This is big: The MBTA has agreed to restore the 505 Express Bus to Boston this fall, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced late last night. 

 

The exact restart date is not known.

 

Fuller said the T has also agreed to proceed with the design phase to redo Newton’s three commuter rail stations -- Auburndale, West Newton and Newtonville -- making all three stations fully accessible and building dual, 800-foot platforms to allow for more frequent, all day, bi-directional service and an eventual transition to electric trains.

 

“We still have a long way to go (nailing down the funding for the construction and living through the years of work) but it’s exciting to have this ‘green light.’ Thank you MassDOT and MBTA,” Fuller wrote.

 

I'll add our thanks to Mayor Fuller and our state house delegation for understanding the urgency of this.

 

These changes are critical for business owners looking to attract workers from Boston to jobs here; as well as for Newton commuters; and efforts to create new housing along the Washington Street Corridor.

 

And once the 505 resumes, the T can pull the plug on that very unhelpful circulator bus.

 

 

President Biden signed legislation yesterday to recognize Juneteenth — the celebration to commemorate the end of chattel slavery in the United States — as a federal holiday.

 

Juneteenth was declared a state holiday last July and because June 19 falls on a Saturday this year, both state and federal offices will observe the holiday today.

 

Many businesses are also closed today (including the chamber).

 

 

Unlike some of the 12 state holidays, businesses are not required to close for Juneteenth or give employees flexible time off, though retail businesses covered by the Blue Laws must pay an employee 1.2 times their normal rate this year, and cannot force an employee to work on June 19.

 

The bonus pay structure will be phased out by 2023, along with premium pay for several other holidays, according to State House News.

 

 

 

 

 

We’ve been holding monthly zoom events focused on the importance of prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. (Here's a recent example.)

 

Now comes the hard part.

 

After increasing awareness, how do you actually put a plan in place and take meaningful action? How do you choose the right trainer, consultant or set of policies and priorities for the unique needs and cultural of your organization? How do you hold yourself accountable and measure progress --- and --- what do you do when things go wrong?

 

That’s the subject we’ll be exploring next Weds. at 11 a.m.: How to build an anti-racist organization.

 

 

 

Just weeks after approving strict new zoning rules that will make it nearly impossible for a firearms business to open in Newton, the city council will hold a public hearing Monday on a second proposal that would impose an outright ban on gun shops.

 

But one of the nation's leading gun control advocacy groups is warning that passing a gun ban in Newton could create problems for communities nationwide.

 

Newton City Council President Susan Albright says the Giffords Law Center to Protect Gun Violence (the organization lead by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords) has asked city leaders to not pursue a gun ban that could “end up in a Supreme Court that is aching to take up a Second Amendment case to strengthen the Second Amendment.”

 

“By tempting the Supreme Court to severely limit gun regulations, Newton would actually be making this a significant problem for communities around the country that have actually struggled with gun violence and enacted comprehensive dealer regulations as part of their solutions,” Albright said in an email to the chamber, suggesting a ban could “do much more harm to other communities than to Newton.”

 

That view is shared by Darrell A. H. Miller, a law professor at Duke University School of Law and codirector of the Duke Center on Firearms Law.

 

“If you end up banning gun stores by law from the region, somebody is going to raise a Second Amendment issue,” Miller tells John Hilliard at the Globe. “And an issue that hasn’t been adjudicated, will be adjudicated on that basis.”

 

The city’s attorney, Alissa Giuliani is also warning that a ban “would not withstand” a legal challenge.

 

“Put bluntly, when considering the risks of litigation in the name of fighting the good fight, the real risk here is that the city’s ability to regulate gun stores could be diminished, if not removed entirely, and that decision would impact every community in the country,” Giuliani wrote in a memo to city councilors.

 

But Newton City Councilor Emily Norton, co-author with Councilor Lenny Gentile of the proposed ban, is apparently willing to take that risk.

 

“I want to take a firm stand against access to guns,” Norton tells Hilliard. “I don’t think they need another option in Newton, people don’t want it near them. I think we should respect that, and try to make it happen.”

 

Both Wellesley and Brookline have had preliminary conversations about restricting firearms businesses since the issue surfaced in Newton. 

 

 

This year's sales tax holiday will take place Aug. 14 and 15.

 

That’s a couple weeks earlier than it was last year when Massachusetts’ tax free weekend was Aug. 29-30

 

The annual tax holiday is now required by a 2018 law that also put the minimum hourly wage on a gradual path to $15 and created the paid family and medical leave program. (State House News)

 

 

The Wellesley Square Merchants' Association will be hosting another Sidewalk Saturday walkable shopping event tomorrow (June 19) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. With Central Street closed to traffic, many downtown Wellesley shops will be offering indoor specials, outside sidewalk displays and other activities, including live music, for the whole family.

 

 

 

 

A shuttle linking Pleasant Street residents and employees to Watertown Square and Harvard Square will launch on Sept. 7. The shuttle will provide four morning round trips and four afternoon/evening round trips. Contact Laura Wiener at lwiener@watertown-ma.gov or call 617 972-6417 for details.

 

 

The Metro West Transit Authority is now offering free on-demand rides between any destinations in Wellesley as well as last mile connections to the Waban and Woodland T Stations in Newton, Newton-Wellesley Hospital; and the bus hub at the Natick Community Center.

 

The service is available on weekdays (excluding holidays) from 6:45 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.

 

All vehicles are fully accessible and available for any passenger 12 or older. Details or 508 283-5083

 

 

Thanks to all who joined us yesterday for our virtual event where we released the results of our Economic Outlook Survey, followed by what I felt was a really enlightening panel discussion.

 

For the survey results slides, CLICK HERE.

 

And here's the event video...

That’s today’s Need to Knows, unless you need to know if dogs and cats can snack safely on cicadas.

 

 

Have a great weekend and happy Father's Day. Be back Tuesday.

 

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