Northeast

Trendy Boston waterfront district could get new migrant shelter as Roxbury maxes out: reports

Published

6 months ago

February 11, 2024

Trendy Boston waterfront district could get new migrant shelter as Roxbury maxes out: reports

An office building in an upmarket waterfront Boston neighborhood is being earmarked as a new migrant shelter more than a week after Democratic Gov. Maura Healey shuttered a community recreation center in the city to shelter migrants.

The office building, a 92,000 square-foot premises, is located at 24 Farnsworth Street in the bustling Seaport district in Fort Point and is owned by the Unitarian Universalist Association, according to The Boston Globe. The association is a liberal religious movement.

The Boston Globe reports that city officials contacted the local Fort Point Neighborhood Association on Wednesday, informing them the site is being considered as a shelter but that a final decision has not yet been made.

An office building at 24 Farnsworth Street in Boston is being earmarked as a new migrant shelter. (Google Maps)

BOSTON RESIDENTS RAGE AFTER GOVERNOR CLOSES COMMUNITY REC CENTER TO HOUSE MIGRANTS: ‘THEY DON’T CARE ABOUT US’

Officials have been scrambling to cater to the city’s recent influx of illegal immigrants. Last week, the Melnea Cass Recreation Center in Roxbury was controversially closed to the public and converted into a makeshift migrant center.

It offered a skating rink and safe spaces for the community’s youth to fraternize with parents, raising concerns that young people may find themselves in trouble instead. The state intends to stop housing migrants at the facility in May and reopen it to the public by June.

That shelter was put in place as the migrant crisis continues to overwhelm other state facilities, including Logan Airport.

However, the Roxbury facility, which can accommodate up to 100 migrant families of four, is now nearing full capacity with around 95 families being housed there. Officials are desperately trying to find other spaces to house the migrants, The Boston Globe reports.

The Melnea Cass Recreation Center has been converted to a migration shelter. (Melnea Cass Recreation Center/Facebook)

The Unitarian church says it is considering a “short-term” use of its building as a migrant shelter, although no final decisions have been made.

“Conversations are underway regarding a short-term use of the building that is in the public’s best interest and are in accordance with our values and principles as a faith tradition,” the church’s public relations director Suzanne Morse told The Boston Globe on Thursday.

Neighborhood groups are calling for a public meeting with officials so residents can get more information about the proposal.

The residents have been asking whether the building has proper facilities like showers to cater to their needs.

MASSACHUSETTS CLOSES COMMUNITY CENTER TO PUBLIC TO SHELTER MIGRANTS, PROMPTING BACKLASH

“At this point, we have more questions than answers, but everyone is generally supportive to help in a crisis,” Thomas Ready, of the Fort Point Neighborhood Association, told the publication.

The city said it will work with the state and other partners to ensure residents have an opportunity to learn more and provide feedback regarding any proposed shelter sites “while prioritizing minimal disruption to area residents,” a City of Boston spokesperson said, according to Boston 25 News.

However, not everyone is happy with the plans.

closed sign on door of roxbury community center

Melnea Cass Recreation Center in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston has been temporarily closed to shelter migrants. (Fox News)

John Milligan, the executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party, criticized the proposal.

“Migrants are coming into Massachusetts at a rapid rate,” Milligan told The Boston Globe. “Despite this, there’s been no effort from the Governor to curb the influx.”

“Now, there’s consideration of using part of a building in Fort Point, even though it lacks basic amenities like showers. It merely perpetuates the issue while depleting local resources.”

Logan Airport in Boston has been sheltering migrants. (WBZ)

Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, a Democrat, also said the situation is unstable.

“At some point, we just are not able to sustain everyone that wants to come here,” Flynn told NBC Boston.

“The situation we have now just can’t continue, and we have to make some major and dramatic decisions over the next several months.”

Fox News’ Taylor Penney contributed to this report.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.

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Connecticut

Boar's Head May Be Tough to Find Around Connecticut Tonight

Published

21 mins ago

July 26, 2024

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Boar's Head May Be Tough to Find Around Connecticut Tonight

You might want to ‘Compromise Elsewhere’, Boar’s Head deli meat fans. Numerous grocery store chains are temporarily shutting down their deli departments for a deep-cleaning following a reported multi-state outbreak of listeria.

Big Y has announced that their deli’s will be temporarily closed after Boar’s Head Provisions Co recalled all of their liverwurst product. Boar’s Head has also more of their deli meats that may have been produced on the same production line. According to Big Y, the USDA has recommended a deep-cleaning/sanitization of all surfaces, and to discard any open meats and cheeses in the deli. The other Boar’s Head meats that have been recalled are:

Virginia Ham – Old Fashioned Ham
Italian Cappy Style Ham
Extra Hot Italian Cappy Style Ham
Bologna
Beef Salami
Steakhouse Roasted Bacon Heat & Eat
Garlic Bologna
Beef Bologna

All of the Boar’s Head deli meats have sell-by dates of “AUG 10”, and the Heat & Eat Bacon has a sell-by date of “AUG 15”.

Big Y did not offer Boar’s Head deli meats in their Connecticut markets for the longest time, I recall that it’s only been a year or two that I’ve been able to buy my favorite – Boar’s head low-sodium ham, at the Big Y – Torrington and New Milford locations.

Stop & Shop supermarkets around Connecticut will also temporarily close their deli’s for a deep cleaning according to nbcconnecticut.com. The good news is that if your local deli does not carry Boar’s Head deli meat, there should be a pile of clean, shaved beef waiting for you.

What Would the Olympics Be Like If They Were Held in Connecticut?

The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, and while watching the opening ceremonies, I started imagining what kind of games, celebrities, and venues our state would present as our finest. What would an Olympics look like if the games were held in Connecticut?

Gallery Credit: Getty Images/Google

35 Reasons Why I Love Living in Connecticut

Gallery Credit: Ethan Carey

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Maine

Maine state police bomb team at a home in Penobscot County

Published

1 hour ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Maine state police bomb team at a home in Penobscot County

MILFORD, Maine – The Maine’s State Police Bomb Team is at a residence on Call Road in Milford processing a scene for potential hazardous devices.

Officials say there is no danger to the public.

This is a developing story.

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts State House working last minute to pass bills ahead of Wednesday deadline

Published

1 hour ago

July 26, 2024

Press Room

Massachusetts State House working last minute to pass bills ahead of Wednesday deadline

BOSTON – The Massachusetts State House is typically quiet on Fridays but not this week, as state lawmakers work to push major pieces of legislation to the governor’s desk, including a possible return of Happy Hour.

“This place is going to be buzzing”

“I think for the next five days, this place is going to be buzzing,” State Sen. Barry Finegold told WBZ-TV from his Statehouse office. Buzzing with fellow legislators, lobbyists and stressed-out staffers racing to beat the Wednesday deadline. “We’re very hopeful that it’s going to get done.”

Republican State Rep. Marc Lombardo is frustrated by the procrastination, pointing to the House, Senate and corner office being dominated by Democrats. “It’s a tornado of activity that really doesn’t have to wait until the last week of July,” he said.

The House and Senate have until Wednesday to hammer out their differences on key bills. Bills that don’t get voted out of conference committee essentially “die” on Beacon Hill.

Finegold heads the Joint Economic Development Committee, working on a multi-billion-dollar package that could pave the way for a new soccer stadium in Everett for the New England Revolution.

Will Happy Hour come back to Massachusetts?

How about bringing Happy Hour back to Massachusetts?

“We’re hopeful to get that passed as well,” Finegold explained. “We do have a lot of younger people in our city and throughout Massachusetts and we want to do things that we think they’ll like.”

While Rep. Lombardo can see how this could help the economy, he’s not a fan of the last-minute rush to the finish line.

He said lawmakers are “expected to read bills very quickly as they come out of conference committee…hundreds of pages of documents and yet forced to get a vote because we’ve waited to the last moment to put things on the floor.”

Complex legislation, packed with all sorts of line items.

The CEO of Boston Pads is watching the housing bill closely as lawmakers debate whether or not to ban broker’s fees for renters.

“These agents spend a lot of timing calling all day. It’s not uncommon for them to show an apartment at eight or even nine o’clock at night,” said Demetrios Salpoglou.

It’s a vote that he said could have crippling impacts on the real estate industry in Massachusetts.

This is just a glimpse of the mad rush and closed-door negotiations at the State House.

“This is what it takes,” Finegold said. “We have to get things done.”

Tiffany Chan