Hello friends,

Immigration officers were reportedly present at several MBTA stations in Revere and East Boston early yesterday morning, asking questions of station riders.

These otherwise unconfirmed reports are according to employees at several area restaurants who live in those communities and shared the news with their employers.

We have no reports of anyone being detained.

But these certainly are terrifying times for many individuals and families, who, just a few short years ago were hailed as heroes for being essential workers.

This Know Your Rights webpage has slides, recordings and posters in multiple languages to share with employees who have immigration-related questions.

The National Immigration Law Center has created a guide for employers: What to Do if Immigration Comes to Your Workplace.

Here’s something all of our communities should lobby for

Wellesley Town Meeting will take up an article this April that each of our chamber communities should hope passes and then emulate.

Under Warrant Article 32, Wellesley will seek Beacon Hill’s permission to publish legal notices on digital platforms instead of in print publications.

“The current state law is badly outdated and requires municipalities to fritter away tax dollars by posting legal notices in print newspapers that few people see these days” writes Bob Brown at the Swellesley Report.  

Allowing online news sites to satisfy legal requirements would channel needed revenue to sites that consistently cover our local meetings, elections, schools, taxes and other essential issues of local importance.

In our other chamber communities that would include Watertown News, Fig City News, Newton Beacon, Needham Observer, Needham Local, as well as Swellesley Report.

Learn more about this issue in this blog post by Dan Kennedy at Media Nation.

Fuller picks a premature fight with three local retailers

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller took the unusual step last week of publicly disparaging three Newton businesses over a potential lawsuit that hasn’t been filed yet.

Under the headline “Outrageous Demand by Three Cannabis Companies,” Fuller noted in her weekly newsletter that three of Newton’s retail marijuana retailers — Garden Remedies, Ascend and Redi — have threatened to sue over community impact fees paid to Newton under their host community agreements.

It’s not unusual for businesses and municipalities to have disagreements over taxes and fees.

It’s also not usual for businesses to turn to the courts for resolution.

And it’s within a municipal leader’s purview to pound the bully pulpit to rally public support when their city or town is being sued.

What is unusual here (and uncharacteristic for this mayor) is that Fuller sounded the alarm over a suit that doesn’t yet exist. And the businesses have yet to speak publicly about the matter.

State law says cannabis retailers can recover damages if they believe the municipality is demanding unfair fees, writes Laney McAden in the BC Heights.

“If a licensee believes the information documented and transmitted by a host community is not reasonably related to the actual costs imposed upon the host community … the licensee may bring a breach of contract action against the host community and recover damages,” the law reads.

That law passed in 2022, after the three dispensaries signed their agreements with the city. There are likely legal arguments to be made by either side over what applies here.

But rather than rush to vilify three of her city’s retailers for advocating for what they feel are their legal rights, we wish the mayor had waited to let this process play out.

Related read: Talking Joints memo.

Friday grab bag

• Our chamber’s Young Professionals Group is one of our most active subgroups. If you are, or have colleagues, between ages 21 to 40 and want to learn about upcoming events, initiatives and other opportunities attend an open house today (Thursday) at noon, in person at our Needham office or via Zoom. RSVP
  
  
• Christine Roberts is the new COO at Needham Bank. She replaces Sal Rinaldi who recently retired. (Banker & Tradesman)
  
  
• Here’s a deadline worth keeping an eye on: The state provisions allowing remote and hybrid public meetings expire on March 31.
  
  
• Think of this as a practice run for our upcoming Spring Seasonings: The Street at Chestnut Hill is hosting a dessert crawl on Feb. 8.
  
  
• Mass Wildlife is collecting information on wild birds to monitor possible outbreaks of Avian Influenza. Use this form if you observe five or more sick or deceased birds at a single location.
  
  
• Join the Charles River Watershed Association for “Protecting the Charles River from flooding” via Zoom, tonight (Thurs), 7 p.m. on Zoom. Register
  
  
• Congressman Jake Auchincloss said the housing crisis is the single most important economic issue that we face and that if we don't take action to increase supply “we will asphyxiate our economy.” Auchincloss made the comment at a Town Hall meeting of his new YIMBY caucus attended by more than 100 advocates.
  
  
• Massachusetts employers that hire active members of the National Guard are eligible for a $2,000 tax credit through a program provided by state’s Executive Office of Economic Development and Department of Revenue.
  
  
• Get Konnected!’s annual Lunar New Year/Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 4, 5:30 p.m. at State Street Corporation in Boston, will celebrate the city’s Asian and Black communities and honor six nonprofits for their impactful work. Chamber members can enjoy a discounted admission of $25 by using the promo code “GKPartner.”
  
  
• Here’s “What business owners need to know about the Trump administration's immigration crackdown,” from Andy Medici for the BBJ.
  
  
• Dr. Ted Landsmark will speak at the Needham Library on Feb. 9 (2-3:30 p.m.) during Black History Month, addressing “Racism in Boston: How Far Have We Come?” RSVP

State program for employers explores ‘skills first’ hiring

The Mass Skills Coalition, spearheaded by state Secretary of Labor Lauren Jones, is hosting leaning programs for employers from across industries focused on skills-first talent management. It’s an opportunity to exchange best practices to expand access to untapped talent across the state.

The first two programs, Skills-First Hiring, and Upward Mobility, are aimed at HR leaders who have decision-making authority over hiring strategies. The final community, Data & Measurement, targets talent strategy experts.

Each group will meet for the first time this spring. Click the links for dates and to RSVP.

Chamber scholarship program is now open

Finally this morning, we are new accepting applications for our annual scholarship program.

The program is open to high school seniors who either reside in Needham, Newton, Watertown, or Wellesley, or who attend school in one of those communities and who plan to enroll full-time in an accredited post-secondary program, trade school, community college, college, or university in the upcoming academic year.

This year, we’re revising the application process to adapt to the ever-changing technological landscape by offering applicants the option to submit a video response instead of the traditional essay.

This change provides students who find it easier to express themselves verbally with an alternative to writing an essay. This adaptation aligns with our commitment to ensuring the application is inclusive and accessible to all types of applicants.

The deadline is April 10.   Details.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know why you shouldn’t microwave your coffee and why you should bring baking soda to Starbucks.

No newsletter Tuesday. Be back later next week.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688