What happened to the rain?

Also: The end of the Eastie substation fight; weary Red Line riders [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser](   September 13, 2024  ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 86. Good Morning Boston, Happy Friday the 13th. After you [brush up on your pronunciation of paraskevidekatriaphobia]( let's get to the news. - Rain, rain, went away: If you feel like it's been a long time since it's rained, you're right. Today marks the 23rd straight day without any measurable rain in the Boston area. It's the area's longest dry stretch in 25 years, according to the National Weather Service. - Not that we're complaining, but why has it been so nice? NWS meteorologist Candice Hrencecin says the reason is a somewhat unusually extended pattern of high pressure systems that New England has been sitting under. "That's been kind of inhibiting any kind of substantial showers," Hrencecin told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. "Not even a lot of clouds have been forming." - How weird is it? The last dry stretch this long was in 1999, [when the area went 37 days]( from late May through June without any rain. Hrencecin says the longest ever was 44 days in 1924. - FWIW: Despite the lack of rain, drought levels in the state haven't budged much. New data yesterday from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows only 3.7% of the state experiencing "abnormally dry" conditions. [According to their drought map]( the driest parts of the state are the Merrimack Valley, Cape Ann and Nantucket. - What's ahead? Warm days and cool nights continue into next week. As for rain, Hrencecin says it's "not in the near future." - On Capitol Hill: A U.S. Senate committee plans to vote next Thursday on charging Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre with civil and criminal contempt of Congress, after he ignored a subpoena to show up at a hearing yesterday investigating the bankrupt company's failures. Both top Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions spoke out in support of the vote. WBUR's Priyanka Dayal McCluskey has [more on what happened in the Senate hearing room here](. - Why it matters: The civil and criminal contempt charges - which both would also need approval from the full Senate - kick off [separate, multi-step legal processes]( that could lead to a fine or even a prison sentence for de la Torre if he refuses to cooperate. - Tune in: Sen. Ed Markey will be on Radio Boston this morning at 11 a.m. to talk more about the contempt vote and what's next. - Heads up: Health insurance premiums are going up for people who get coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector. Officials said yesterday at a board meeting that rates for health insurance through the state marketplace system would rise an average of about 8%, compared to last year's 3% hike. - Why? Connector officials say demand for [popular weight loss drugs]( like Ozempic and Wegovy is helping to drive the increases. Kristopher Harackiewicz, the Connector's director of plan management and carrier relations, said that Massachusetts is not alone in seeing premium increases. "Data from nearby states shows increases for plan year 2025 ranging anywhere from 7% to 18%, with Massachusetts seeing actually slightly lower than the average increases," Harackiewicz said. - Save the date: This year's open enrollment period for Connector plans begins on Nov. 1. - On Beacon Hill: Cambridge state Rep. Marjorie Decker is all but assured to keep her seat, following [the results of Democratic primary election recount]( yesterday. The recount affirmed that Decker defeated challenger Evan McKay by 41 votes. Because she has no Republican opponent in the general election, Decker is set to secure her seventh term representing the 25th Middlesex District. - Meanwhile: A federal jury has [convicted former Republican state Sen. Dean Tran of almost two dozen tax and unemployment fraud charges](. (Tran [told The Boston Globe]( he plans to appeal.) He also faces two other unrelated indictments in state court. - PSA: CVS is now offering on-site hormonal birth control prescriptions at nearly 400 locations across Massachusetts. The pharmacy chain says patients 18 years and older can receive walk-in consultations with a pharmacist, and if eligible, get a same-day birth control prescription. ([Click here for more details on the process]( - The new initiative was [authorized by last year's state budget](. According to lawmakers, Massachusetts joins 27 states in allowing pharmacists to directly prescribe hormonal birth control. P.S.- What is the new nickname of Boston's team in the Professional Women's Hockey League? Take our [Boston News Quiz]( test your knowledge of this week's stories. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters The Rundown [Battle over controversial East Boston substation officially ends with court decision]( The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a decision from the state's energy siting board to allow Eversource to bypass 14 state and local environmental permits, saying it did not violate the state's environmental justice laws. [Read more.]( [Battle over controversial East Boston substation officially ends with court decision]( The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a decision from the state's energy siting board to allow Eversource to bypass 14 state and local environmental permits, saying it did not violate the state's environmental justice laws. [Read more.]( [Man shot during an altercation with pro-Israel demonstration in Newton]( A man was shot and is suffering life threatening injuries after an altercation with a small group of pro-Israel demonstrators in Newton Thursday evening, according to the Middlesex County district attorney. [Read more.]( [Man shot during an altercation with pro-Israel demonstration in Newton]( A man was shot and is suffering life threatening injuries after an altercation with a small group of pro-Israel demonstrators in Newton Thursday evening, according to the Middlesex County district attorney. [Read more.]( [For shuttle-weary riders, a restored Red Line can't come soon enough]( The Red Line Braintree branch is closed through Sept. 29 for track repair work. Some riders are finding service alternatives tough to navigate. They're hoping the inconvenience will pay off. [Read more.]( [For shuttle-weary riders, a restored Red Line can't come soon enough]( The Red Line Braintree branch is closed through Sept. 29 for track repair work. Some riders are finding service alternatives tough to navigate. They're hoping the inconvenience will pay off. [Read more.]( [N.H. governor signs voter ID overhaul, setting stage for likely court challenge]( Under the new law, all first-time registrants in New Hampshire will need to show proof of their citizenship and residency. The newlawwon't go into effect until after the November general election. [Read more.]( [N.H. governor signs voter ID overhaul, setting stage for likely court challenge]( Under the new law, all first-time registrants in New Hampshire will need to show proof of their citizenship and residency. The newlawwon't go into effect until after the November general election. [Read more.]( [Karen Read asks Massachusetts high court to dismiss two charges]( Karen Read's lawyers have filed an appeal with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court challenging a judge's decision not to dismiss two of three charges against her. [Read more.]( [Karen Read asks Massachusetts high court to dismiss two charges]( Karen Read's lawyers have filed an appeal with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court challenging a judge's decision not to dismiss two of three charges against her. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - What do dead fish and pigeon-guided missiles have in common? Both were [subjects of studies that won an Ig Nobel prize last night at MIT](. The annual awards are given out for comical scientific achievement. - Moderna stocks took a tumble yesterday after the vaccine developer [announced it was cutting research and development spending](. The Cambridge-based company also pushed back its timeline for profitability by another two years. - After nearly 30 years as White House chef, Cristeta Comerford has hung up her apron. But before she left Washington, D.C., [Comerford spoke with NPR's All Things Considered to reflect on cooking for five presidents]( how she prepares meals for the most powerful person in the world and what President Obama once said about her hamburgers. - The first few meetings of Laura McTaggart's book club involved minimal scholarly discussion and no one complained. [As she writes in this essay for Cognoscenti]( more than a decade later, the group still gathers regularly to discuss everything - except the chosen book. What We're Reading 📚 - Boston has become even more diverse over the past decade, new census data show ([The Boston Globe]( - Patriots champion Jermaine Wiggins caught in mess of Brockton's $18M school budget deficit ([Boston Herald]( - Trump's Slow-Burn Authoritarianism ([The New Republic](   Tell Me Something Good [A Connecticut man rescues shelter dogs, turning them into Broadway and movie actors]( Connecticut is home to many famous actors - including four-legged ones. Most are rescues from animal shelters. Their trainer is Bill Berloni, who's helped them become showbiz stars. [Read more.]( [A Connecticut man rescues shelter dogs, turning them into Broadway and movie actors]( Connecticut is home to many famous actors - including four-legged ones. Most are rescues from animal shelters. Their trainer is Bill Berloni, who's helped them become showbiz stars. [Read more.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? 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