Electric shock

Also: Small business struggles; Boston digs in on trees [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  September 22, 2022 🌧️ Showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 71. Good Morning Boston, It's the first day of fall! [Technically]( the equinox ([not a solstice!]( doesn't arrive until 9:04 p.m. EDT, so you can still squeeze out a few more hours of summer before it's over (though, you'll get more use from your rain umbrella than your beach umbrella today). To the news: - Brace yourselves: as the seasons turn, many Massachusetts residents are about to see their home energy bills get extraordinarily expensive. National Grid [disclosed yesterday]( that it plans to more than double its base electricity rates in Massachusetts beginning Nov. 1, meaning the average customer will see their monthly electric bill jump 63% to roughly $293 — compared to $179 last winter. - The reason? New England still primarily relies on natural gas for electricity. (ICYMI: WBUR's Miriam Wassar has [a great explainer of how the market works here]( And while rates always tend to rise in the winter due to increased demand, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and inflation are taking them to record levels. - National Grid isn't the only player in town. It has 1.3 million electric customers across Massachusetts, while Eversource covers 1.4 million households, including much of the Boston area. (Here's [a map of who covers where]( Eversource doesn't make its next biannual rate change until January and won't file a proposal until later this fall. However, a spokesman for the company noted that they aren't immune to market conditions either. For instance, Eversource customers in New Hampshire just [saw a more than $70 hike]( to their monthly electric bills this summer. - While electricity is perhaps seeing the most dramatic percentage-wise rate hike, both companies say natural gas rates for home heating will jump significantly on Nov. 1, too. National Grid says its Massachusetts customers should expect their monthly heating bill to be about $50 higher than last winter (think mid-$200s). Meanwhile, Eversource predicts the average customer will see their monthly gas bill increase by $61 to $86, landing them in low-to-mid-$200s range, too. - So... what can you do keep your bill low? This Here & Now [list of DIY tips to lower your utility bills]( from April 2020 holds up well. Attorney General Maura Healey also [launched a campaign in June]( with tips for lowering energy use and resources for those struggling with their bills. [Eversource]( and [National Grid]( both offer payment assistance, too. - Speaking of Healey, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate and her running mate, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, released their first policy plan of the general election yesterday. The topic: tackling the state's shortage of affordable housing. The [3,620-word plan]( broadly outlines how they'll push to accelerate housing production, while investing government funds to increase affordable options. - The plan also revealed a clear distinction between the Democratic ticket and Republican gubernatorial nominee Geoff Diehl, who also calls "more accessible and affordable" housing a priority. Healey and Driscoll say they'll double down on Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's push for [more dense development near suburban MBTA stops]( by "creating incentives for communities to actually build multi-family projects" in districts the state required them to rezone. On the other hand, Diehl [says]( he would repeal those zoning rules, which he [has criticized]( as "one-size-fits-all." - The Boston Celtics may be without [another]( [key figure]( when the season starts next month. Multiple outlets [reported]( [last night]( that head coach Ime Udoka is facing a potentially lengthy suspension for having a consensual relationship with a female member of the Celtics staff, a violation of team rules. According to ESPN, Udoka — who is engaged to actress Nia Long — could be suspended for as long as a year. - Baker sent back a road safety bill to the State House last night, asking lawmakers to tweak the legislation — [aimed at protecting cyclists and pedestrians]( — which he otherwise largely supports. - The ask: Baker is proposing all drivers be subject to a "consistent" three-foot space minimum when passing cyclists and pedestrians, rather than the bill's "confusing" sliding scale based on the car's speed. Baker also wants the state to hold off on requiring 25 mph speed limits on state roads in densely settled areas until a federal review of street regulations concludes next year. P.S.— This month marks 10 years since Tinder was launched, and the Here & Now team [wants to hear about your experience]( — good or bad — in the era of dating apps. Just [fill out this form or even send a voice recording]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Poll: Half of small businesses in Mass. are still making less money than before pandemic]( A survey of 3,243 small businesses finds that half are bringing in less revenue than they did before the pandemic. And business owners of color are more likely to report challenging business conditions than their white counterparts — particularly access to capital. [Read more.]( [Poll: Half of small businesses in Mass. are still making less money than before pandemic]( A survey of 3,243 small businesses finds that half are bringing in less revenue than they did before the pandemic. And business owners of color are more likely to report challenging business conditions than their white counterparts — particularly access to capital. [Read more.]( [An appeals court rules the Justice Dept. can use Mar-a-Lago records in criminal probe]( A federal appeals court has permitted the Justice Department to resume its use of classified records seized from Donald Trump’s Florida estate as part of its ongoing criminal investigation. [Read more.]( [An appeals court rules the Justice Dept. can use Mar-a-Lago records in criminal probe]( A federal appeals court has permitted the Justice Department to resume its use of classified records seized from Donald Trump’s Florida estate as part of its ongoing criminal investigation. [Read more.]( [Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice, will speak with the House Jan. 6 panel]( The committee asked to interview Thomas on her communications with a lawyer pushing for then-Vice President Pence to block the Electoral College count of the 2020 election results. [Read more.]( [Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court justice, will speak with the House Jan. 6 panel]( The committee asked to interview Thomas on her communications with a lawyer pushing for then-Vice President Pence to block the Electoral College count of the 2020 election results. [Read more.]( [Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announces investment in trees for cooling, flood reduction and beauty]( Boston will create a new forestry office and more than triple the number of city employees focused on trees and create a new forestry office in an effort to expand tree coverage in the city. [Read more.]( [Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announces investment in trees for cooling, flood reduction and beauty]( Boston will create a new forestry office and more than triple the number of city employees focused on trees and create a new forestry office in an effort to expand tree coverage in the city. [Read more.]( [Springfield opens welcome center to serve Puerto Ricans who may arrive after Hurricane Fiona]( Officials in Springfield are working with a community organization to preparein case those fleeing Hurricane Fiona's impact begin arriving in the coming weeks. [Read more.]( [Springfield opens welcome center to serve Puerto Ricans who may arrive after Hurricane Fiona]( Officials in Springfield are working with a community organization to preparein case those fleeing Hurricane Fiona's impact begin arriving in the coming weeks. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Festivals abound this weekend! Here are [our arts and culture teams's five event recommendations]( including a movie festival, a poetry festival, a park festival and a unique lantern exhibition — er, let's call it a festival — at the Franklin Park Zoo. - WBUR film critic Sean Burns [writes]( that no amount of gossip and (alleged) spitting can save the "very boring" "Don't Worry Darling." - Andrew Carleen [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that there are strategic reasons for Congress to pass Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Yemen War Powers Act — beyond the moral imperative. - In today's edition of "things I can't believe we have to ask": the FDA is asking TikTok users to, please, [stop cooking chicken in NyQuil](.  What We're Reading 📚 - How PBS’ Judy Woodruff saw politics change: ‘Women’s issues are everyone’s issues’ ([The 19th]( - The housing market is cooling. What’s it like in your area? ([Washington Post]( - Corn Kid Is Doing Just Fine ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [Tired of Saturn's rings? Check out NASA's latest image of the bands around Neptune]( The last time scientists caught such a glimpse of Neptune’s rings was when Voyager 2 flew past the distant planet in 1989. Now, the James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a crisp new image. [Read more.]( [Tired of Saturn's rings? Check out NASA's latest image of the bands around Neptune]( The last time scientists caught such a glimpse of Neptune’s rings was when Voyager 2 flew past the distant planet in 1989. Now, the James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a crisp new image. [Read more.]( Before you go: ["Stow is healing."]( 😎 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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