📈 Boston-area home prices just hit an all-time high

Also: "Underwater noises" and everything we know about the missing TItanic sub; Encore's big vote [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  June 21, 2023 🌤️ Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Good Morning Boston, Get your [flower crowns](. The summer solstice officially arrives today at 10:57 a.m., and the four Harvard museums are hosting [a free, family-friendly festival tonight]( to celebrate the longest day of the year. There'll be [live music all afternoon in Downtown Crossing](. And if you're farther west, UMass Amherst is marking the occasion with [a sunset gathering at the campus' sunwheel](. To the news: - The search continues: 900 miles east of Cape Cod, search and rescue teams say they have detected "underwater noises" while looking for the missing Titanic submersible. But so far, "searches have yielded negative results," according to the U.S. Coast Guard. That's [the latest update from early this morning on the status of the missing sub]( carrying five tourists. Experts believe it's likely they only have enough oxygen to last until tomorrow morning. The deep sea search — combing an area the size of Connecticut with remote-operated underwater vehicles — has made international headlines [since the sub went missing Sunday](. Here's a rundown of everything we know about the passengers, the sub company's history and the desperate search: - Get familiar: OceanGate, the deep sea exploration and tourism company that operates the missing Titan sub, had been pioneering some of the latest Titanic research. Just last month, the company [shared the first-ever, full-sized digital scan of the wreck site](. The [five passengers onboard]( include OceanGate's CEO. - Warning signs: WBUR's Walter Wuthmann reports OceanGate also has [a history of questions over its equipment’s safety](. Court filings show a former pilot said he was fired after alleging the company did not properly test the submersible's hull. - What it's like in the sub: CBS Sunday Morning correspondent David Pogue went on the Titan in November for an assignment. He [told NPR]( it's like a "minivan without seats." - Go deeper: David Marquet, a retired U.S. Navy submarine captain, told NPR's Morning Edition there are many factors that [make this search-and-rescue mission particularly challenging](. Marquet put the chances of its passengers' survival at "about 1%." - Flashback: While difficult, there is precedent for successful deep sea rescues. In 1973, the tiny, two-man submarine Pisces III was found off the coast of Ireland after spending three days stuck 1,575 feet below sea level. The crew was rescued with just 12 minutes of oxygen to spare. Click here for [the full, incredible story](. - Roughly 1,400 workers at the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett are voting this morning on whether to allow union leaders to call a strike, just over two months since their first contract expired on April 19. - What's next: Workers won't automatically go on strike if they approve the strike authorization. But a vote in favor would set a deadline for a strike to begin if the two sides don't agree on a new contract. If a strike occurs, Unite Here plans to set up 24/7 picket lines. The local Teamsters union has agreed to not deliver liquor, food, and other goods to the casino in solidarity. - What they're bargaining for: Ava Wade, a steward for Unite Here Local 26, told WBUR's Dave Faneuf the casino's employees' wages lag behind what their counterparts earn at Wynn-owned, five-star resorts in Las Vegas. - PSA: Worcester plans to spray pesticide around the city tonight in an effort to reduce the number of mosquitoes. Officials say residents should stay inside while they're spraying in their neighborhood and for up to 20 minutes afterward. It's the second of three spraying rounds in Worcester; the final is scheduled for next Tuesday. - Residents will be notified by email and text if their neighborhood is getting sprayed. (They can also opt their property out of the pesticide program [here]( - Back in court: The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking top secret government documents is due to be arraigned in Worcester today. WBUR's Ally Jarmanning reports Jack Teixeira, who was [indicted last week on six counts of retaining and transmitting national defense information]( has been held at the Plymouth County jail since he was arrested in April. - Teixeira, who could enter a plea during the 3:45 p.m. court appearance, faces up to 10 years in prison on each count. P.S.— If you're trying to make the most of tonight's 8:25 p.m. sunset with man's best friend, check out [our updated list]( of dog-friendly outdoor dining spots in Boston — [categorized by neighborhood](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [The median home price in Greater Boston just hit $900,000 — an all time high]( Home prices in Greater Boston just got more expensive. The median price for a single family home hit an all-time monthly high of $900,000 in May, according to the latest housing data from the Greater Boston Association of Realtors. [Read more.]( [The median home price in Greater Boston just hit $900,000 — an all time high]( Home prices in Greater Boston just got more expensive. The median price for a single family home hit an all-time monthly high of $900,000 in May, according to the latest housing data from the Greater Boston Association of Realtors. [Read more.]( [Alzheimer’s stopped her from finishing a rug. A stranger stepped up to help]( This is a story about a hand-hooked rug, the woman who couldn’t complete it and a stranger who stepped in to help. They found each other through Loose Ends, a network of volunteer crafters in 42 countries launched just 10 months ago. [Read more.]( [Alzheimer’s stopped her from finishing a rug. A stranger stepped up to help]( This is a story about a hand-hooked rug, the woman who couldn’t complete it and a stranger who stepped in to help. They found each other through Loose Ends, a network of volunteer crafters in 42 countries launched just 10 months ago. [Read more.]( [Police say Harmony Montgomery's father spent months hiding and moving her body after murder]( Adam Montgomery's daughter was reported missing in November 2021, nearly two years after police believe she was killed in Manchester. Her body has not been found. [Read more.]( [Police say Harmony Montgomery's father spent months hiding and moving her body after murder]( Adam Montgomery's daughter was reported missing in November 2021, nearly two years after police believe she was killed in Manchester. Her body has not been found. [Read more.]( [Hunter Biden agrees to plead guilty in tax case and avoid prosecution on gun charge]( The president's son agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses. He's also charged with a felony firearm offense, for which he agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement. [Read more.]( [Hunter Biden agrees to plead guilty in tax case and avoid prosecution on gun charge]( The president's son agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax offenses. He's also charged with a felony firearm offense, for which he agreed to enter a pretrial diversion agreement. [Read more.]( [Healey to travel to Ireland on first international trip as governor]( Maura Healey is set to travel to Ireland and address the Irish Senate next week on her first international trip as governor. Healey is set to meet with prime minister along with other state officials and attend a series of business and commerce events. [Read more.]( [Healey to travel to Ireland on first international trip as governor]( Maura Healey is set to travel to Ireland and address the Irish Senate next week on her first international trip as governor. Healey is set to meet with prime minister along with other state officials and attend a series of business and commerce events. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - In hew new book, author Wendy Rouse unearthed the experience of queer suffragettes during the voting rights movement, including some who lived in Massachusetts. [Listen to Rouse's interview with WBUR Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy]( about the prominent queer suffragists, the domestic partnerships known as "Boston marriages" and what it took to uncover and tell their stories. - How many miles do you have to travel to get abortion care? Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College, [has mapped out the question](. The graphics also illustrate how access to abortion care in the U.S. has declined dramatically in the past 10 years. - There’s no shortage of possible Supreme Court reforms. Expand the Court. Impose ethics reforms. Term limits or retirement ages. Boston College law professor Kent Greenfield has a different idea: a minimum age requirement. Greenfield [writes in this commentary]( it would have many of the same benefits, without the constitutional hurdles.  What We're Reading 📚 This section is supported by [Beacon Hill Books]( a new independent bookstore. - What does the death of a dive bar say about Somerville? ([The Boston Globe]( - Big decisions looming on offshore wind ([CommonWealth]( - Your Brain Has Tricked You Into Thinking Everything Is Worse ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [Massachusetts landscaping company aims to decrease noise, protect environment (CBS News)]( This time of year, landscaping crews are out in force, maintaining yards across Massachusetts. But with those tidy lawns comes pollution and the constant and annoying hum of lawn care equipment. Now, a local company has figured out a solution to both problems. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts landscaping company aims to decrease noise, protect environment (CBS News)]( This time of year, landscaping crews are out in force, maintaining yards across Massachusetts. But with those tidy lawns comes pollution and the constant and annoying hum of lawn care equipment. Now, a local company has figured out a solution to both problems. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks at [why there are still no Michelin Star restaurants in Boston.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: ["Olde English vandals on the loose."]( 😎 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. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.