Global tech outage hits local hospitals, Logan airport

Also: Free community college on the verge of reality in Mass.; MBTA sets sights on 50 mph trains [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  July 19, 2024 ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 84. Good Morning Boston, A quick programming note: This newsletter will be off this coming Monday and Tuesday as our team works on some long-planned technical upgrades. We'll be back in your inbox Wednesday. Now, before you go [peruse the new sand sculptures on Revere Beach]( we have another busy day of news: - Heads up: A [worldwide technology outage]( is affecting companies, hospitals and airlines this morning, including at Boston's Logan Airport. Massport officials suggest checking on your flight before heading to the airport, particularly if you're flying American Airlines or Delta. "Airport operations are still continuing for airlines that aren't affected," Massport spokesman Ben Crawley told WBUR's Cici Yu. - [Mass General Brigham]( is also canceling all scheduled non-urgent surgeries, procedures and medical visits at its hospitals, health care centers and outpatient clinics today due to the outage. - The MBTA says trains continue to run as planned, though the outage is affecting [bus tracking]( and the commuter rail's[train location information](. - What's in the budget? Tuition-free community college for all Massachusetts residents. Online state Lottery sales. Free bus rides across all 15 of the state's (non-MBTA) regional transit authorities. It's all on the verge of becoming reality as part of the compromise budget deal State House leaders unveiled last night. [State House News Service has more here on what's in the $58 billion proposal]( including free community college, which is slated to begin this fall. - What's next: The House and Senate plan to vote on the deal today, with the intention of getting it to Gov. Maura Healey's desk before the weekend. (That leaves them just enough time to override any line-item vetoes before formal session ends on July 31.) - Meanwhile: Both chambers also passed [the newly unveiled gun safety bill yesterday]( giving Healey 10 days to sign or veto it. - Your next big MBTA closure: While the greater Camberville area continues to slog through the [current partial Red Line closure]( MBTA officials are planning the next big diversion. The agency announced yesterday that they will close the Red Line's Braintree branch for 24 days this September. From Sept. 6 to Sept. 29, there'll be no train service at North Quincy, Wollaston, Quincy Center, Quincy Adams, and Braintree. (The T is still figuring out their shuttle bus plans.) - Why? As South Shore riders are well aware, the Braintree branch has been the site of some of the T's most stubborn, [painful]( slow zones; [several miles of the branch]( is restricted to 10 mph due to track defects. During the closure, the T say they're aiming to remove over 20 speed restrictions and cut roundtrip travel times by 24 to 27 minutes when the branch reopens Sept. 30. - The intrigue: T officials tell WBUR the track work will also lay "the groundwork" for their goal of running Red Line trains as fast as 50 mph on some parts of the Braintree branch. Though the branch was designed for 50 mph speeds, the T says it's been at least a few decades since they've been able to run trains that fast. Still, the timeline for returning to that 50 mph goal remains unclear, since the T says it will also require more planning and driver training. - In the meantime: There are also [a few shorter disruptions planned in August]( including a 10-day closure of most of the Green Line's B branch and a weeklong closure of the middle of the Red Line. - PSA: Massachusetts health officials have [reported the state's first confirmed case of measles]( since early 2020. The Department of Public Health said yesterday the infected person is an adult from Worcester County who recently traveled internationally. Dr. Larry Madoff, the medical director of the state's Bureau of Infectious Disease, told WBUR's Dan Guzman that teams are working to find anyone who had contact with the infected person to make sure they've been (or get) vaccinated against the disease. "If we hear about it in time, we can actually vaccinate people and prevent secondary cases," he said. - The big picture: Measles had once been virtually eliminated in the U.S. However, there's been a dramatic jump in infections over the past year — both [in the U.S.]( and [worldwide](. Officials say the rise in cases is largely due to declining vaccination rates. - By the numbers: [According to CDC data]( 84% of the 167 measles patients identified in the U.S. this year were unvaccinated. P.S.— What big project has a new timeline after getting a $1 billion federal grant? Take our [Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of this week's stories. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters  The Rundown [Trump paints a familiar vision for his 2nd term at the Republican convention]( For the first time, the former president recounted in detail the assassination attempt on his life, before turning to divisive rhetoric he has long used on the campaign trail. [Read more.]( [Trump paints a familiar vision for his 2nd term at the Republican convention]( For the first time, the former president recounted in detail the assassination attempt on his life, before turning to divisive rhetoric he has long used on the campaign trail. [Read more.]( [Company can't dump nuclear plant wastewater into Cape Cod Bay, Mass. rules]( Massachusetts will not allow the company decommissioning the former Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to discharge radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay. [Read more.]( [Company can't dump nuclear plant wastewater into Cape Cod Bay, Mass. rules]( Massachusetts will not allow the company decommissioning the former Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station to discharge radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay. [Read more.]( [City adds affordable housing to Allston rehearsal space project]( At a public meeting, local musicians wrestled with the implications of folding affordable housing into a plan to build music rehearsal space in Allston. [Read more.]( [City adds affordable housing to Allston rehearsal space project]( At a public meeting, local musicians wrestled with the implications of folding affordable housing into a plan to build music rehearsal space in Allston. [Read more.]( [Western Mass. town gets $10 million to convert abandoned mill buildings to riverfront park]( The town of Montague is receiving nearly $10 million in state and federal funding to convert an old paper mill into a riverfront park. The town is one of 13 Massachusetts communities receiving funding from the EPA to clean up former industrial sites known as brownfields [Read more.]( [Western Mass. town gets $10 million to convert abandoned mill buildings to riverfront park]( The town of Montague is receiving nearly $10 million in state and federal funding to convert an old paper mill into a riverfront park. The town is one of 13 Massachusetts communities receiving funding from the EPA to clean up former industrial sites known as brownfields [Read more.]( [Panic over Biden's chances sets in among some N.H. Democrats]( A recent poll suggests that New Hampshire, which for five straight presidential elections has been a reliable pickup for Democrats, is suddenly in play. And that has some of party’s faithful on the brink of despair. [Read more.]( [Panic over Biden's chances sets in among some N.H. Democrats]( A recent poll suggests that New Hampshire, which for five straight presidential elections has been a reliable pickup for Democrats, is suddenly in play. And that has some of party’s faithful on the brink of despair. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Bob Newhart, the comic best known for an everyman persona that powered two classic TV sitcoms, died yesterday at the age of 94. NPR's Eric Deggans looks back at [how Newhart managed to be the funniest guy in the room while playing unassuming characters](. - Seventh Sun, a 25-year-old Boston saxophonist, long dreamed of making an album, while honing tunes at local jazz venues like Darryl’s and Wally’s. Now, [his first album is here]( — and WBUR's Andrea Shea writes that it's a bright and blistering collaborative debut. - The “Twister” sequel stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as a scientist and Glen Powell as a YouTuber whose teams collide while chasing storms. Our film critic Sean Burns [writes it turns out to be pretty good]( "certainly an improvement on the original and a fun Friday night at the movies." - Myrieme Churchill, the executive director of Parents for Peace, [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that more American families are learning that a loved one's radicalization is not a niche problem. What We're Reading 📚 - A Missy Elliott Song Travels to Venus at the Speed of Light ([The New York Times]( - Massachusetts dad who recorded video in superintendent’s office wins First Amendment appeal ([Boston Herald]( - Karen Read lists her Mansfield home for $849,900 ([Boston.com](  Tell Me Something Good [Meet the newest baseball hall-of-famer: Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione]( On Saturday, a regional legend will get his due by the national pastime. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York will honor Red Sox radio play-by-play announcer Joe Castiglione with the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award, which celebrates the elite broadcasters of the game. [Read more.]( [Meet the newest baseball hall-of-famer: Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione]( On Saturday, a regional legend will get his due by the national pastime. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York will honor Red Sox radio play-by-play announcer Joe Castiglione with the 2024 Ford C. Frick Award, which celebrates the elite broadcasters of the game. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common explores a less costly way to [prevent further wastewater pollution: pee-cycling.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [A tutorial on shopping cart etiquette.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](    Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.