge, champion and support the vision-impaired community,” Higgins said. “Mobility is a right to be shared by all.”

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Massachusetts

This Massachusetts shop is offering free coffee for patrons who come in dancing | CNN Business

Published

3 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

This Massachusetts shop is offering free coffee for patrons who come in dancing | CNN Business

CNN
—

A coffee shop in Middleborough, Massachusetts, went viral overnight for offering free coffee to customers who entered the shop while dancing.

A video of customers participating in the promotion was posted on Coffee Milano Café’s TikTok account on Monday and has since been viewed over 5 million times as of Wednesday afternoon.

The viral post highlights how businesses are finding new customers by amping up their online presence, moving away from traditional marketing methods that are not delivering the same reach anymore.

Owner Josh Rashid told CNN that business picked up after the video was posted, attracting curious new customers while delighting cafe regulars.

“We’re a small little town here in Middleborough, and it’s fun. A couple of people were in the store when it happened, and they came in the next day and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I saw your video on my For You page,’” he said.

Inspired by a similar promotion by a pizza shop, Rashid posted a sign telling customers they would receive a free coffee if they danced for five seconds. The sign also informed them that they would be filmed and featured on the cafe’s social media.

Rashid told CNN that the cafe’s TikTok account gained over 10,000 followers since the video was posted, up from roughly 4,000 followers.

“Small businesses really need to be on these platforms where potential customers are searching,” said Kristyn Shay, social media director at SCORE, a nonprofit offering resources for small business owners. “It’s really an exciting time for small businesses to go viral on platforms like TikTok and be where younger potential customers are hanging out.”

Rashid told CNN that the staff had only started creating short, playful videos using trending TikTok sounds four weeks ago when he decided to shake up their marketing strategy.

“We’re in a digital world and word of mouth is great, but at the same time, we’re glued to our phones,” he said. “It just shows us how powerful social media is, and as a business owner, we have to adapt and do what we can.”

Rashid said that the reaction to the cafe’s promotion was so positive that he plans to bring back the deal every month. But it comes with a catch.

He said he would not post an announcement or schedule an official date. Instead, he plans on leaving “Easter eggs” across the cafe’s social media for customers to find hints to future promotions.

“When you have a viral moment, it’s an indicator that you’re doing something right,” Shay said. “Maybe you tested a new strategy. Maybe that strategy was to be a little bit more silly and the audience responded to that.”

And to those who worry about the cafe losing out on profits, Rashid says it’s not a problem.

“You’ve got to have some joy in this world, and if a little five second dance brings you joy, then it’s worth the free coffee.”

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Massachusetts

Discolored water reported in 2 Massachusetts towns after long effort to get clean drinking water

Published

11 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Discolored water reported in 2 Massachusetts towns after long effort to get clean drinking water

Residents in Holbrook and Randolph report muddy, discolored water

02:13

HOLBROOK – Residents in two Massachusetts communities are dealing with discolored water coming out of their pipes and they said it’s the latest issue in a years’ long process to get clean water.

Thick, muddy water

When John Davis woke up Tuesday morning in Holbrook, he found thick, muddy water flowing out of his tap. After a quick check of social media, it didn’t take long to figure out most of his neighbors were dealing with the same thing.

“It was, just, black mud water came out of the tap,” said Davis. “I had a couple of friends that did their laundry. Ruined their laundry, they’ve been bleaching in the sink.”

Davis has lived in Holbrook his entire life and said Tuesday’s dirty water debacle was just the latest in a years’ long effort to get clean drinking water. Each week for the last two years, Davis has been filling jugs up with clean spring water because the stuff coming out of his tap contains high levels of PFAS or “forever chemicals.” Davis said the town has advised residents not to cook with or drink their tap water.

New treatment plant

The town is working to fix the issue by developing a so-called Tri-Town Water Treatment Plant out of Braintree. The town of Holbrook said Tuesday’s muddy water is the result of Monday night work on the project.

In a statement, the Holbrook Public Works Department said:

“The Water Department is actively working to address the issue and appreciates your understanding during this time. Additionally, significant work was completed on Monday night on a major water transmission line that supplies the Holbrook’s Water Distribution System from the Randolph/Holbrook joint Water Treatment Plant. This work included the installation of two large junctions that will soon connect to new transmission lines from the Tri-Town Water Treatment Plant under construction in Braintree.”

The statement went on to say the new plant should be completed by January of 2026. They added if anyone’s water was still discolored Wednesday night, to flush their system by letting their bathtub or shower run.

The neighboring town of Randolph also reported discolored water as a result of the construction.

Brandon Truitt

Brandon Truitt is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV.

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Massachusetts

Where are fires burning in Massachusetts? See map of where fire are burning

Published

19 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Where are fires burning in Massachusetts? See map of where fire are burning

The brush fires continue to burn in Massachusetts.

A major brush fire erupted at Blue Hills Reservation on Monday night, and crews continued to battle the blaze Tuesday.

In Braintree, a brush fire was reported in the woods near Skyline Drive on Monday.

“Fire will continue to smolder deep underground until we have a soaking rain,” states the Braintree Fire Department’s Instagram page.

On top of the major brush fires this week, the alerts for fires kept coming in consistently from Nov. 19-20. Using Dataminr, there were 10 notifications reported in Massachusetts by noon on Nov. 20 and 14 fires reported on Nov. 19.

See map of where fires are burning in MA

The National Weather Service is continuing to warn residents that the state is at high risk for fires, issuing a special advisory on Wednesday.

“The combination of prolonged dry weather and low relative humidities will contribute to elevated fire weather concerns Wednesday across Massachusetts. Obey fire bans, keep vehicles off dry grass and use extra caution if handling any potential ignition sources,” the agency said.

Brush fires/fire alerts today, Nov. 20

These alerts come from Dataminr.

Brush fire burns on 0 block of Mulberry St. in Groveland
Fire reported on 10 block of Overland St. Southbridge
Butternut Fire burns at 1,100 acres on East Mountain Rd. in Great Barrington
Fire reported on Great Neck Rd. South, Mashpee
Fire reported on 110 block of Townsend St. Worcester
Fire reported on Western Ave. Lynn
Fire reported on 200 block of Walnut Plain Rd. Rochester
Fire reported on 70 block of Wales St. Taunton
Brush fire prompts emergency response near Donald E Ross Elementary School on 20 block of Hayward St. in Braintree
Fire reported on Oakmont St. Webster

Brush fires/fires alerts on Nov. 19

Fire reported on 900 block of South St. Southbridge
Fire reported at intersection of Essex Street and Hampshire St. Lawrence
Fire reported on Methuen St. Lowell
Fire reported on 0 block of Shrewsbury St. Worcester
Fire reported on Azalea Rd. Winchester
Fire reported on Sycamore St. Westfield
Fire reported on 0 block of Wakefield Ave. Saugus
Fire reported on Rockland St. Abington
Fire reported on 300 block of Cherry St. Newton
Fire reported on 20 block of Virginia St. Dorchester
Fire reported on 200 block of Rockland St. Hanover
Three-alarm brush fire burns on 230 block of Topsfield Rd. in Wenham
Fire reported on 10 block of Colonial Ave. Lowell
Brush fire burns at Cedar Glen Golf Course on 60 block of Water St. in Saugus

Is this a bad season for brush fires in Massachusetts?

Yes.

The Carver Fire Department reported on Facebook that the average number of November brush fires in Massachusetts is 21.

“So far for November 2024 we are at 292 with over 700 acres burned” for the state, the department noted.

State fire officials report that there were 175 wildfires that continued to be an issue across Massachusetts earlier this month on Nov. 9.

Mass.gov stated that there were 203 brush fires in Massachusetts during the month of October, which is an increase of about 1,200% over the average. Typically, there are only about 15 brush fires in October.

How bad is the drought in Massachusetts?

As of this week, the U.S. Drought Monitor recently showed that dry conditions in Massachusetts keep getting worse.

That’s because the state really hasn’t seen any significant rain since September, with precipitation totals in October being low.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs declared a Level 3 – Critical Drought for the central and northeast regions parts of Massachusetts late last week.

The U.S. Drought Monitor currently classifies just over 66% of the state as being in a severe drought covering most of the Boston area, North shore, Central Massachusetts and Western Massachusetts. Other parts of the state are considered to be in a moderate drought, while the Cape and Islands are currently classified as abnormally dry.

Is there any rain on the way? If so, will it help?

The National Weather Service stated that a “slow-moving frontal system” will bring overcast skies and rain Thursday into Friday, “which could mix with wet snow at locations above 1,500 feet elevation.”

Meteorologist Candice Hrencecin of the National Weather Service branch in Norton told USA Today Network on Tuesday, Nov. 19, that “about an inch of rain” can be expected this Thursday into Friday.

But after Thursday, the weather is supposed to dry up again, she added.

Regarding whether the forecasted rain would stop the drought, Hrencecin said, “Definitely not,” but she added it would help quench any ongoing brush fires.

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