Boston's racial mortgage gap

Also: About that fourth COVID vaccine dose; digging deeper on the company behind Gov Center parking garage demo [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 30, 2022 ☁️ Increasing clouds, with a high near 48 Good Morning Boston, I have some questions about the study claiming Massachusetts is one of the "[least stressed]( states (at least based on my anecdotal experience in our rush-hour traffic). But hey, hopefully today's not too stressful. At the very least, it will be a little less cold! To the news: - Americans over the age of 50 [can now get a second COVID-19 booster shot]( if they want. Federal regulators officially authorized a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine from Pfizer or Moderna for those over 50 once they're fourth months past their first booster. In other words, if got your first booster at any point before December, you're already eligible. - The second booster is also approved for some [younger immunocompromised individuals]( at least four months after their first booster. For this group, people 12 and up can get Pfizer; 18 and older can get Moderna. - So, should you get it? The FDA says the second booster could bump immunity for these higher-risk individuals. [According to NPR]( experts say that some eligible people may not need another shot now. But if you're older, have a serious medical condition or haven't recently had a COVID infection, it may be worth it. - What's next? Officials plan to have a meeting next week on whether a fourth dose should be recommended for everyone ahead of a potential resurgence of COVID in the fall. But whether that's another shot of the original vaccines or [an updated shot]( that is more durable against variants remains unclear. [According to The New York Times]( some experts say a reconfigured vaccine is needed, as opposed to additional doses of the original that offer "marginal value." - Orange Line trains are running straight through downtown Boston again. The MBTA inspectors [found it was safe]( to resume service after the fatal accident in which part of the Government Center parking garage collapsed in the area above the tunnel and killed a construction worker. However, the Orange Line will continue to bypass Haymarket. - T officials say most of the debris fell on the surface directly above the Green Line, which remains suspended between North Station and Government Center. The MBTA is encouraging Green Line riders to switch to the Orange Line (which runs parallel) at Park Street and North Station. It's unclear when that part of the Green Line will reopen. - Massachusetts is entering the first of its two annual tick seasons, and experts [say the peaks may get longer due to climate change](. - That's not great news, given how ticks can carry disease like Lyme. WBUR's Hannah Chanatry reports that — without any population-wide strategies — prevention comes down to individual action, like tick repellent and checking yourself. - Massachusetts may have booming biotech and robotics sectors, but the state needs to double its worker training efforts to address a growing skills gap. That's the [biggest takeaway]( out of the final report from the state's Future of Work Commission. - But how? Some groups offer training services, but WBUR's Yasmin Amer reports that they don't have the funding to keep up with the fast-paced innovation in the private sector. P.S.— Massachusetts lawmakers are [planning to discuss the measure to reclassify ride-hail and delivery drivers as independent contractors]( during a hearing today. If they don't act on the proposal, it will likely be on the ballot — and all over your TV airwaves — this fall. It's sort of an in-the-weeds debate. So, I encourage you to read Laney Ruckstuhl's [excellent explainer]( on how the proposal would change the state's current labor laws and what it would mean for workers. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Black and Hispanic people are more likely to be denied mortgage loans in Boston]( Homeownership isn’t just about fulfilling a dream. It’s the primary way most Americans build wealth. A new WBUR analysis of mortgage lending in Boston found lenders denied mortgages to Black applicants at three times the rate of white applicants. [Read more.]( [Black and Hispanic people are more likely to be denied mortgage loans in Boston]( Homeownership isn’t just about fulfilling a dream. It’s the primary way most Americans build wealth. A new WBUR analysis of mortgage lending in Boston found lenders denied mortgages to Black applicants at three times the rate of white applicants. [Read more.]( [Company overseeing Boston garage demolition has faced lawsuits from other injured workers]( Peter Monsini, who died in a tragic accident at a Boston construction site Saturday, was not the first worker to be seriously injured on a JDC Demolition Co. worksite. [Read more.]( [Company overseeing Boston garage demolition has faced lawsuits from other injured workers]( Peter Monsini, who died in a tragic accident at a Boston construction site Saturday, was not the first worker to be seriously injured on a JDC Demolition Co. worksite. [Read more.]( [Opponents torch proposed rules for burning wood to create electricity in Mass.]( The state's new proposal changes which biomass plants qualify for lucrative renewable energy subsidies, and how the state tracks and verifies the type of wood these plants burn. [Read more.]( [Opponents torch proposed rules for burning wood to create electricity in Mass.]( The state's new proposal changes which biomass plants qualify for lucrative renewable energy subsidies, and how the state tracks and verifies the type of wood these plants burn. [Read more.]( [There's never been such a severe shortage of homes in the U.S. Here's why]( Home prices rose nearly 20% last year, in large part because the U.S. is several million homes short of demand. Builders say the pandemic is partly to blame, but the problem goes deeper than that. [Read more.]( [There's never been such a severe shortage of homes in the U.S. Here's why]( Home prices rose nearly 20% last year, in large part because the U.S. is several million homes short of demand. Builders say the pandemic is partly to blame, but the problem goes deeper than that. [Read more.]( [Mass. in 'preliminary' talks with feds to accept Ukrainian refugees, Baker says]( State and federal officials are trying to pave the way for some Ukrainian refugees to come to Massachusetts. Gov. Charlie Baker said the state already has been working with the U.S. government to resettle refugees from Afghanistan and Haiti, but described the talks regarding Ukrainians as still preliminary. [Read more.]( [Mass. in 'preliminary' talks with feds to accept Ukrainian refugees, Baker says]( State and federal officials are trying to pave the way for some Ukrainian refugees to come to Massachusetts. Gov. Charlie Baker said the state already has been working with the U.S. government to resettle refugees from Afghanistan and Haiti, but described the talks regarding Ukrainians as still preliminary. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - The Foo Fighters have [canceled their plans to play at Boston Calling this spring]( following the tragic death of their longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins. Boston Calling organizers say they'll announce a new Friday night headliner soon. - Chris Doughty, a Wrentham businessman and one of the two major Republican gubernatorial candidates in Massachusetts, made his first appearance yesterday afternoon on Radio Boston. Listen to [the full interview here](. - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended his state's new “Parental Rights in Education” law by saying parents, not teachers, should discuss sexual orientation with their children. [In this commentary]( Jason Prokowiew asks what that means for children who grew up like himself — and don't have that option. What We're Reading 📚 - Thanks to Russia, It’s a Lousy Time to Be a Business Starting With ‘Z’ ([Vice]( - Are You ‘Mask Fishing’? ([The New York Times]( - N.J. town sues woman, 82, for ‘voluminous’ and ‘burdensome’ public records requests ([NJ.com]( Tell Me Something Good [TikTok is obsessed with Boston's '$1 portrait guy' (Boston.com)]( TikTok’s latest trend is going to get a dollar drawing in the Boston Common from a man known as the “$1 portrait guy. [Read more.]( [TikTok is obsessed with Boston's '$1 portrait guy' (Boston.com)]( TikTok’s latest trend is going to get a dollar drawing in the Boston Common from a man known as the “$1 portrait guy. [Read more.]( Before you go: Beware of [those misleading webcams](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   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. 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