Starting on Thursday, September 7th the Massachusetts Broadband Institute will begin holding a series of public listening sessions around the Commonwealth as part of a Statewide Broadband and Digital Equity planning process during the national Internet for All effort.

Listening sessions are 1.5-to-2-hour events, accessible either in-person or remotely, designed to hear directly from residents and ensure their unique needs are elevated in the State’s Broadband and Digital Equity strategic plans.

The following is a list of upcoming listening sessions with links for registration. This does not represent the total number of sessions to be held as others are still being planned and scheduled.

Upcoming Digital Equity Listening Sessions

The Commonwealth is set to receive a generational investment in connectivity, it is crucial to bring as many voices as possible to the table to inform the plans and ensure Internet for All.

On behalf of Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, I write to let you know that Treasury’s Small Business Initiative (SBI) team is collaborating with Citizens to host FREE small business webinars this fall!

We are thrilled to announce the dates and topics for this series:

• Creating a Business Strategy – September 13, 3:00pm-4:00pm
• Business Operations – September 20, 3:00pm-4:00pm
• Financial Management – September 27, 3:00pm-4:00pm
• Communicating your Business – October 4, 3:00pm-4:00pm

Those interested can click here to register for one, some, or all of the above events.

The Small Business Initiative provides support for entrepreneurs in Massachusetts who are looking to start a small business or expand an existing one. We provide resources for business planning, maintenance, and growth through our resource toolkit. Visit our website here to learn more and explore our interactive small business resource map!

The MBTA today announced service changes in August on the Red, Green, Orange, Silver, Kingston, Middleborough, Greenbush, Lowell, and Worcester/Framingham lines. The MBTA will continue working to improve service reliability across the system.

Red Line/Commuter Rail

Red Line service changes will allow MBTA crews to perform critical rail and tie replacement work that will alleviate speed restrictions:

Accessible shuttle bus service will replace evening weekday trains between North Quincy and JFK/UMass Stations beginning at approximately 8:45 PM through the end of service Tuesdays through Thursdays on the following dates:

• August 1-3
• August 8-10

Accessible shuttle bus service will replace evening weekday trains between Quincy Center and Braintree Stations beginning at approximately 8:45 PM through the end of service Tuesdays through Thursdays on the following dates:

• August 15-17
• August 22-24
• August 29-31.

Accessible shuttle bus service will replace trains between JFK/UMass and Braintree Stations beginning at approximately 8:45 PM on Friday and through the weekend to the end of service on Sunday on the following dates:

• Friday, August 4, through Sunday, August 6,
• Friday, August 11, through Sunday, August 13,
• Friday, August 18, through Sunday, August 20,
• Friday, August 25, through Sunday, August 27.

The Kingston, Middleborough, and Greenbush Commuter Rail lines, which run adjacent to the Red Line, will also experience service changes. Accessible shuttle bus service will replace trains between South Station and Braintree:

On evenings Tuesdays through Fridays after 7:30 PM through the end of service on:

• August 1-4,
• August 8-11,
• August 15-18,
• August 22-25.

On evenings Tuesday through Thursday after 7:30 PM through the end of service on:

• August 29-31.

And during the weekends of:

• August 5-6,
• August 12-13,
• August 19-20,
• August 26-27.

Accessible express shuttle bus service will also operate directly between South Station and Braintree Station.

Passengers should note that bicycles are not allowed on shuttle buses, and regular Commuter Rail fares will be collected between Kingston, Middleborough, and Greenbush and Braintree Stations. Keolis Customer Service Agents, MBTA staff, and Transit Ambassadors will be on-site at impacted stations to support riders. · The diversion schedule will be available online soon at mbta.com/CRschedule.

Haymarket Station

As previously announced, due to the continued demolition of the Government Center Garage by private developer HYM Construction, Orange and Green Line service changes will take place in the downtown Boston area all day for 12 days from July 29- August 9:

Orange Line trains will bypass Haymarket Station. Orange Line riders should instead exit at North Station or State, which are less than a half-mile from Haymarket (or a four- to eight-minute walk) and travel to the Haymarket area.

Green Line service will be suspended between North Station and Government Center Station with riders instead asked to walk above ground between these stations – Government Center, Haymarket, and North Station are each less than a half mile from each other (about a five- to 10-minute walk), and the distance between Government Center to North Station is about three-quarters of a mile (about a 13-minute walk).

Riders are also reminded that Orange Line / Green Line connections can also be made via the Winter Street Concourse, which connects Park Street and Downtown Crossing Stations.

Accessibility vans will also be available for on-demand transportation – Orange and Green Line riders should ask MBTA personnel for information and assistance.

Silver Line

Silver Line Routes 1, 2, and 3 will be re-routed to the street level between Silver Line Way and South Station beginning at approximately 8:45 PM on August 11 through the weekend until approximately 9 PM on August 13. This service change will allow for continued safety, waterproofing, and station resiliency improvement work to take place at Courthouse Station.

Commuter Rail

Lowell Line trains will be replaced with accessible shuttle bus service between Lowell and Wilmington Stations during the weekend of August 5-6. This service change is in place for crews to perform vegetation clearing work along the line.

Riders are encouraged to subscribe to T-Alerts or to follow the MBTA on Twitter @MBTA for up-to-date service information. The MBTA previously announced service changes taking place in July on the Green, Orange, and Worcester lines. More information is available here.

The MBTA apologizes for the inconvenience of these scheduled service changes, and appreciates the understanding and patience of riders as this critical and necessary work to maintain, upgrade, and modernize the system takes place.

Below, please find today’s announcement on VW or Refuse Truck Electric Solicitation Grant availability – a total of $11.5M is being made available for replacement of (a) an older medium- or heavy-duty diesel vehicle or non-road equipment with an equivalent new electric version or (b) any model year diesel waste or recycling trucks with plug-in hybrid, or fully electric versions.

Information on eligible applicants and projects can be found in the grant guidance. Please feel free to share this information with communities or other entities in your district that may be interested in applying. Completed grant applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM on September 26, 2023.

If interested applicants are not eligible to apply for funding through the VW or Refuse programs, they may qualify for other MA Electric Vehicle Incentive Program (MassEVIP) funding – please see Step 6 and the accompanying MassEVIP matrix for more information.

lease be advised of the following DCR Recreational Advisory for the Draw Seven Park Path Extension.

The EOPSS Office of Grants and Research is pleased to make available approximately $2,500,000 through the Byrne JAG Municipal Law Enforcement Funding Opportunity for local police departments to competitively solicit federal funding to address enforcement, prevention, intervention, and suppression programming needs. Eligible police departments may apply for a maximum of $50,000. Please share this funding opportunity with municipal officials in your districts.

Applications are due at 4:00 PM on August 23^rd.  Additional information for this funding opportunity can be found below.

The Health Connector will be hosting a free public webinar on Wednesday, July 12^th at 12PM for those interested in learning more about health insurance coverage options available to individuals, families, small businesses, and sole proprietors through the Health Connector and Health Connector for Business.

State public health officials announce season’s first West Nile virus-positive mosquito sample

Residents urged to use bug spray when outdoors

New Road Test Locations in Lynn and Revere
beginning today, Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Expanded Hours at most Service Centers
began on Monday, July 3, 2023

Reminder - 25 Students per Class
 began on Saturday, July 1, 2023

MassDOT Announces New Online 

Vehicle Census Dashboard 

Site has accurate and timely information to help monitor the state’s progress toward greenhouse gas reduction goals 

Information includes the number of vehicles registered in MA cities and towns, including fuel class and annual mileage estimates