Mailing a package nationwide is about to become more expensive and slower.

 

Starting tomorrow, the U.S. Postal Service will start to "implement new service standards" for first class mail and periodicals — slowing its target delivery time by about 30%, reports NPR.

 

First-class packages will especially be impacted by the new slower standards starting tomorrow.

 

And then starting Sunday, and continuing through Dec. 26, there will be a temporary price increase on all commercial and retail domestic packages, but not international mail.

 

Single-piece first-class mail (smaller, lightweight mail) traveling in the same region is still supposed to have a two-day delivery time -- even though during Q1 of this year, around 20% of first-class mail across the US was delivered late.

 

 

 

The MBTA is committed to a redesign of Newton’s three commuter rail stations that would dramatically improve access along the Washington Street Corridor and Auburndale.

 

The proposed changes would -- at long last -- add platforms to provide inbound and outbound service at the same time, a situation that created unacceptable swaths of hours without two-way train service in Newton.

 

The improvements would also make the Newtonville, West Newton and Auburndale rail stations ADA compliant for the first time, according to Streets Blog.

 

These changes matter to our business owners looking to attract workers from Boston and points west to our jobs here. They're also essential in order to support new transit-oriented housing along the Washington Street Corridor.

 

Patch reported in June that Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller secured a commitment from the T to undergo a design phase of the project this summer. But that’s not necessarily the same thing as a commitment to fully fund the project.

 

The MBTA will hold a public meeting on Oct. 13 on the redesign phase, reports John Hilliard at the Globe. 

 

Details about the meeting and what would happen at each station are here.

 

 

 

There’s also big news about the redesign of that curved section of the Mass Pike in Allston.

 

After years of deliberation, the Baker administration has embraced an all-at-grade replacement of the Turnpike, Soldiers Field Road and commuter rail tracks that run through a narrow strip of land between Boston University and the Charles River, reports Bruce Mohl at CommonWealth.

 

Straightening the pike would allow for a new commuter rail station and the development of a massive new neighborhood by Harvard University.

?

Officials now feel confident they can make the all-at-grade option work and want to move plans forward in hopes of financing much of the the $1.7 billion project using federal funding if the infrastructure bill is approved in Washington.

 

Other potential revenue sources include Harvard, the city of Boston and existing Turnpike toll revenue.

 

However, Senate President Karen Spilka has said she would not support a project built on the backs of Mass Pike commuters. 

 

 

Both the commuter rail and the pike projects will take years to design and bring online. And the reconstruction of the Turnpike and Soldiers Field Road is going to be especially disruptive to motorists for years.

 

That’s why we need Newton's train stations to be completed first so we can all have full access to the commuter rail in both directions to avoid the pike rebuild. 

 

 

Employers and employees will learn tomorrow (Friday) if they will be required to pay more -- or possibly less -- to fund the state’s paid family and medical leave program.

 

PFML contribution rates have been the same since 2019: For every $100 in eligible employee wages, the state is owed 75 cents, with employers paying a little less than half and workers paying the balance.

 

But 2021 is the first year that workers have been able to access the paid leave, so the rates could change in either direction depending on usage, reports Greg Ryan at the BBJ.

 

An increase would be another blow for business owners who are looking at two decades of unemployment insurance increases to cover $7 billion in UI debt for layoffs caused by the pandemic, even if they kept and paid their workers the whole time.

 

Gov. Charlie Baker has proposed allocating $1 billion to help defray the debt. That proposal has yet to pass. Business groups are lobbying to reduce the debt further using fed ARPA relief dollars.

 

 

A virtual forum featuring the candidates running for Councilor At-Large in Watertown will take place tonight (Sept. 30) at 6 p.m.

 

Seven candidates (including three incumbents) are running for four seats. The forum will be broadcast on the WCA-TV Public Channel, online on at wcatv.org or via Zoom.

 

The deadline to register to vote in Watertown is Oct. 13.

 
 

 

MassBay Community College broke ground yesterday on the first building constructed specifically for the college in its 60-year history. The building, on MassBay’s Framingham campus, will be known as the MassBay Center for Health Sciences, Early Childhood and Human Services.

 

“This new facility will enable us to expand our partnerships, develop more skilled employees for the regional workforce, and provide an affordable education in state-of-the-art labs and classrooms,” said MassBay President David Podell.

 

The 68,500 square foot, four-story, net-zero facility is scheduled to open in summer 2023.

 
 

 

 

Are you in the job market and also vaccinated?

 

You might want to add that to your resume and LinkedIn profile.

 

Nearly 70% of hiring managers said in a survey last month that they’re more likely to hire somebody who indicates on their resume that they’ve been vaccinated, reports the Wall Street Journal.

 

One third of hiring managers surveyed said they were automatically eliminating resumes that didn’t spell out vaccine status.

 

More job seekers are adding their vaccination status to the top of their professional profiles on LinkedIn too, in some cases spelling out “fully vaccinated” before their job titles.