It’s a good day to tie down your outdoor Halloween decorations and clear the drains of leaves. While New England will avoid most impacts from Hurricane Melissa, we are going to get a quick-hitting storm tonight, followed by high winds. Meteorologist Danielle Noyes has more on the forecast and what it means for trick-or-treating here.
Now to the news:
Across the checkout counter: As 1.1 million SNAP recipients in Massachusetts brace for their food benefits to run out Saturday due to the federal government shutdown, businesses who count on these customers are also girding for a loss. Many local grocery stores, markets and farms depend on people using SNAP benefits. As WBUR’s Rachell Sanchez-Smith reports, they too could be clipped by what advocates say is an unprecedented decision by the Trump administration to not use a contingency fund to keep the benefits going out during the shutdown (now in its 30th day).
- Zoom in: David Wadleigh, the owner of Kimball Fruit Farm in Pepperell, says the loss of benefits could cost him up to 15% of his revenue. “We’ve already paid the overhead costs for anything that we’re going to sell in November,” he told Rachell. “We’ve already paid for the labor to upkeep things, to prune things, to pick things.” Especially when it comes to fresh produce, Wadleigh says there’s no way to make that money back later.
- Zoom out: SNAP shoppers alone account for about 20% of all grocery sales in Massachusetts, according to the state. “SNAP is a multiplier program for households and local food systems that will be decimated — for every dollar in SNAP benefits received by a client in Massachusetts, $1.50 goes back into the local economy,” wrote Michael Cole, the chief operating officer of the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance.
- Now what? Farm owner Wadleigh says he plans to donate food in the short term so it doesn’t go to waste. He’s not the only one. As WBUR’s John Bender reports, the East Bridgewater butcher shop Crocetti’s plans to offer free bags of groceries to those in need on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Blacker’s Bakeshop in Newton also will offer free baked goods, including loaves of bread on Wednesdays and Sundays.
- Meanwhile: Beacon Hill leaders reiterated yesterday that they don’t plan to use the state’s $8.6 billion rainy day fund to save the day for SNAP recipients. As WBUR’s Chris Van Buskirk reports, lawmakers argued that doing so would quickly drain the fund and force them to pick “winners and losers.”
- Go deeper: WBUR’s Martha Bebinger has a by-the-numbers look at who will be affected in Massachusetts if and when SNAP benefits stop going out.
- In related news: Gov. Maura Healey is planning to hold a press conference today with the United Way to highlight more ways to help people hit by the SNAP shutoff.
On ICE: The family of the 13-year-old Everett boy detained by ICE earlier this month wants to return him to their home country of Brazil. As WBUR’s Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reports, a judge ruled last week that the boy must remain at a juvenile detention center in Virginia. Instead of appealing the decision, the family’s lawyer, Andrew Lattarulo, says they’re pursuing a “voluntary” departure.
- Why? According to Lattarulo, the family sees sending the boy back to Brazil as the fastest way to ensure his freedom. Even if the boy won asylum, a judge could rule he should be kept locked up. “The last thing they want is their child being detained for many years,” he said.
- What’s next: Lattarulo said the government has agreed to voluntary departure and the next step is to get the “judge’s blessing.” The next hearing is Nov. 5.
Conceding cash: Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch is proposing to scale back his big raise, in the hopes of quieting his critics. As WBUR’s Simón Rios reports, the new amendment would raise Koch’s current salary from $159,000 to $225,000 in 2028, instead of the $285,000 approved by the Quincy City Council last year. The revised proposal equates to what Koch would earn if he got a 3% raise every year since the last time his salary was adjusted in 2016. It also includes an automatic 3% yearly raise in the future.
- What does this mean for the legal fight over that rejected ballot question to repeal the raise? The petition’s backers told Simón they’re thinking over next steps. “It wasn’t so much about the salary as much as the corruption of trying to keep [the question] off the ballot,” said Joe Murphy, one of the plaintiffs.
Uh oh: One of our great local architectural achievements, the Star Market built over the Mass. Pike, is shuttered indefinitely. Newton health officials closed the store Tuesday afternoon, saying demolition work inside the store may have released asbestos. It will only re-open once any asbestos is removed or contained, officials said…