The sound you didn't hear last night
The sound you didn’t hear last night was Gov. Charlie Baker signing legislation extending a series of emergency orders that, for the most part, everyone agrees should be extended.
That's because lawmakers failed to act prior to their expiration, which happened at 12:01 a.m. this morning.
So what does it mean?
It means that online government meetings that provided public participation, transparency and convenience, must revert to in-person. (And I sure did not miss those back-slaying benches as Newton City Hall.)
It means, you can no longer order a cocktail to-go from your favorite restaurant.
It means, DoorDash or Grubhub can take a larger slice of a restaurant’s profits than they could for a meal you ordered yesterday.
It means if you’re closing on a house or completing another transaction you could have had it notarized virtually yesterday but not later this week when that rule expires too.
Then again -- later today, or this week, or next month -- or whenever the legislation gets through the sausage machine, you’ll presumably be able to do most, or all, these things again.
Until, that is, the proposed temporary extensions expire again.
So now what?
The House is expected to vote on a package of extensions today. But since that version is different from the Senate’s, the process will require a conference committee negotiation before going to Baker.
The two bills diverge on issues including telehealth rates and extending the cap on meal delivery fees (the Senate doesn't want them to lapse, the House does), according to Katie Lannan at State House News.
One policy we’re watching closely -- expanded outdoor dining permits -- doesn’t expire until Aug. 15. So why does the cynic in me worry they’ll wait until Aug. 16 for that one?
Beacon Hill’s continued habit of waiting until, or after, the last minute is disrespectful to our businesses and every citizen.
And so unnecessary.
Thousands of restaurants left in limbo
The SBA has halted approved payments to more than 2,900 restaurants owned by women, minorities, veterans and disadvantaged people to comply with an injunction issued by a federal court in Texas, Reuters reports.
The grants were part of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan.
But a lawsuit filed by Stephen Miller and Mark Meadows, close aides to former President Donald Trump, argue that the Biden administration's efforts to prioritize applicants on the basis of race and gender is unconstitutional.
Administration officials said they will fight to maintain the program.
Speaking of restaurants
Join four extraordinary local business owners and me at 7 p.m. tonight for a program about restaurants and the recovery.
A note for Wells Ave businesses
The City of Newton will hold a zoom meeting tomorrow (June 16) at 9 a.m. to share information regarding the pilot launch of a new on-demand shuttle service from Wells Ave. and the Mount Ida campus, connecting to the Newton Highlands T stop, Newtonville Commuter Rail, Needham Street and Newton Centre.
RSVP to Nicole Freedman.
Lighting up Wellesley
Wolfers Lighting is moving from Waltham to Wellesley Square this fall. The company has not specified where in Wellesley Square it will land, quips the Swellesley Report, “but choices are a plenty.”
Wolfers joins Neena’s in Linden Square and Wellesley Antique Lighting on Washington Street.
And if you’re a Wellesley-based business, please take time to complete this survey about infrastructure and amenities from the town.
Child care staffing at ‘hyper crisis point’
By now you’ve heard of, likely even experienced, how labor shortages are impacting restaurants, retail and other service business.
Less visible -- unless you or your employees have small kids -- are the staff shortages at childcare centers, writes Grant Welker at the BBJ.
“It’s at a hyper-crisis point,” Tom Weber, the executive director of the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education tells Welker.
Childcare center leaders say teachers are too easily burned out, and fewer are attracted to the industry in the first place because of low wages. That's leaving centers with lower capacity just as parents are returning to the job market.
Treasurer Deb Goldberg spoke at length about how the childcare crisis and other factors are impacting women in the workplace at our chamber event yesterday. Watch the video here.
Globe honored for editorials on Newton housing crisis
You likely heard that the Boston Globe was awarded a Pulitzer Prize -- journalism’s highest honor – in investigative reporting for its series that uncovered state governments’ systematic failure to share information about dangerous truck drivers.
This was the Globe’s 27th Pulitzer (and the first, I like to note, since the Globe became a member of our chamber!)
The Globe was also named a finalist for its editorial writing about local zoning and restrictive housing laws, including three editorials centered on Newton, including this one on removing barriers to multi-family housing; this one on the amazing advocates at Engine 6; and this endorsement of the Northland project.
Read the five editorials here.
These recognitions – and more importantly – this work, isn’t something we should take for granted. Strong regional papers are becoming scarce yet are essential to our region's economic and cultural vitality.
This one is unrelated, but still read it
While I was browsing the Pulitzer winners I came across this remarkably told heartbreaker in the feature story category.
And now, news about this newsletter
I started this newsletter by accident.
It was early in the pandemic. It seemed every day there was something – or many things – our members were asking about.
So I started sharing answers to your most frequently asked questions as it happened, then daily, until, well, it became a regular habit, and something many of you graciously said you valued.
But, as you might imagine, it takes quite a bit of my time, including from my very tolerant family and staff.
So starting this week – with the lifting of the emergency order -- Need to Knows, will transition to three mornings a week, most likely Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and any other time something happens that I think you need to know.
Maybe later this summer, I’ll try twice a week. (Hello Crystal Lake!)
Still, there's always been lots to share. Over the past year there’s only been a handful of times when I found I had absolutely nothing to say. Our recovery has just begun. I don't see the news slowing down.
Plus, this is too much fun to completely stop, so keep an eye on your inbox.
See you tomorrow!
President, Newton-Needham Regional Chamber
617-244-1688
Your chamber is here when you need us.
