300K residents about to lose UI benefits (and lots of employers want to talk to them)
Add Newton to the growing list of communities with an indoor mask mandate.
Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced the new rules last night, following calls for mandatory masks from all 24 City Councilors and from her main competitor for reelection.
The mandate -- effective next Thursday, Sept. 2 -- includes grocery stores and all other retailers, restaurants and bars, performance and event spaces, fitness clubs, salons, social clubs and places of worship.
In food service establishments, customers may remove face coverings while seated and actively eating or drinking.
The requirement does not apply to those for whom a face covering creates a health risk or to children under the age of two, Fuller said.
Here’s a sign Newton businesses can print and post.
Watertown’s indoor mask mandate began Wednesday. Boston's mask mandate starts today.
Wellesley approved an order yesterday requiring that all individuals ages five and up wear masks indoors in all municipal buildings and offices.
Municipal employees in Wellesley are also required to wear masks when engaging with the public indoors. Unvaccinated municipal employees must wear a mask at all times when inside municipal buildings and offices.
That’s today’s Need to Knows, unless you need to know if it's safe to start feeding birds again.
More than 300K residents about to lose UI benefits
A total of 363,882 people in Massachusetts were collecting unemployment benefits as of Aug. 14.
But that number is expected to plummet one week from today when enhanced federal benefits expire.
Once that happens, only 60,292 claimants in the state's traditional unemployment insurance programs will continue collecting benefits, reports Katie Lannan at State House News.
State officials say have been taking steps to reach out to the 303,000-plus people whose benefits are about to end. Those efforts include weekly emails to all claimants, webinars for jobseekers and employers, new online alerts, training for call center agents to handle questions about benefits, and a statewide virtual job fair conducted last week.
Gov. Charlie Baker and his administration have been pushing to use American Rescue Plan Act funds for a $240 million workforce training program. But the Legislature is still deciding how to allocate the federal relief money and plans to resume its hearings in September.
But will it help?
While employers hope the 303,000-plus folks coming off unemployment Sept. 3 will help fill their vacancies, a new study suggests that states that withdrew early from federal unemployment programs pushed few people back to work and fueled a nearly $2 billion cut in household spending, according to CNBC.
Another national survey found that about 22% of unemployed workers are not even looking for a job, with a third of respondents saying fear of contracting COVID-19 is holding back while 23 percent aren't looking due to lack of child care.
And -- last one today, I promise -- yet another survey found 63% of owners have considered closing their businesses due to the labor shortage, while 78% feel they are in danger of losing employees in the current environment. Yikes.
A reminder to Newton-based employers that your new hires may be eligible a $1,000 bonus when they take a job in Newton.
The chamber's job posting site and list of available positions is here.
Galen Street project breaks ground
The Davis Companies and Boston Development Group have broken ground on their life sciences building adjacent to the MBTA bus terminal on Galen Street in Watertown.
The project will encompass more than five acres of land, 40 percent of which will be dedicated to open space, directly overlooking the Charles River, just a short walk from Watertown Square.
Upon final buildout, the campus will include over 450,000 square feet of dedicated lab space across two new Class A life science buildings. Boston Real Estate Times has more.
Today's vaccine need to knows
- “It’s better to have live employees than sick or dead ones,” said the CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers when asked why he supports vaccine mandates.
- Scientists are readying human trials of a nasal spray that might prove more effective than a shot in the arm.
- More companies are weighing penalizing employees without vaccinations
Senior advocate among those targeted by signature challenge
Newton Tab columnist Marian Leah Knapp recently detailed efforts by an unnamed group to invalidate her signature on a city councilor’s nomination papers.
“In five decades, my signature has never been challenged,” she writes.
The former chair of Newton’s Council on Aging was one of 26 people whose signatures were challenged, an effort Knapp suggests may have been “politically motivated.”
In the end, three signatures were disqualified for what seemed to be unintended mistakes and the candidate whose nomination papers were challenged, Councilor Alison Leary, will remain on the ballot.
“I was left with a dismal sense that fear-peddling was alive in Newton,” she wrote.
Arts facility eyed in Wellesley
Wellesley's Select Board met this week to explore using the Wellesley Community Center property at 219 Washington St. as an arts center designed to meet the needs of the town’s large population of young people and address the lack of dedicated space for arts organizations, according to the Swellesley Report.
The property is owned by Wellesley Friendly Aid, which has not indicated plans to sell the property but did participate in the discussion which can be viewed here.
Speaking of the arts...
- Help the New Art Center plan for a co-op artist store at Trio in Newtonville, which will create economic opportunities for local artists, while allowing art enthusiasts to “shop local.” New Art plans to launch the store before the holiday shopping season. Have your opinion heard here: survey for artists and survey for patrons. Artists, please fill out both surveys. Patrons, please only fill out patron survey. Deadline Aug. 30
- The Watertown Cultural Council is conducting a survey to help the WCC fulfill its mission of funding arts and culture experiences for all the people in Watertown. Deadline Sept. 30.
Be the first on your block to own one of these
Finally this morning I hope by now you’ve had a chance to watch the video (below) made by our friends at Last Minute Productions in Needham exploring our decision to rebrand the Newton-Needham Chamber as the Charles River Regional Chamber.
Now here’s an offer I hope you won’t refuse. Watch it again (or for the first time) and tell me:
- The names of four businesses pictured in the video; one must be from Newton; one must be from Needham; one must be from Watertown; and one must be from Wellesley.
- The names of the two local college/university campuses pictured in the video.
- The names of two siblings also pictured in the video.
Send me your answers.
ļ»æThe first five people to answer correctly will receive both bragging rights and their choice of a brand new Charles River Regional Chamber tee-shirt or water bottle.
That’s today’s Need to Knows, unless you need to know if it's safe to start feeding birds again.
Be back on Monday.
Greg Reibman (he, him, his)
President & CEO
617.244.1688
Note my new email address: greibman@
Your chamber is here when you need us.
