The hidden history of Black Boston

Also: Another ballot q campaign falls short; the future of gas in Mass. [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  December 7, 2023 ⛅ Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Good Morning Boston, And happy first night of Hanukkah. Local elected officials and Jewish leaders will gather on the Common around 4:30 p.m. today to light the city's [giant, 22-foot-tall menorah](. (It's not quite [the largest menorah in the world]( but it's among the tallest in New England.) While we [prep the perfectly crisp latkes]( and await [the high-scoring offensive display]( that tonight's Patriots-Steelers game promises, let's get to today's news: - Coming up short: Massachusetts could have [a pretty busy election next fall when it comes to ballot questions](. But the effort by conservative activists to put a voter identification requirement proposal on the ballot seems to have missed the cut. Joanne Miksis, one of the organizers behind the voter ID ballot campaign, says they submitted roughly 40,000 signatures to Secretary of State Bill Galvin ahead of the state's filing deadline yesterday — tens of thousands short of the [74,574 signatures]( needed to advance. - The initiative — which [proposed requiring voters to show photo ID or sign an affidavit]( attesting to their identity before casting a ballot — joins the push to [repeal the state's ban on rent control]( as one of the questions that couldn't gather enough signatures to move forward this fall. Miksis says the "grassroots" effort had no outside funding and did not have paid signature gatherers like other ballot campaigns. "An eye-opening experience for our team for sure," she said in an email. "Having $$ gets the job done." - Moving ahead: As we [reported last month]( six other ballot campaigns say they have collected more than enough signatures to advance (though we won't officially know until Galvin's office reviews them). Galvin said it might take longer than the usual three weeks "due to the unusually high number of petitions being filed," including five different versions filed by [the Uber- and Lyft-backed ballot campaign]( to reclassify app-based drivers from gig workers to independent contractors. - Runner-up: Massachusetts' Vineyard Wind won't technically be the first operational offshore wind farm in the U.S. after all. New York's South Fork Wind project (about 35 miles east of Montauk Point) has become [the first commercial off-shore wind in the U.S. to begin sending electricity to the grid]( its developer announced yesterday. They beat Vineyard Wind to the distinction by a matter of weeks. - The South Fork project reached the milestone after finishing its first turbine. While Vineyard Wind has actually fully installed five turbines, they still need to do more testing before sending electricity back to land. They're aiming to start later this month. - A 54-year-old New Hampshire man is facing [manslaughter charges]( a deadly crash at a work site yesterday afternoon in Waltham. Officials say that Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey and an unnamed National Grid worker were killed after the driver crashed their pickup truck into the site on Totten Pond Road. Police say the suspect then stole a police car and fled the scene, but later crashed it. He was eventually arrested, after a foot pursuit. - Stoughton is the latest Massachusetts community that will lose a health care facility. Steward Health Care announced yesterday it plans to shut down the New England Sinai Acute Long-Term Care and Rehabilitation Hospital by this coming April. - The Dallas-based company — which is the country's [largest for-profit hospital operator]( — says it's lost $22 million from the hospital because nearly three-quarters of its patients pay via Medicare and Medicaid. Hospital staff plan to try to move patients to another facility within 25 miles of the site. - The Boston City Council officially passed [its proposed ban on guinea pig sales in pet stores]( and Mayor Michelle Wu plans to sign it, according to her office. The ordinance will add guinea pigs to the city's ordinance that bans the sale of dogs, cats and rabbits in pet shops. That means you'll only be allowed to get them through shelters or animal rescue groups, like the MSPCA (which has [dozens up for adoption](. The ban will take effect 90 days after Wu signs the ordinance. - Did you notice a faster Green Line trip yesterday? The MBTA says it [removed 12 slow zones]( during the nine-day downtown partial closure that ended this week — two more than originally planned. T officials also say they shortened two slow zones on the E branch. P.S.— Gov. Maura Healey is live on Radio Boston today at 11 a.m., and we want your ideas for questions! Send them [through our text club](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [These tours highlight the hidden history of Black Boston]( Joel Mackall says Black history in Boston is often overlooked. He’s seeking to change that with his tours that shed light on the lives of past Black Bostonians, interwoven among the city's famous downtown landmarks. [Read more.]( [These tours highlight the hidden history of Black Boston]( Joel Mackall says Black history in Boston is often overlooked. He’s seeking to change that with his tours that shed light on the lives of past Black Bostonians, interwoven among the city's famous downtown landmarks. [Read more.]( [Mass. outlines new strategy for getting customers and utilities off of natural gas]( After three years of debating the “future of gas” in Massachusetts, the Department of Public Utilities issued a sweeping order that rejects a gas utility plan to inject renewable natural gas into the pipeline system. [Read more.]( [Mass. outlines new strategy for getting customers and utilities off of natural gas]( After three years of debating the “future of gas” in Massachusetts, the Department of Public Utilities issued a sweeping order that rejects a gas utility plan to inject renewable natural gas into the pipeline system. [Read more.]( [5 major takeaways — and one thing missing — from the fourth Republican debate]( As four candidates hotly debated issues ranging from foreign policy to gender identity to immigration, it's clear Nikki Haley is seen as a threat and Trump still looms large even when he's not there. [Read more.]( [5 major takeaways — and one thing missing — from the fourth Republican debate]( As four candidates hotly debated issues ranging from foreign policy to gender identity to immigration, it's clear Nikki Haley is seen as a threat and Trump still looms large even when he's not there. [Read more.]( [Mass. lawmakers approve measure allowing more home health care workers to unionize]( The measure, tucked into the state's $3.1 billion supplemental budget, would allow some 4,000 health care workers not currently covered by the union to join. [Read more.]( [Mass. lawmakers approve measure allowing more home health care workers to unionize]( The measure, tucked into the state's $3.1 billion supplemental budget, would allow some 4,000 health care workers not currently covered by the union to join. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts budget bill allows utilities to recoup added cost of hydropower corridor through ratepayers]( A budget signed this week by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey clears the way for utilities to recover added costs caused by delays of a project to bring Canadian hydropower to the New England grid. Those costs will ultimately be passed along to Massachusetts ratepayers, but supporters say the greener electricity would lower energy costs across New England. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts budget bill allows utilities to recoup added cost of hydropower corridor through ratepayers]( A budget signed this week by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey clears the way for utilities to recover added costs caused by delays of a project to bring Canadian hydropower to the New England grid. Those costs will ultimately be passed along to Massachusetts ratepayers, but supporters say the greener electricity would lower energy costs across New England. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - [This weekend’s list of five things to do around Boston]( a little something for everyone — whether you’re seeking a cozy night with latkes or taking advantage of the relatively warm weather to check out a new, slanted (literally) take on Henry David Thoreau’s famed cabin. - Norman Lear, the legendary TV sitcom creator, activist and [Emerson College alum]( died this week [at the age of 101](. His credits include TV shows like "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons," which were known for tackling serious issues with humor. - Listen: Lear [spoke to WBUR's Lisa Mullins in 2018]( about how he approached bringing controversial political topics to the screen. - WBUR's Priyanka Dayal McCluskey talked to Dominque Lee, the new CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, about how the state's strong abortion laws could be even stronger. Read [the full Q&A.]( - NCAA President (and former Massachusetts governor) Charlie Baker is [calling for new tier of Division I college sports]( where schools have to pay at least half their athletes upwards of $30,000 per year.  What We're Reading 📚 - “Someone Tell Me What to Do” ([ProPublica]( - Congress provided $7.5B for electric vehicle chargers. Built so far: Zero. ([Politico]( - Boston’s best holiday dining secrets ([The Boston Globe](  🔎 Field Guide To Boston [Not just Puritans: Explore 5 aspects of Mass. history]( Our region's important history doesn't end with the Revolutionary War. Here are several stories that deserve your attention, and 11 cool spots to catch this rich history in real life. [Read more.]( [Not just Puritans: Explore 5 aspects of Mass. history]( Our region's important history doesn't end with the Revolutionary War. Here are several stories that deserve your attention, and 11 cool spots to catch this rich history in real life. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [checks in with local rabbis]( about how they are navigating a complicated Hanukkah season. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Oh, you also [got Burlington]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 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.