The NAACP comes to town

Also: Boston expects first heat wave of summer; Marblehead's leaf blower ban [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  July 26, 2023 ☀️Sunny, with a high near 89. Good Morning Boston, Get ready for our [first potential heat wave of the year](. If it doesn't hit 90 today, it almost definitely will Thursday and Friday. But that's not the only thing descending on Boston this week. - The NAACP's national convention [kicks off today at Boston Convention and Exhibition Center]( (BCEC). It's the first time the NAACP has held its annual convention in Boston since 1982, and thousands of people are traveling from across the country for the five-day gathering, including [speakers like Vice President Kamala Harris]( and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. To get an inside look at what's in store, [our daily podcast The Common spoke to Tanisha Sullivan]( the president of NAACP's Boston branch. Here's what she thinks you should know: - What is a convention exactly? At its core, the convention is the NAACP's business meeting, according to Sullivan. The primary purpose is to get NAACP members and branches from around the country together to vote on the organization's policy positions and board members — not to mention network with each other. - New this year: the NAACP is introducing a new concept called The Hub. Running Friday through Sunday at the BCEC, [The Hub]( will host free public events like a block party, happy hour and a career summit, in addition to vendors and local sports legends. No prior registration required; Sullivan says you'll just be asked for minimal information, like name and email. "We try to make sure that we are finding ways to include the community we're meeting in," she said. - What she's looking forward to: At every convention, there's a national competition called [ACT-SO](. It features Black high schoolers competing in everything from dance to computer science to cooking to physics. "It is absolutely wonderful," Sullivan, a former participant herself, said. The competitions are on Thursday, followed by a public awards ceremony Saturday. - Why has it taken so long for the convention to return to Boston? First, the city — and its hotel rates — are expensive. But the second is Boston's "[reputation for racism]( according to Sullivan. In 1982, Boston was [still feeling the friction over busing]( in the 1970s. "There was so much racial tension and racial strife, the Association did take its time," Sullivan said. "We have an opportunity to reintroduce ourselves." - Links you can use: You can [check out the NAACP convention's full schedule here]( along with [the star-studded speakers list](. - Listen: Radio Boston [previews what to watch for during — and after — the convention]( with John Borders IV, Boston's tourism, sports and entertainment director. - Boston has a new city councilor: Sharon Durkan. The 32-year-old political staffer won yesterday's special election to replace former District 8 councilor Kenzie Bok [with 70% of the vote](. - What's next: Durkan will represent the district — which includes Beacon Hill, Back Bay and Fenway — through at least the end of the year. But she'll have to win again this fall to serve a full term. Both Durkan and second-place finisher Montez Haywood have qualified for the November ballot. - In other Boston City Council news: District 7 Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson will [pay a $5,000 civil penalty for violating a state conflict of interest law]( by hiring her sister and son for jobs on her office's staff. It's the latest embarrassment for a Council that's been [mired by recent discord and personal blunders](. - Marblehead is [banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers]( between Memorial Day to Labor Day, so residents will have to rake their yards (or at least use an electric leaf blower) during the summer. - The big picture: A small but growing group of Massachusetts communities have similarly (and often controversially) restricted gas leaf blowers due to their noise, [emissions]( and [negative health effects]( — including Arlington, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton and Somerville. Lexington also [plans to ban them in 2026](. - Boston officials have suspended the food and liquor licenses of Monica's Trattoria, effectively shutting down the North End restaurant after one of its owners was [arrested for allegedly shooting at another man on Hanover Street]( (hitting Modern Pastry instead). - WCVB [reports]( the Boston Board of Licensing voted 3-0 in favor of the temporary-but-indefinite suspension. Monica's attorney says it could put them out of business for good. P.S.— Radio Boston listeners, we want to hear from you! What do you like (or not like) about the show? What do you want to hear more of? [Take this survey]( and help shape the programming you listen to each day. And as always, thank you for listening! Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Boston expected to get its first heat wave of the summer]( Temperatures will likely start to rise Wednesday, and last possibly through Saturday.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has issued a heat emergency for Thursday and Friday. [Read more.]( [Boston expected to get its first heat wave of the summer]( Temperatures will likely start to rise Wednesday, and last possibly through Saturday.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has issued a heat emergency for Thursday and Friday. [Read more.]( [Federal education officials take up complaint over legacy, donor preferences at Harvard]( The local groups behind the complaint say that if institutions hope to preserve diversity, they will have to abandon practices that favor overwhelmingly white and affluent students. [Read more.]( [Federal education officials take up complaint over legacy, donor preferences at Harvard]( The local groups behind the complaint say that if institutions hope to preserve diversity, they will have to abandon practices that favor overwhelmingly white and affluent students. [Read more.]( [UPS union calls off strike threat after securing pay raises for workers]( A tentative agreement between UPS and the Teamsters has averted a potential strike at the company. The deal will secure pay raises for part-time workers. [Read more.]( [UPS union calls off strike threat after securing pay raises for workers]( A tentative agreement between UPS and the Teamsters has averted a potential strike at the company. The deal will secure pay raises for part-time workers. [Read more.]( [Tick bites are sending more people in the Northeast to the emergency room this year]( Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s online tick tracker shows that, in the Northeast, visits to the Emergency Department for tick bites are up more than 30% from last year. [Read more.]( [Tick bites are sending more people in the Northeast to the emergency room this year]( Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s online tick tracker shows that, in the Northeast, visits to the Emergency Department for tick bites are up more than 30% from last year. [Read more.]( [Aaron Hernandez brother faces charges amid concerns he was planning shootings at Brown, UConn]( When Dennis Hernandez, the older brother of the late New England Patriots tight end, did not appear for a scheduled court date earlier this month, he allegedly went to UConn's and Brown's campuses to "map the schools out" in what one witness feared to be a school shooting plot. [Read more.]( [Aaron Hernandez brother faces charges amid concerns he was planning shootings at Brown, UConn]( When Dennis Hernandez, the older brother of the late New England Patriots tight end, did not appear for a scheduled court date earlier this month, he allegedly went to UConn's and Brown's campuses to "map the schools out" in what one witness feared to be a school shooting plot. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - The Boston sports scene was rocked by a one-two of offseason news. After nearly two decades with the Bruins, captain Patrice Bergeron [announced yesterday he's retiring from the NHL](. Meanwhile, Celtics wingman Jaylen Brown [got 304 million reasons to keep playing in Boston]( signing a five-year contract extension that amounts to the largest deal in NBA history — for now (Brown's teammate Jayson Tatum is up for his own extension next summer). - You heard it here first: Noble Dust's new single "Red Letters" was inspired by WWII-era letters that one member of the Boston-based folk-pop band found in her family home's attic. You can [listen to the exclusive song premiere on our website](. - Another month, another all-time high for Massachusetts home prices. A [new midyear report]( has found the regional housing shortage has pushed the state's housing market into its most expensive territory ever — particularly for those inside the I-495 belt. - Heads up: The U.S. women's soccer team plays its second World Cup group match tonight at 9 p.m. against the Netherlands. It's a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final that portends to be a lot more difficult than the USWNT's first game against Vietnam. Here's a [preview](.  What We're Reading 📚 This section is supported by [Beacon Hill Books]( a new independent bookstore. - He was caught trying to defraud a COVID relief fund. Then he vanished. ([The Boston Globe]( - Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in lecture ([The Texas Tribune]( - The World Cup and the Frustrating, Inspiring State of Women's Soccer ([The New Yorker](  Tell Me Something Good [Boston University’s ‘Jenga’ building stacks its way to the top as finalist for World Building of the Year]( Colloquially known as the “Jenga building,” Boston University’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences made the World Architecture Festival’s shortlists for best building of the year and for best interior design. [Read more.]( [Boston University’s ‘Jenga’ building stacks its way to the top as finalist for World Building of the Year]( Colloquially known as the “Jenga building,” Boston University’s Center for Computing and Data Sciences made the World Architecture Festival’s shortlists for best building of the year and for best interior design. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common discusses [the impact of the Hollywood strikes on the Massachusetts film industry]( with Emerson College faculty member and local producer Nerissa Williams Scott. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: We're feeling some [mixed emotions](. 😎 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? 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