Next week we’ll get a chance to see what Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE) has planned for the Watertown Mall.
The developer, best known for its life sciences projects, purchased the 17.8 acres property for $130 million last spring.
ARE will present its conceptual plans for the site and adjacent parcels at two upcoming community meetings.
Not surprisingly, the proposal is expected to include lots of lab space, as well as streetscape improvements.
But the most-visited Target in Massachusetts is expected to remain too.
Less certain: The fate of Best Buy, The Registry of Motor Vehicles and Miss. Maria's School of Dance and other tenants at the long past-its-prime site.
At the first meeting -- Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom -- ARE will provide the full project presentation.
Then on March 1 at 6:30 p.m. the company will briefly review project details and address any additional details or follow-up questions from the first meeting.
State looking to claw back erroneous UI payments
The state Department of Unemployment Assistance is looking to recoup some $2.7 billion in UI payments incorrectly paid to 719,000 recipients during the pandemic's first two years.
“To be clear, we’re not talking about the gangs of scammers who took Massachusetts — and other states — for billions of dollars by filing fraudulent claims with stolen personal information,” Larry Edelman writes in the Globe.
“No, these folks run the gamut from minimum-wage workers to white-collar professionals, and most applied for relief in good faith. They never dreamed the state might come back months later and say, ‘Sorry, we made a mistake. Pay up.’”
AG reviewing complaints about free Needham COVID test site
Attorney General Maura Healey’s office is reviewing complaints against the operator of that free COVID testing site in Needham Center and two other locations, reports Sam Turken at GBH.
The state Department of Public Health issued cease and desist letters last week to three testing sites run by the nationwide Center for COVID Control.
Needham and locations in Worcester and Dartmouth were offering free rapid antigen and PCR testing to people without appointments. But the company never received licenses to operate a clinical laboratory and analyze the test results.
The locations requested insurance information from customers, even though the tests were supposed to be free. It's not clear if insurance companies were billed for the tests.
Multiple states, including Oregon and Illinois, are also investigating the company. The Better Business Bureau gave it an “F” rating, reports Turken.
The Federal Trade Commission has released these tips to verify whether a COVID-19 testing site is legitimate
Wu: Boston’s vax mandate working
Despite disgusting, hate-filled, protests outside her home, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says her city's vaccine mandate for employees and customers of indoor dining, indoor fitness and indoor entertainment is having its intended result.
Wu told GBH's Boston Public Radio yesterday that Boston's overall vaccination rate increased 36 percent in the last week.
The city's policy requiring proof-of-vaccination at restaurants, fitness centers and entertainment venues went into effect on Saturday. City employees are now required to have at least their first COVID-19 vaccine shot, and more than 1,000 additional city workers got their shots. (Matt Murphy at State House News).
And Charlie Baker said this yesterday
“You just never know, but it certainly does look like we are very much on the backside of the Omicron surge in Massachusetts,” Gov. Charlie Baker said, citing the significant plummet of COVID-19 levels detected in recent wastewater sampling,
But you'll still want a supply of home test kits
The federal government's free at-home COVID test kit site went live yesterday, one day earlier than expected and with only a few glitches.
Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of four free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know:
- Limit of one order per residential address
- One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
- Orders will ship free starting in late January.
Sign up here.
On the other hand, a story in the Atlantic explores how long Omicron takes to make you sick and what that means in terms of using rapid tests.
Next up: The Biden administration will announce today that 400 million non-surgical N95 masks will be made available for free at thousands of "convenient locations" Axios' reports.
Other need to knows
- State lawmakers are holding a hearing this morning (Jan. 19) at 10 a.m. on a bill that would allow any community in Massachusetts to enact all-electric building ordinances without seeking state approval. The Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy will also consider home rule electrification petitions from Acton, Arlington, Brookline, Concord and Lexington. Newton’s City Council has been considering a similar rule.
- Newton Community Pride is organizing WinterFEST, a series of outdoor events Feb. 12-13 in Newton Highlands, Cold Springs Park and Newton Centre. Details.
- The Wellesley High School Senior Project Program is looking for employers who would like to host a student intern and/or be mentors for young entrepreneurs (students who aren't interning, but want to create a business plan and therefore don't necessarily need a place to go to do work as much as an advisor with knowledge of the process/business, etc) during the spring of 2022. Email for details.
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