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Here we go with Week 8…

First up, passing leaders (Week 8):

Next up, rushing leaders (Week 8):

Next up, receiving leaders (Week 8):

The move to landmark City Hall, which has landed on lists of the ugliest public buildings for years, and ranked number 4 in the world in a Buildworld analysis in January, started after a public petition was submitted to the commission back in April 2007.

City officials began to prioritize urban renewal in the 1950s, with Boston losing roughly 100,000 people, mainly in middle-class families during the decade, according to the report.

“Not only the architectural significance, which is undeniable, but we also have to think of the moment that this building was built in,” Nicholas Armata, senior preservation planner for the commission told the Herald.

Boston’s Scollay Square, at the time, was flooded with tattoo parlors and burlesque houses, businesses that drove out those families, according to the report. The area would be transformed into Government Center, the epicenter of civic activity in Boston aimed to bring a more professional reputation to the city.

Former Mayor John F. Collins hired planner Edward J. Logue in 1960 to serve as development administrator for the city, with both working together to rebuild Boston. Plans for City Hall began with a design competition that garnered more than 250 submissions from the public.

Construction on the building began in 1963 and was completed in 1968. The design, according to the report, played a significant role in rejuvenating the city and is widely considered to be one of the premier examples of brutalist architecture in Boston.

That brutalist architecture has been the focal point of those who wish to preserve its historical design and the ire of those who wish to see it change.

“When people have these strong opinions about a building, whether it’s good or bad, I really feel that the architecture is doing its job because it’s starting these conversations, and it really solidifies the significance of this building in the city’s history,” Armata said.

The purpose of the landmarking process, according to the report, is to aid in the decision of city officials by providing historical and architectural background along with public comment. Landmarking certain structures, Armata said, is not intended to keep a structure as is with no room for modifications.

“The landmarking status is not designed to freeze this building in place,” he said. “It’s just designed to place a focus on the important elements of the building to allow for change to happen over time.”

The recommendations and the potential landmarking of City Hall, Armata said, would not be indicative of the city or commission wanting to designate certain structures over others.

“This is not a conversation about trying to prioritize certain buildings over another. This is strictly in response to the public’s request to landmark a building that they feel is critical to the culture of Boston.”

An updated City Hall plaza opened last year, officially completing the first phase of a plan to reimagine the imposing building and the area around it. Public voices in favor or opposing the plan, according to officials, will be able to make their voices heard by visiting the Landmarks Commission website along with a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 24.

Armata reiterated the importance of public discussion and how mixed feelings can still spur people’s desire to improve Boston in ways they see the most fitting.

“The building is certainly a controversial issue. Whether or not you love the building, it still evokes these really passionate opinions.”

The grand prize increase follows another Saturday night drawing without a winner. The winning numbers were 47, 54, 57, 60, 65 and red Powerball 19.

Two $1 million prize winners were sold Saturday for matching all 5 numbers without a Powerball match. Those tickets were sold at A.L. Prime Energy on Bridge Street in Dracut and at a Stop & Shop in West Springfield.

Lottery officials announced that the drawing’s estimated cash prize is $679.8M. Monday’s jackpot would also be the largest winner sold in Massachusetts, with the current record set at $758.7M back in August 2023.

There have been 34 Powerball drawings since a jackpot was last hit in July with a $1.08B prize. The record for the most consecutive lottery drawings without a jackpot winner was set in 2021 and 2022.

An estimated $1.55B jackpot is the fourth-highest grand prize in U.S. lottery history and the third-highest Powerball prize ever. The record $2.04B Powerball prize was won last November in California.

While no one had the winning Powerball ticket during Saturday night’s drawing, Joe’s Kwik Mart in Franklin sold a Megabucks Doubler ticket worth $11.7M on Saturday, officials said. It had been over a year since the Megabucks Doubler jackpot was hit, which was a ticket sold in Ware worth a record $16.35B.

“With this jackpot approaching a record level, it is a very exciting time for our customers and our retail partners, and we encourage people to keep the experience enjoyable by playing responsibly and within their means,” Massachusetts State Lottery Executive Director Mark William Bracken said in a statement ahead of the drawing.

“It’s going to be a nice, sunny and dry week,” Kyle Pederson, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told the Herald. “We’re looking at high-pressure overhead, so we’re not expecting any rain through at least Thursday.”

Pederson said New England can expect highs in the upper 60s and low 70s to kick off the week, with mid and upper-70s highs on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday’s high will get back into the mid-to-low 70s, he said.

Pederson said the usual high for Boston around this time of year is 68 degrees and the average lows tend to be around 53 degrees. The first week of October for the region should set a trend for the month ahead, Pederson said.

“The one-month precipitation outlook for October calls for below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures,” he said.

Following Monday’s high of 71 degrees, Tuesday will be sunny and a high nearing 82 degrees, according to the NWS weekly outlook. The remaining highs of the work week steadily decrease from that point, with Wednesday’s high of 77, Thursday’s with 75 and Friday’s of 73.

The overnight lows for this week, he said, will start in the 60s and should remain consistent for the rest of the week as well. Dew points will also be in the 60-degree range for this week, according to Pederson, which will make it more difficult to cool down during the evening because of the excess moisture in the air.

Rain showers are expected to return to the area sometime Friday evening into early Saturday, with the dry, sunny weather ready to return either Saturday or Sunday. Friday night’s chance of precipitation is 40%, a fgure that remains consistent all day Saturday. Southern winds are anticipated to enter the region Friday night at 11 mph. Saturday will see southern winds ranging from 11-15 mph, and winds around 15 mph coming in Saturday evening.

The departing cold front should make for cooler and brisk Sunday conditions. Western winds around 15-17 mph on Sunday will be paired with a high of 63 degrees, bringing in the traditional cool fall temperatures that New Englanders expect.

The Monday night drawing, which comes in as the ninth-largest prize in lottery history, will be the 32nd consecutive one without a winner if no one hits the jackpot. The last grand prize to be hit was worth $1.08B off a ticket sold in California, lottery officials said.

The following numbers were drawn on Saturday: 19, 30, 37, 44, 46 and red Powerball 22. With an increased cash prize and a jackpot that continues to balloon with every passing drawing, Mark Wiliam Bracken, executive director of the state lottery, urged participants to be mindful.

“When playing Powerball and other lottery games, we remind people to keep the experience enjoyable by playing responsibly and within their means,” Bracken said in a statement.

The cash winnings for someone who wins the $1.04B jackpot would be approximately $478M. The largest jackpot in lottery history came nearly a year ago, with a California player winning a $2.04B grand prize.

Monday’s jackpot would also be the largest winner sold in Massachusetts, with the current record set at $758.7M back in August 2023. If no one wins the jackpot on Monday, the grand prize total could inflate past the seventh and eighth-highest grand prizes set at $1.08B and $1.05B, respectively.

The only jackpot closest to the record $2.04B mark is a $1.602B Mega Millions prize won in Flordia this past August. The next closest Powerball jackpot of $1.586B was split between three people in California, Tennessee and Florida.

The $2 Powerball tickets for drawings held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday have been a driving force in the Massachusetts Lottery’s increased profit this year. Bracken announced last week that the organization’s net profit of $1.19B for fiscal year 2023 grew by $18 million from a July estimate.

Record-setting profits will also be able to further aid local cities and towns throughout Massachusetts and the lottery has also seen a $17M increase in profit through the first two 2024 fiscal year, which began on July 1, compared to last year.

Mark Mitchell pleaded guilty to five counts of larceny by scheme, six counts of improper campaign expenditures, three counts of forgery, three counts of false entries in corporate books and one count of publishing false or exaggerated statements, officials said. He was sentenced to 18 months in the House of Correction which will be followed by three years of probation upon Mitchell’s release, according to officials.

The amount Mitchell will have to pay will be determined during a restitution hearing on Nov. 9, according to the Suffolk DA’s office. Mitchell embezzled the funds from the Boston Center for Adult Education, where he served as comptroller, officials said.

Mitchell’s embezzlement scheme ran from 2011 to 2018, during which time he wrote checks to himself totaling $896,537, officials said. Mitchell also wrote checks totaling $82,510 which were made out to an AAU baseball organization he owned and operated, according to officials.

Checks totaling $242,749 were written to a variety of third-party organizations for Mitchell’s personal benefit and the benefit of teams in the AAU league, officials said. Mitchell also stole money from his successful Saugus selectman campaigns, officials said.

“The scope of this scheme is made more contemptible when one considers the organization it victimized—an organization that has provided educational benefits to tens of thousands of adults since it was founded nearly a century ago,” Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden said in a statement.

“This calculated theft struck at the heart of the BCAE’s ability to do what it does so well and has done for so long.  Mr. Mitchell’s plea is only the beginning of the reparations that are justified in this shameful breach of fiduciary and civic trust.”

Susan Brown and Karen Kalfian, co-defendants of Mitchell’s, are scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 10. Brown allegedly authorized $565,000 in checks to Kalifan between 2009 and 2018, officials said.

Brown served as the executive director for the adult education center and Kalifan was a marketing employee for a portion of time during the scheme, officials said.

Officials said the teen, whose identity was not disclosed in the report, was hit by a vehicle on Washington Street near Milton Road around 1:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The woman was transported to a hospital where she is being treated for “serious injuries” but remains in “stable” condition, according to police.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene of the incident and no signs of impairment were reported by police. The Braintree Police Department said they are aided by a Norfolk assistant district attorney from the Motor Vehicle Crash Unit and the State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section in the ongoing investigation. Immediate efforts to reach officials for a further update on the matter were unavailing.

Police thanked the responding public safety officials for their work in the incident.

“We would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Braintree Police Officers who responded, the Braintree Fire Department, and Brewster Ambulance for their professionalism and compassion,” police said. “We ask that you keep this victim and her family in your thoughts and prayers.”

An initial statement from the university’s athletic department Wednesday said the situation will be handled through an investigation by the Office of the Dean of Students.

Allegations of hazing for both university teams were first published last week in The Heights, Boston College’s student-run newspaper. The report cited an administration letter alleging that freshmen being told to “binge drink and consume their own vomit.”

On Thursday, the college posted on its website a clarified statement that “Boston College Athletics has suspended the activities of the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams following credible reports of hazing.”

The report in the Heights spurred a response from Nesenoff & Miltenberg LLP attorneys Andrew Miltenberg and Tara Davis.

Both attorneys, in a letter Thursday to the university, said they represent nearly 30 members of the teams and called on the school to lift the indefinite suspension.

The lawyers criticized the school’s conclusion that hazing had occurred prior to a full investigation.

“This declaration is demonstrably false as the College has yet to complete any investigation into allegations of hazing by the Swimming and Diving team, let alone made any determinations regarding responsibility,”  the attorneys wrote.

The school, in its statement said “the matter will be investigated by the Office of the Dean of Students and adjudicated fairly and impartially through the student conduct process.  Once the investigation and adjudication process is complete, Athletics will reassess the status of the teams.”

Miltenberg and Davis said the situation “has been grossly mishandled by the Athletics Department” and expressed concerns with the student-athletes that may have not had anything to do with the alleged hazing.

“The only harm being caused here is to the student athletes, many of whom may ultimately be found to have had no involvement whatsoever in any of the allegations being pursued, who are now facing tarnished reputations, public humiliation and ridicule, and harm to their social, physical, mental, and academic well-being,” the letter to the university said.

Boston College did not immediately return requests for further comment Sunday. Miltenberg, responding to Herald inquiries, reiterated his criticism of the school.

“We are exceptionally surprised at how irresponsible Boston College has been, vilifying an entire group of student athletes without having conducted interviews or completed any actual investigation,” he said via email.

The business group’s 2023 Industry Snapshot was highlighted by the 114,000 employees within Massachusetts’ biopharma sector. Biopharma employment has rapidly rose in the Bay State, since 2018 after staying moderately consistent in prior years.

For instance, a total of 74,256 individuals were employed in Massachusetts’ biopharma sector in 2018, nearly 40,000 fewer than in 2023. Previous to that recent jump, it took 16 years for the Bay State to add 40,000 jobs to the industry, from 2002-2018, according to the report.

Takeda, Sanofi and Moderna are listed as the state’s top three biopharma companies, with a collective employment of more than 15,000, according to the report. Vertex, Pfizer, Novartis, Biogen, Bristol Myers Squibb, AbbVie, AstraZeneca/Alexion, Alnylam and Foundation Medicine all have more than 1,000 employees, according to the report.

The state’s 8.5% increase in employment in the research and development sector since 2022 was more than in competitor states such as California and Pennsylvania. Both states saw a 6.8% increase this year.

Employment in Massachusetts’ biomanufacturing sector increased by 6.3% since 2022, more than New Jersey, 5.8%, and Maryland, 4.6%, according to the report. Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, CEO and President of MassBio said biopharma job openings have increased every month since March.

“We never like to see company closures or layoffs, but we also know the nature of our industry is one of the big risks for researchers, founders, and investors, and big rewards for patients with unmet medical needs around the world,” O’Connell said in a letter included in the industry report.

Gov. Maura Healey, in a statement, said her administration will remain committed to partnering with the biopharma industry to stimulate job growth and cutting-edge discoveries.

“We are the home of life-changing innovation because we have recognized the unique opportunity to harness the incredible talents and resources that we have here, and back them with real investments,” she said.

More than $3.7 billion in venture capital funding has been hauled in by the state’s biopharma companies in the first half of 2023, a number that, while not on track to compete with the pandemic-inflated years of 2020-2022, is ahead of funding seen in 2019 and years prior. Venture capital investments in Massachusetts increased from $1.9 billion in 2013 to $4.7 billion in 2019. Those figures increased drastically due to the coronavirus pandemic, jumping to $8 billion in 2020, $13.6 billion in 2021 and $8.7 billion in 2022, according to the report.

The state’s biopharma industry received 32% of all the venture capital funding in the United States last year, only second to California’s 36%, according to the report. The increased funding proportion was a 26% jump from 2021.

Companies in Cambridge received 55% of Massachusetts’ venture capital funding during the first half of 2023, with more than $1.7 billion in funding to area businesses. Boston-based companies received 25% of the venture capital funds and Waltham companies received 19%, according to the report.

Massachusetts also received $3.3 billion, 9%, of all National Institutes of Health Funding in 2022, despite making up 2% of the nation’s population. The $470 funding per capita, according to the report, was significantly higher than New York and California, both states that received higher National Institutes of Health funding last year.

“There are few, if any, places on the planet that rival Massachusetts for the density of discovery research, rapid translation and patient care,” Mass General Brigham CIO Christopher Coburn said in a statement. “We understand that power in new ways since the pandemic.”

State hospitals also received more than half of the National Institutes of Health funding in 2022, though it was a slight decrease from the 54% in 2021. Higher education and research institutes throughout the state received nearly $1.5 billion in national funding in 2022, an increase of more than 3% from 2021, according to the report.

National Grid officials announced that power was restored to more than 60,000 residents throughout the state as of Sunday morning. By Sunday evening, approximately 12,000 customers remained without power. The majority of those were in Andover and North Andover, according to an outage map maintained by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

The North Andover Town’s online announcement page included an update Sunday, saying they are working with National Grid and that the area outages were expected to be resolved Sunday. Officials also mentioned the Red Cross shelter at the North Andover Senior Center remains open for those in need.

The Town of Andover advised residents that The Robb Center, used for a cooling and charging location, remained open for residents to use until 10 p.m. and will reopen Monday at 9 a.m. About  35% of Andover residents remained without power as of Sunday afternoon, according to the MEMA map.

“We appreciate the continued cooperation and patience of Andover residents as the community continues to recover from this unprecedented storm,” town officials said in an online notification.

Friday’s thunderstorms came with wind gusts exceeding 55 mph along with damages to trees and power lines. National Grid said the company assigned more than 250 damage assessment crews in Massachusetts alone, as the storms impacted thousands of customers in New England.

Lightning from another wave of storms Saturday severely injured a 31-year-old woman walking her dog at Savin Hill Beach. The woman was transported to Boston Medical Center, currently in critical condition, according to officials.

While crews have been dispatched since Friday, power officials said, they have and will continue to work when the conditions are safe to do so.

“Our crews have been working around the clock since Friday afternoon, and we will remain on the job as long as it takes to restore service to every customer,” Tim Moore, vice president for National Grid’s Electric Operations of New England, said in a statement.  “We understand, however, that success is measured by each customer having service and we will not slow down until that has been accomplished.”

From the Teamsters’ settlement with UPS to the ongoing screen actors and writers strikes, more than 320,000 workers have participated in in the actions this year, Cornell research showed.

David Jacobs, a management professor at American University, said the current negotiating battles will set a precedent for others.

“We have kind of an ‘Empire Strikes Back’ situation, in which we’ve seen enormous organizing and hope on the worker side and a battle in the courts that will determine whether a more progressive labor policy is effectuated,” Jacobs told the Herald.

An author and expert in the field of labor, Jacobs noted the rising support unions have from Americans since 2010. Gallup research showed 48% of Americans backed labor unions 13 years ago, a number which has steadily climbed to 71% in 2022 and 67% this year.

Jacobs has also noticed that a majority of his students have been pro-union compared to years past. Among the contributing factors he has heard were the financial crisis of 2008 and the coronavirus pandemic, which led his students to question the labor norms.

“The lesson for management should be that if you rely upon contingencies… you’re also creating a less resilient deployment system in which you lose workers and they’re less motivated under a variety of conditions,” Jacobs said.

The strikes and settlements of recent years are are less cut and dry than some may think, Jacobs said. A multitude of factors such as court rulings and political influence play a significant role in how these negotiations are handled and how they will shape the ones to come.

“It may be that labor can take advantage of the increased support from the public that appears to be available at the moment,” he said. “But there also is a very concerted effort continuing by employers to defeat this opportunity for labor.”

The SAG-AFTRA strike against entertainment corporations like Disney and Netflix gives rise to developments that, according to Jacobs, will become more prominent in a variety of other labor laws and negotiations going forward.

“Mechanization and automation have always been big issues and a lot of economists have said that it will all balance out and there will always be jobs, but it is possible for the proportion of people employed to decline based on the use of technology in places where it’s not the most helpful,” Jacobs said.

The work halt in Hollywood marks the first time in more than 60 years that writers and actors have joined together and strike. The Writers’ Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA’s authorization of a strike in April and June, respectively, were met with overwhelming support from members of both groups.

Negotiations with AMPTP began on June 7, and while no agreement has been reached, a new twist to the writers’ plight was thrown into the ring. Reports came out Saturday that SAG-AFTRA requested approval to strike against video game companies, underscoring the role technology and artificial intelligence will have in these negotiations.

“It’s sort of a curious thing that employers when given an opportunity would prefer to pay nothing for the work that’s done in their organization,” Jacobs said. “So if they can create an AI stable and sustain writing and production, they’re going to try to do that. The unions are very concerned that they are acting to preserve the working side of the industry.”

The Teamsters’ high-profile, 5-year contract agreement with UPS, meanwhile, set a new standard for how nonunionized companies such as Amazon should be managing their employees’ wages and benefit packages, according to Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, the former president of Teamsters Local 25 in Charlestown.

Workers will receive pay raises of $2.75 more per hour in 2023, a figure which will rise to $7.50 by the end of the contract.

Jacobs said the Teamsters’ efforts resulted in a “significant improvement in terms of the two-tiered workforce.” What really stood out to Jacobs was how the negotiations and subsequent settlement provided hope for change on the unions’ side.

“It was a sign that things can be different,” he said. “For people to move, to be active and challenge their environment, they have to feel there’s some hope for change.”

Police, according to the statement, were notified by American Airlines of the potential act that occurred on American Flight 1441 at approximately 10 a.m. Saturday morning.  The flight, which departed Charlotte, N.C., was met by state police and detectives who launched an investigation, according to the department.

Police said the on-site officials determined that the alleged criminal act occurred during the flight, and thus would be handled by federal authorities. Police also said they are aiding federal officials in this incident and have no further comment.

The Federal Aviation Administration, in a statement, confirmed that the flight departed from Charlotte, landed safely at Logan International Airport around 10 a.m. on Saturday, and that the flight crew “reported a possible security issue.”

A statement from American Airlines said, “We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities.”

The FBI confirmed that the agency responded but had no further information about what happened.

For Middleborough’s Dominic Driscoll, taking the mound ahead of Saturday’s game between the Red Sox and Dodgers was part of an unforgettable day en route to his goal of being a professional baseball player.

Even more impressive than Driscoll’s nationally recognized talent entering his eighth-grade season is his unwavering work ethic despite a congenital heart condition. His efforts were recognized and rewarded during the April Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island 40th Anniversary Gala.

Ortiz, recognized during the gala for his contributions to the Make-A-Wish organization, announced his 40th wish granted would be to spend a day with Driscoll and his family. Driscoll told the Herald when you’re in Boston with Big Papi, it’s a surreal experience.

“I would definitely say I was starstruck,” Driscoll said. “It’s like walking around with the President. Every single Boston fan, even Dodger fans, were all screaming for him. He can do really whatever he wants, so it’s awesome to just hang out around a legend.”

Ortiz, in a statement, said meeting kids like Driscoll has been an honor and lauded their courage while being able to make a positive impact.

“Meeting Dom and so many other brave kids through Make-A-Wish here in Boston over the years, it’s been so meaningful to me,” Ortiz said. “They’re the true heroes and I’m thankful to be able to make things a little brighter for wish kids.”

Driscoll said his day included a few unexpected stops, including a trip inside the Red Sox clubhouse and meeting players such as Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner and Alex Verdugo. Other stops included a walk around the field, a tour inside the Green Monster, a chance to sign Pesky Pole, lunch in the stadium and, of course, the first pitch.

Driscoll said he and Verdugo chatted in the Sox dugout, where the 14-year-old’s Home Run Derby participation was brought up.

“He was asking me all about the event, which is super cool because he’s a big leaguer and he really wanted to know more about it and was asking questions,” Driscoll said. “He also asked me if I could strike him out. I said yeah.”

Sean Holleran, the CEO of Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island, lauded the Red Sox organization for assisting in the event and praised Driscoll for his perseverance and willingness to continue playing baseball.

“Dom had three open heart surgeries immediately in the first two years of his life, but he has surpassed all of those initial expectations,” Holleran said. “He is a completely driven young person, working out constantly, in the batting cage by choosing a sport that has allowed him to be active, but also take some breaks as baseball does.”

His father Bill said he and his wife Kristen decided that when Dominic was born, they would do everything not to treat him differently and to push those diagnosed limitations because they did not feel they were truly limitations to what their son could accomplish.

“Any time a kid goes out on the field, there’s a chance that something could happen and, as a parent, you’re always nervous,” Bill Driscoll said. “But you just trust God and you know that in your heart that you’re doing the right thing and you’re gonna give your kid every opportunity to fulfill his dream.”

Dominic was holding wiffle ball bats in the house since he was a little kid, Bill said, knowing that was a part of his life he and Kristen could not take away from him.

Both parents thanked Children’s Hospital and Make-A-Wish for granting Dominic with this opportunity to get a taste of the big leagues, while Holleran encouraged others to volunteer or donate to help others’ wishes come true.

“We just feel so grateful for this opportunity,” Kristen said. “This wish has been in the works for a while and just being able to be there with Dom and being able to see the look on his face as he got this experience was really amazing.”

Bill also thanked North East Baseball, the organization his son participates in, for being a second family to the Driscolls. Dominic expressed his thanks to everyone who played a part in organizing his wish but continued to mention his desire to continuously improve before he is in high school.

“I just want to get a lot better, a lot stronger and a lot faster,” he said.

Asked how he handles the expectations of setting a standard for kids with heart conditions similar to his being able to thrive athletically, Driscoll said he embraces it all and uses it as a chip on his shoulder to motivate himself.

Driscoll has also wanted to play the game he loves because others in situations similar to his, can’t. Driscoll even stitched the name of former NFL tight end Greg OIsen’s son, TJ, who also underwent heart transplants, in his uniform two years ago and donated baseballs to him, Bill said.

“As much as Dom does it for himself, he’s doing it for all those other kids,” his father continued. “So he just wants to show everyone that if you can dream it, you can do it.”

For Taste Atlas, a website with reviews of thousands of restaurants and “global flavors,” the legendary eateries are ones “that have remained relevant and highly regarded in an ever-changing culinary landscape.”

Union Oyster House, the longstanding Boston restaurant, was named by Taste Atlas as the 43rd most legendary establishment globally. That’s out of the group’s list of 150. The restaurant’s storied past, owner Joe Milano told the Herald, plays a vital role in its legendary status.

“I’m speechless,” Milano said about the top 50 ranking. “I think it’s wonderful and I know we’re iconic…One thing I would also say is that we are the only restaurant that is a national historic landmark.”

The eatery, formally established in 1826, is the oldest restaurant with continuous service in the United States. To put that near-200-year-old date into perspective, no municipal records of the building’s construction have been found.

Milano, a global traveler who has ventured to a handful of restaurants on the Taste Atlas list, said others ranked by the company have their historic importance as well, but Union Oyster House is the only one with an official, national designation.

Since beginning his tenure with the restaurant in 1970, Milano said, the restaurant has doubled in size. The restaurant’s notoriety was one of the key elements in the city’s renaissance period during the 1970’s, according to Milano.

“Boston was on no one’s radar in the country,” he said. “Basically, the city came alive in the 70’s and what people did was invest in their own equity.”

Milano compared his experience with the restaurant to that of a museum curator, with plenty of people coming to take in an integral piece of the city’s storied past. He also discussed some ways he and his staff allow the restaurant to continue thriving down the line.

“It tends to be very much that way with people taking pictures inside and outside of the building,” he said. “But in staying up to date, I have a full-time maintenance person and keep everything in good order.”

Surviving the pandemic, he said, was another challenge Union Oyster House tackled, with Milano saying the business being in better shape than before COVID.

“I think we have the best team I’ve ever had,” he said. “I’ve never seen people happier. And that’s beyond my feelings, but my expression that I observed with the staff and the help. We really are legendary in every sense of the word.”

Last month, Wu’s office announced the establishment of a program aimed at solving the area’s housing shortage by offering tax breaks upwards of 75% to building owners that will convert vacant downtown office spaces into residential ones. BPDA officials said that the tax cut for a period up to 29 years “could provide a strong incentive to encourage conversion.”

The agency’s PLAN: Downtown team has a significant role in the conversion program, as well as in preserving the city’s cultural heritage, enhancing overall housing access and promoting mixed-use development. The team’s next meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday to go over some of the key enhancement and revitalization efforts that will be included in a comprehensive draft report set to be released Friday.

Public comments on the report will be open for team consideration until Sept. 15 and a public meeting to discuss the report will also be held virtually on Aug. 24 at 6 p.m.

The approximate 20% rate of vacant office space in Boston is the highest the area has seen since the 2007-2008 financial crisis, according to a 2023 second-quarter Colliers report onthe city. More than 36M square feet of office space was available at the end of the second quarter, according to the analysis.

A city spokesperson, in an email to the Herald, said, “The purpose is not to offset all private investment for office property acquisition. It is to help close the gap for developers who would consider converting but don’t have financial feasibility.”

An analysis cited by the spokesperson suggests that roughly 10% of the existing office space in Boston is feasible for residential conversion.

Wu, in her July announcement of the conversion program, said the initiative “will help us take advantage of the opportunity we have to rethink Downtown as a space where people from all over come together to collaborate, create, live, and play.”

Gary Kerr, the managing director of U.S. east development for Greystar, lauded the city for recognizing the stark need for increased and accessible housing in Boston during a phone interview Sunday with the Herald.

“This is a real change from some of the policies related to housing over the last couple of years,” Kerr said. “It signifies that there is a need, a problem and also says [the city] is prepared to try new and creative ways to solve the problem.”

The number of office buildings not being fully utilized and occupied, he said, has resulted in more ground-floor retailers but creates a public safety issue people may not realize when discussing the topic of vacant buildings.

“Some people are recognizing their livelihoods are at risk and our city streets may not be as safe as they used to be because they don’t have people there reporting things,” Kerr said. “There really is this overarching need for more housing, which is one of the real positives from that program.”

The city is only offering a chance at permitting conversions for a short time, requiring applications by June 2024 and a deadline of October 2025 to start construction.

The initiative, while interesting to Kerr, is not “fully effective.”

“It’s not entirely clear what the criteria to be accepted are,” Kerr said. “There’s still a lot that needs to be decided. There’s a need today, I think there’s people who’d be interested in jumping into this today, I just don’t think there’s enough meat on the bone there yet to really dive in with.”

The approach Boston and other municipalities have to take, Kerr said, is that of trial and error. The current state of real estate, he said, plays a prominent factor as well.

“The real estate world is dealing with probably the most stringent economic conditions since 2008,” Kerr said. “It’s hard to know which of these policies is going to work because they can’t be viewed in isolation.”

A city spokesperson said the pressing financial issues facing the nation are not unique challenges Boston must overcome and touted the work Wu’s administration has done, including a streamlined review process for developments and rezoning work.

“Right now, between construction costs, high interest rates and reluctance of lenders in the current economic climate, it is hard to get a multi-family project to be financially feasible in most parts of the country,” the spokesperson said. “This is not unique to Boston.”

While similar efforts to combat housing shortages have been explored in New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C., Kerr said, Boston needs to focus on the smart type of housing development that suits the city’s needs best.

“I don’t think we should be able to build anything you want anywhere in this city,” he said. “This isn’t Houston. But I do think when it comes to housing, we need to set some broader parameters. We need to build more housing, we need to build student housing, we need to build anything where people can live as quickly as possible.”

Boston Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon said the program “aligns with this administration’s dedication to creating accessible and equitable housing in every neighborhood, strengthening our small businesses and commercial centers.”

City officials said more details on the program, along with the official beginning of the submission dates for applications will be available sometime this fall.

An opening ceremony and procession for the Saint Agrippina feast was held on Thursday. The four-day celebration honors Saint Agrippina di Mineo, the patron saint of thunderstorms, evil spirits, and leprosy. Legend states she was martyred and tortured to death in 256 A.D. by the emperor Valerian.

Children of the Saint Agrippina Society led Thursday night’s procession, ushering in three consecutive days of live entertainment, DJs, raffles, and a myriad of vendors. Streets were lined with red, white and gold confetti, with religious relics and statues on display.

On Sunday, the festival’s grand procession wound through the neighborhood.

The North End will be home to feasts for the rest of the month, with the Madonna Della Cava Feast taking place Aug. 11-12 on Hanover and Battery Streets. The Madonna Della Cava Feast is always held in Boston the second weekend in August, coinciding with the festival held in Sicily.

The Fisherman’s Feast, which celebrates immigrant Sicilian fishermen to the Madonna del Soccorso di Sciacca, will be held from Aug. 17-20. This year’s 113th iteration of the festival will include the fifth annual Best Meatball Competition and will be closed out with the ‘Flight of the Angel,’ a spectacle that has been lauded by National Geographic as one “not to be missed.”

Saint Lucy’s Feast and Saint Anthony’s Feast wrap up the month of celebrations from Aug. 24-27.

Both feasts have been around for more than 100 years and are headlined this year by an opening procession that features the blessing of Saint Lucia accompanied by street bands, a color guard and flower girls. Patrons can also visit the Filippo Berio tasting tent to try a variety of balsamic, olive oil, pesto and more. The Benvenuti Parade featuring marching bands will take place on Aug. 26, following the blessing of the relic of Saint Anthony.

Officials said Boston police were notified of a shooting on Blue Hill Avenue near the Washington Street intersection in Roxbury around 7:47 p.m. There, police said they found an adult man suffering from gunshot wounds who was transported to a local hospital by Boston EMS. He was pronounced dead there, officials said.

Then around 11:08 p.m., police said they were notified of another person shot in Roxbury, at the Quincy and Weldon Streets intersection, less than 2 miles away. There, another adult man was found suffering from gunshot wounds and was also transported to a local hospital and pronounced dead there, officials said.

Police were then called back to Dorchester just after 11:30 p.m. Sunday night and found another adult man suffering from gunshot wounds at 99 Draper Street. The man, police said, was taken to a local hospital by Boston EMS with life-threatening injuries.

While officials remained at the Draper Street incident, police received a call regarding two people that had been stabbed near 11 Charles Street in Dorchester. Upon arrival, police said they were notified of a third individual arrived at a nearby hospital with stab wounds that were considered non-life threatening. The two individuals near 11 Charles Street were transported to a local hospital, with their stab wounds also considered non-life threatening, police said.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden spoke on the need to address the subject of illegal firearm possession and the ripple effects it has on communities in a statement.

“We should all be outraged by the calamitous violence that rocked our neighborhoods last night,” Hayden said. “My heart cries out for our city and for everyone impacted by these tragedies. We’ll work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice and we ask anyone in the community with information to please help us.”

At an event Monday morning, Hayden said rates of gun violence in the city, especially among communities of color, speak to deeper underlying issues.

“When we look at gun violence that is visited upon our communities of color and upon our Black men, particularly young Black men, we are faced with a public health crisis. We are faced with grave racial injustice and it has to be addressed,” Hayden said. “It’s got to be addressed through greater access and opportunity to resources, educational opportunities generally and education around gun violence and it’s got to be addressed through real legislation, national legislation that is tough on guns.”

Boston Police Superintendent Felipe Colon described the night as “hectic” just after midnight on Monday morning.

“We have officers from all over the city responding to many of the incidents that occurred,” he said.

At an unrelated event Monday morning, Mayor Michelle Wu said the police department is pursuing every lead in the investigations and will hopefully know more “shortly.”

“It’s not acceptable for there to be violence in any part of the city,” Wu said. “We are going to do everything possible to have justice and accountability in these situations. And we’ll continue working to make sure that every community is safe.”

Police said it remains unclear whether or not any of the incidents overnight are related.

The identities of the two deceased men and the four who suffered injuries were not disclosed and it is unclear if the four incidents have any connection.

Herald reporter Matthew Medsger contributed.

According to officials, Jaden Mathieu, 20, Juan Shanks, 33- both from Dorchester- and Roxbury’s Mikia Steed, 38, face multiple charges in connection with the stabbing, which all three suffered injuries from. Police were alerted of the event just before noon on July 15, reporting outside the Southampton Street Shelter, officials said.

Responding officers found Shanks and Steed suffering from stab wounds to the back, with Shanks lying on the street outside of the shelter and Steed in the shelter lobby, officials said. The officers were told to be aware of “hundreds of open, uncapped hypodermic needles” surrounding the scene, officials from the DA’s office said in a release.

Video footage of the incident obtained by police shows Mathieu, who appears to be in possession of a firearm at the time, approach Shanks and strike him with the end of the weapon, officials said. The weapon fell to the ground and was picked up by another individual before police recovered it and another firearm from a green tent on the corner of Atkinson and Southampton, police said.

Both Shanks and Mathieu were then caught on video wrestling on the ground, when Shanks is stabbed in the back by an unknown individual and, afterward, several others, including Steed, officials said. Shanks then gets up and allegedly stabbed Steed several times in the lower back, police said.

Security guards attempted to break up the fight, securing a machete in the possession of another unidentified individual. The three charged individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries, with Shanks and Steed transported to local area hospitals and Mathieu going to Boston Medical Center with a stab wound to the back, officials said.

Mathieu, who officials said has a history of gun-related offenses, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carrying an unlicensed firearm and possession of ammunition without an FID card, officials said.

Shanks, who officials said has an extensive juvenile record, was charged with armed assault to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Both Shanks and Mathieu were held without bail by Judge David Poole last week.

Officials said Steed, who has an open warrant in Suffolk Superior Court stemming from a December armed robbery, was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Judge Debra DelVecchio set Steed’s bail at $2,500 with orders to have no contact with others involved, according to officials.

Police said they recovered the machete, the two firearms with live rounds and a knife from the incident. Hayden stressed the importance to find a resolution for the instances occurring in the Mass and Cass area.

“What’s happening at Mass and Cass is a human tragedy and a community nightmare,” Hayden said in a statement. “This alarming violence illustrates, yet again, the urgent need for a collaborative approach combining all our resources—local, regional and state.”

City officials said residents will be able to voice suggestions on how to redesign Clifford Playground, located blocks away from Mass and Cass, next month.

A release from the city of Newburyport Sunday morning said the most recent testing of its Plum Island beaches’ water “showed significantly reduced bacteria levels.” The beach accessible from 55th Street, officials said, was reopened on Friday.

As of Friday, the state’s Department of Public Health and Bureau of Climate and Environmental Health listed 64 public beaches in Massachusetts with postings indicating that swimming is unsafe or could lead to illness.

City officials said Massachusetts’ beach testing program monitors more than 1,100 public beaches in the state, measuring the amount of Enterococci and E. coli bacteria present in the public swimming waters.

Swimming in water containing excess amounts of bacteria, officials said, could lead to a myriad of dermatological, respiratory, eye, gastrointestinal, skin and ear issues. Children and older adults with more at-risk immune systems, officials said, are even more susceptible to harmful side effects of bacteria.

The state’s list included the four Plum Island beaches, all having postings that testing showed bacteria over state limits. The list has not been updated since Friday and efforts to reach DPH Sunday were unsuccessful.

A majority of the beaches with postings, according to the state’s list, were a result of excess bacteria. Other postings included advisories about the algae and cyanobacteria levels and precautionary measures due to severe weather or rainfall levels.

Officials, in a release, said the department was called to 181 Taylor Road with reports of a plane crash. Upon arrival, officials found the Cessna 182 plane on its roof in the woods between two homes, which was slightly over a mile from the Minuteman Airfield, a public-use airport also located in Stow.

Firefighters extricated two individuals from the craft and treated a third that was able to exit the aircraft on their own, officials said.  Officials said the department was aided by its Maynard, Boxborough and Hudson counterparts.

The three were transported in helicopters to a Worcester hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, according to officials.

Police departments from Stow, Maynard and Boxborough also assisted at the scene, along with a variety of EMTs, Boston MedFlight and UMass LifeFlight helicopters, officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident, according to officials.

No immediate determination of what caused the crash was released by officials.

— Herald Wire Services contributed

On Wednesday, those items and others from the shuttered Boylston Street establishment hit the auction block.

The Paul E. Saperstein Company will be holding the online auction, scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m., through BidSpotter.com. Nearly 200 souvenirs that lined the Pour House walls for more than three decades will be auctioned off.

Michael Saperstein, executive vice president of the firm, said they had been holding onto the Pour House relics following the bar’s 2020 closure. BidSpotter, he said, allows for an international audience to take part in the auction, with some people from various parts of the country already asking about some assets.

“A lot of people have memories from this bar and it pulls on the heartstrings sometimes,” Saperstein told the Herald. “People who want to see some of the assets are able to come over to our warehouse in Holbrook.”

Both of the bar’s exterior signs are also listed on the BidSpotter auction site.

Pour House ownership announced on social media in March of 2020 that it would be temporarily closing its doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. The bar’s instagram account posted a message saying they hoped to reopen in April 2020.

In September 2020, the bar posted a montage of photos from previous years and captioned it with an emotional farewell, announcing it would be closing after being in business almost 35 years.

“For the last 34 years, we have prided ourselves with always being open, 365 days a year, knowing you would always be there to support us,” the caption read. “And so it is so very sad to say……….Sorry, we’re closed.”

“This is a great opportunity for us,” Reunion BBQ co-owner Joel Morales told the Herald. “My wife and I opened this up around September of 2022, but we did not invest in any marketing or public relations because we didn’t have the money for it.”

Reunion BBQ, located in the South End, is one of several restaurants in Boston that received money from the Greg Hill Foundation’s Restaurant Strong Fund.

The foundation, established in 2010, has awarded more than $25 million in funds to families and those in need. The foundation’s Restaurant Strong Fund, established in 2020, has done the same to help local businesses across the nation recover from the financial hardships brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, a total of 19 Boston restaurants received a cumulative $200,000 in funds. Morales expressed his gratitude for the financial aid to help put his business more on the map.

“We have a great concept, people have a great time here and always leave positive reviews,” he said. “It has been tough to find ways to attract new customers, but this money will help us afford a public relations and marketing strategy.”

Morales said the restaurant faced some hiring difficulties during the height of the pandemic, but has been on an upward trajectory since. He touted Reunion BBQ’s great atmosphere and delicious food.

“We have so many great aspects to offer, including live music and events, so we are really grateful for the foundation for helping us out,” Morales said.

Karen Pellino, co-owner of Casarecce Restaurant in the North End, said the money they were granted from the foundation will be mostly going to payroll for their kitchen service and for some other equipment upgrades to churn out the fresh-cooked pasta they are known for.

“Everything we make here is all fresh and in-house,” Pellino said. “It feels really great to have these funds. We have all been struggling on the North End this year.”

The challenges Casarecce and other North End eateries have faced in the past year have been centered around a ban on outdoor dining that was imposed in February. Segun Idowu, Boston’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, said the bridge replacement on North Washington Street and the Sumnner Tunnel restoration would present too much of a problem for establishments to conduct outdoor dining.

In 2022, Mayor Michelle Wu implemented a $7,500 fee for restaurants to conduct outdoor dining, which some local business owners viewed as anti-Italian discrimination. Pellino said that while the lack of outdoor dining has been a big hurdle to overcome, the money is a welcomed source of aid to keep Casarecce offering its usual high-standard service.

“We are a family-owned business and we have been on the North End for 14 years,” Pellino said. Thank you to the Greg Hill Foundation, we really appreciate their help.”

Richard Hanson, 64, was charged with assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on Saturday. Hanson allegedly fatally assaulted his wife, Nancy, in their Brookline Street residence Saturday evening, officials said.

Police received a call from a juvenile inside of the Brookline Street home just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday night and found Nancy Hanson suffering blunt force injuries, officials said. She was taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital where she was then pronounced dead.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma. She was 54.

A restraining order was issued against Richard Hanson in the Newton District Court on July 13, officials said. Newton Police were attempting to serve the restraining order prior to the incident Saturday evening.

Hanson is scheduled to be arraigned at Newton District Court on Monday and is being held without bail, officials said. The investigation remains ongoing, according to officials.

The missing teenage swimmer was roughly 100 yards offshore with a group of other swimmers when the others realized he fell below the surface. The teenager’s body was found by Stoneham and Winchester firefighters in approximately six feet of water near where he was last seen by the other swimmers, police said.

The Massachusetts State Police patrols, specialized units and detectives responded to Shannon Beach Saturday night, along with the Massachusetts Environmental Police, officials said. Officials received calls about the missing swimmer at approximately 7 p.m.

The investigation into the teenage swimmer’s death is active and is being spearheaded by the state police’s Detective Unit for Middlesex County, according to officials.

The girl, whose identity was not disclosed by the district attorney’s office, was also charged with unarmed robbery for the attack on a Silver Line bus toward Nubian Square on July 2, officials said. She was arraigned Friday at Boston Juvenile Court.

The girl was part of a group of eight suspected juveniles who participated in the attack, officials said. She was seen on video hitting the woman’s head roughly seven times and kicking her in the head and face about three times, according to officials.

Other juveniles were seen throwing potato chips at the woman’s head and squeezing a bottle of lotion onto her head and body before another member of the group pushed her down to the floor. She suffered a bloody nose and bruises to her face, but was not hospitalized, according to officials.

Members of the group were also caught on video rummaging through the woman’s handbag, with one member seen stealing her phone while she was down on the ground in a self-protective position. The group was reportedly spotted at the AMC South Bay Center cinema complex before the attack, where theater employees told officials about disturbances caused by a large group of teenagers.

“This was a shocking, brutal attack on a female MBTA passenger—utterly unprovoked—and an intolerable assault on the security and safety of our transit system itself,” Hayden said in a statement. “While our goal is to provide options and services to young offenders so their early mistakes don’t short circuit their future lives, our overlying responsibility is to protect the public and to secure justice for victims.”

Judge Peter Coyne set a $300 bail and ordered the Revere girl to stay away from the victim and all Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority property, officials said. Hayden said he expects police to track down the other group members who participated in the attack.

“I’m grateful for the work by transit police to identify this defendant and I’m confident they will make further identifications of those who participated in this horrendous assault,” Hayden said in a statement.

The Gray Lady said it will be leaning on The Athletic, purchased by the Times in January 2022 for $550 million, for its coverage of teams and sporting events. An email from The Times’ Executive Director Joe Kahn and Deputy Managing Editor Monica Drake told the Times newsroom Monday that they would “scale back the newsroom’s coverage of games, players, teams and leagues,” an announcement states.

The company’s current sports desk staffers, according to The Times, will shift to other newsroom roles and no layoffs are anticipated. A business desk group will focus on the financial and power aspects of the sporting world, The Times said.

A letter from The Times’ sports department, signed by 28 members, was published in the company’s Sunday paper and asked for clarity about the rumored elimination of the department.

“We have watched the company buy a competitor with hundreds of sportswriters and weigh decisions about the future of sports coverage at The Times without, in many instances, so much as a courtesy call let alone any solicitation of our expertise,” the missive read.

The Athletic, a subscription sports company, will be taking over “a bulk” of The Times’ sports coverage, the company announced.  The Athletic announced in June that they would be laying off roughly 4% of the company’s 450-person newsroom.

Before being purchased by The Times in January 2022, The Athletic saw annual losses of $55 million in 2021. According to the Associated Press, they lost roughly $36 million last year.

Subscribers of the NYTimes.com also have access to stories done by The Athletic, which operates outside of The Times’ newsroom, according to the company.

Last night’s Powerball drawing boasted an estimated jackpot of $522 million, with a $270 million cash option. Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot is estimated at $400 million with a $205 million cash option.

At Ted’s Stateline Mobil in Methuen, up against the New Hampshire border, owner Tony Amico said it’s about time the store sold a 2023 winner.

“We’re due for one,” Amico said.

The store sold a trio of $1 million winning tickets last year. Amico said the store begins seeing more foot traffic when the prizes reach eye-opening amounts.

Once those numbers climb, Amico said, reinforcements are called in to help handle the foot traffic and ensure all five of Ted’s lottery machines are in order.

“I normally have two or three employees here on average,” Amico said. “Today, I’ll have four to five,” he told the Herald Monday.

Amico said it would be tough to even estimate how many people Ted’s sees on a daily basis when the prize amounts are this high. More people come before and after the average working hours, he said.

Ted’s regular customers, he said, will also tend to buy more tickets than they usually do once the prizes climb.

While Massachusetts witnessed more than $12 million in unclaimed lottery winnings last year, Powerball and Mega Millions ticket sales significantly aided the lottery’s fiscal state in 2022, according to Mark William Bracken, the executive director for the Massachusetts State Lottery.

During a December Lottery Commission meeting, Bracken said a series of high jackpots last year  proved to be a  “saving grace” for the lottery’s earnings.

In November 2022 when Powerball reached a whopping $2.04 B, a total of $58.6 million in Powerball tickets were sold in Massachusetts, an increase of almost $10 million from November 2021.  That giant prize was won by a lucky player in California.