Good morning.

Happy September. And nice to see you again, MapQuest.

The Massachusetts Democratic and Republican primaries are today. Polls are open until 8 p.m. Unenrolled voters can choose either party's ballot.

Today is also Allston Christmas, though plenty of apartments in our Charles River Regional Chamber footprint also turn over on Sept. 1.

Brookline has the highest share of renters in our footprint at 53.1%, followed closely by Watertown at 51.2%. It's smaller in Newton (30.0%), Needham (16.9%) and Wellesley (15.6%) — but even there, renters contribute significantly to our economy, workforce and quality of life.

Babson student's case finally gets a hearing

It’s unforgivable that this took this long, but a federal appeals court will finally hear arguments next month in the case of a Babson College student deported to Honduras, reports Irene Rotondo at MassLive.

Ana Lucia Lopez Belloza was 19 and a freshman when she was deported to Honduras, her birth country, on Nov. 20, 2025, while flying home to Texas — where she's lived since age 7 — to visit family for Thanksgiving.

She was removed despite a court order temporarily blocking it. Even after ICE admitted a "mistake," Lopez Belloza has been fighting to return and reportedly struggling to keep up with classes remotely ever since.

A commercial project in Newton, with housing to thank

For years, Newton City Councilors, along with now-Mayor Marc Laredo, have asked: "How do we encourage more commercial growth in the city?"

We've consistently said: Build more housing and the businesses will follow.

Each time, not quite half of the councilors would nod. Others were skeptical.

Last week, in the middle of a slumping commercial real estate market, a developer appeared before the council with a proposal to build something that's become all too rare: a ground-up, 100% commercial project.

Newton Design Center LLC is proposing to bring a 19,000 SF, four-story kitchen, bath, furniture, fixtures and other home-design showroom to the site of the former Needham St. cleaners at 74 Needham Street.

The petitioner is already in talks with a potential tenant for the first two floors,

project attorney Laurence Lee said.

And while this project is proposed as an appointment-only showroom, it would be nicely situated along a corridor that's already a home decor destination, rich with retail furniture, bath fixtures, paint, hardware and appliance stores.

And what else does the location have or will soon have? Housing.

"Newton is experiencing unprecedented residential growth on Needham Street alone, with more than 800 new units currently coming to the market," Lee said, pointing to that growth as a key reason his client chose the location.

In other words: the housing is helping attract the commercial development.

The project itself received a warm reception from all councilors, with mostly minor parking concerns left to work out before a vote.

Globe editors pose an excellent question

Why is Cleveland Circle still so terrible?

They also ask …

 Is Helen Storrow laughing from the grave?

Tuesday grab bag

• Please save Friday, Nov. 13 for our annual Fall Business Breakfast at the Newton Marriott.  Reserve your table.
  
  
• Are you ready for a 14-year MWRA water infrastructure project that will cross seven communities, including Brookline, Newton, Needham and Wellesley? (Needham Observer)
  
  
• Don’t forget tomorrow’s (Sept. 2) open house at the new Watertown High School from 3-8 p.m. 
  
  
• WBZ-News Boston explains why the new Watertown High is environmentally special.
  
  
• And a reminder to the growth skeptics among us: the new school was built without an override.
  
  
• The Town of Brookline is seeking to hire an Economic Development and Long-Term Planner, who will serve as the liaison to the Brookline business community. Priority consideration will be given to applications received before Sept. 4.
  
  
• The Mosesian Center for the Arts’ Chords & Cocktails Jazz Series opens Sept 10 with an electrifying mix of Cuban musical traditions from Yosvany Terry. Tickets
  
  
• Newton Beacon’s Bryan McGonigle dives into the Laredo administration’s sustainability reorganization.
  
  
• Extending the Riverside D-Line along the unused rail corridor between Newton Highlands, Newton Upper Falls, and Needham would allow for direct rail access to the Longwood Medical Area and downtown Boston, writes Srdjan Nedeljkovic in a Newton Beacon op-ed.
  
  
• The U.S. Senate has passed a bill setting a federal standard for cash rounding as pennies grow scarce — round down for totals ending in 1, 2, 6 or 7 cents, up for 3, 4, 8 or 9, unchanged for 0 or 5. It applies only to cash, based on the total after tax, and is optional, not required. The bill still needs to pass the House before reaching the President's desk. (Mass Restaurants Association)
  
  
• Heads up, Needham and Wellesley voters: if today's Norfolk County DA Democratic primary is close, it could hinge on Bellingham — a town that hasn't actually been served by the Norfolk DA since 1980 (Boston Globe)
  
  

Please, Mr. Postman: Come back to Watertown Square

Two years after closing for construction, Watertown businesses and residents are urging the U.S. Postal Service to reopen the Watertown Square Post Office, rather than shutter it permanently.

Not having a branch there would be a real blow to the square as Watertown embarks on a major revitalization, with hundreds of new homes, restaurants and shops on the way.

If you've received a USPS survey, fill it out and return it. If not, you can add your name and address to this letter or send your own.

There's also a community meeting on Zoom (register here) today (Sept. 1) at 2 p.m.

Need a fall team-building idea? Try this

Earlier this year, we launched a new effort to better connect our business and nonprofit communities through volunteerism.

Find volunteer opportunities here. New ones get added all the time, so check back often.

Chamber nonprofit members: update your volunteer needs using our Nonprofit Volunteer Opportunity Form.

If you connect through this initiative, please email me and let us know what you did and with whom.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know about two Wellesley entrepreneurs, ages 11 and 7, who have found a way to make recycling profitable.

Go vote, okay?

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.