Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

Two scientists walk into a lab. One in Boston. The other in Shanghai.

The Boston scientist had dedicated 50 years to finding a cure for hereditary deafness.

The Chinese scientist was trained at Harvard Medical School, the same place where the American scientist works. He now appears to have found the miracle breakthrough the Boston guy was working on right here in the Longwood Medical Area.

What’s the difference between the two?  NPR explains.

Good news and bad news for our new train station

The good news about the Newtonville Commuter Rail station is that work on the brand new, fully accessible, two-way station is scheduled to begin this November.

The bad news?  The station will be closed from December 2026 to April 2029.

Ouch. 

That’s a lot longer than envisioned.

And that will certainly be a hardship for the more than 300 riders who board the train there daily — and everyone who will have to deal with more cars clogging our streets during those 28 months.

The MBTA has no plans to increase or reroute bus service for Newtonville commuters during the shutdown, reports Lucia Dolan at Fig City News.

That’s not good either.

Construction will also require shutting down the Worcester Line and replacing trains with buses for four to six weekends in late 2027 to realign the tracks and move them farther apart, according to Dolan.

Still, the $66 million project is essential to our region’s economic vitality and to the new housing in the pipeline along Washington Street.

Due to some really poor decisions made back in the 60s, Newton’s three commuter rail stations have never been accessible to people with disabilities, or strollers, or suitcases and pretty much everyone in bad weather.

Equally problematic: the station only has tracks on one side. That leads to long stretches in the morning heading west and long stretches in the afternoon heading east, when trains chug past Newton's stations without stopping.

This platform problem only exists at Newton’s three commuter rail stops.  No other station along the entire Framingham-Worcester line has this limitation.

The new station will have new elevators and staircases and realign tracks to enable full use of the station for travel in both directions at all times and allow the MBTA to increase commuter rail frequency at the station, or even accommodate Amtrak trains.

Yes, 28 months is a painfully long time.

But six decades of inaccessibility have been even longer.

Sign up for project updates from the MBTA.

A century of memories coming to a close in Brookline

Two beloved Brookline family businesses responsible for creating fond memories for generations are closing.

The ornate Golden Temple closed its doors this weekend after 66 years in Washington Square, serving classic Chinese food along with a separate cocktail lounge for late-night dancing.

"It has been our greatest honor and privilege to host your family dinners, milestone celebrations and everyday moments across generations," ownership said.

Meanwhile, Party Favors, a bakery and décor shop less than a mile down Beacon Street in Coolidge Corner, expects its last day will be July 15 after 35 years of helping people celebrate birthdays, weddings, graduations and more.

"After many years of hard work and sacrifice, it is time to enter the next chapter of our lives," owners John and Mary Lynn said. "It pains us to go."

Combined, the two businesses provided more than a century of customer service.

This is not a Brookline problem. It's an everywhere problem.

I'm not familiar with what led to those two Brookline closures. Every business has its own story.

But don't be surprised if there's more.

A Retailers Association of Massachusetts survey last year found that 51 percent of retailers say they're likely to close or sell in the next five years, citing approaching retirement and high costs as the main drivers.

That survey focused on retailers, not restaurants. But the pressures are largely the same.

Who's going to care for us?

Experts generally agree it's only a matter of days before the White House orders thousands of Haitians and Syrians to leave the country following last week's Supreme Court ruling ending their Temporary Protected Status.

That includes about 45,000 TPS holders in Massachusetts, most of them Haitian, with about 1,500 working in nursing care facilities, reports the Globe's Katie Johnston.

The shrinking caregiver pool is much more than an employment problem, Hebrew Senior Life CEO Adam Scott tells Johnston. Wait lists will grow for rehab patients, nursing homes and human services. Hospital patients ready to be discharged may wait weeks or months for a bed to open, backing up emergency rooms in the process.

Related:  The TPS decision is going to backfire on its biggest fans, writes the Globe's Yvonne Abraham.

By the numbers: This one-pager quantifies the positive economic impact of Haitian TPS holders on the U.S. economy.

Tuesday grab bag

• A reminder that the weekend of Aug. 8-9 will serve as this year's annual sales tax holiday. Collection of the 6.25% sales tax on most items that retail for less than $2,500 will be suspended. Some products are exempt.
  
  
• Interested in opening a cannabis shop in Newton? The city’s cannabis ordinance permits up to 8 retail establishments and has 4 openings. Applications are available through the City's online permitting portal.
  
  
• Of course, anyone thinking about this probably wants to wait until Nov. 4.
  
  
• With the summer season upon us, thousands of summer jobs are set to be filled by students as the school year comes to an end.  Be sure to brush up on the state’s child labor laws.   Here’s a Child Labor Laws Poster for use in your workplace.  
  
  
• Wow, Paraguay!
  
  
• Save the date for our annual Needham Night on Wed. Aug. 12 (5:30–7:30 p.m.) at TripAdvisor's Needham campus amphitheater. More details to come.
  
  
• Brookline’s Webber-Bouve Mansion is on the market. (Globe)
  
  
• They found this little guy hiding under a bathtub in Needham.  (NBC10)
  
  
• Thanks to Genevieve Morrison and the Newton Beacon for a very nice story about one of my first big journalist scoops and a recent honor I received for our housing and immigration advocacy.  

Just days left to weigh in on a rule that could reshape nonprofits

If you run or work with a nonprofit that receives federal funding — or pass-through funding from the state — this item will matter to you.

The White House has proposed a sweeping rewrite of the rules governing every federal grant in the country, converting the existing framework from guidance into binding regulation.

Every discretionary grant would require pre-approval by a senior political appointee, who would weigh whether it "demonstrably advances the President's policy priorities." Federal funds could no longer be used for any activities the administration characterizes as DEI-related.

The risk is also significant for nonprofits engaged in workforce development, housing advocacy, public health or community development, especially those that also engage in policy.

Grants already awarded could be pulled mid-stream too.

OMB is accepting comments at www.regulations.gov, docket OMB-2026-0034. The deadline is July 13. Learn more.

Say hello to Lane Grey

We've added another friendly face to your friendly chamber team.

Lane Grey joined the Charles River Regional Chamber this month as our Member Services Coordinator, jumping right into a busy event season and getting to know our members along the way.

Grey recently graduated Skidmore College with a dual major in management & business and English lit. She also managed the college radio station. 

In her role at the chamber, Grey is a great first point of contact whether you need help accessing your member portal, registering for an event, or navigating your membership. She also helps manage the chamber's website and social channels.

Be sure to say hello! Reach her at lgrey@charlesriverchamber.com  or 617-500-6464.

That’s what you need to know for today — “Gone with the Wind” was published 90 years ago on this date — unless you need to know that you’re probably applying your sunscreen wrong.

Stay cool and be extra kind to people working outside, in kitchens and other places that may not have air conditioning. 

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

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Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.