Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR’s daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
The Topsfield Fair has a new giant pumpkin record, after Connecticut resident Alex Noel’s gargantuan gourd weighed in at 2,507 pounds on Friday. (It’s Noel’s third time winning the contest, but the fair has never seen a pumpkin so hefty.) Click here for a photo of the pumpkin, plus a few other notable squashes from the fair.
Now, let’s get to the news:
Businesses feeling bleh: Despite marked economic growth and a resilient job market in Massachusetts, business owners in the state are still pessimistic about the local and national economy. According to a new report from Associated Industries of Massachusetts, September was the seventh month in a row that employers have reported low business confidence. AIM’s business confidence index slipped to 47.5 on its 100 point scale last month. (An index below 50 indicates pessimism.) Chris Geehern, executive vice president of AIM, told WBUR’s Fausto Menard there might be a disconnect between what’s happening economically and how employers are feeling.
- By the numbers: “The economic fundamentals right now are actually pretty good,” said Geehern. “Massachusetts grew at a 4.5 annualized percentage rate in the second quarter. That’s pretty brisk. Nationally, the growth rate was 3.8 percent.” And while there have been headlines about layoffs at local biotechs and colleges, the state’s unemployment rate held steady at 4.8%. That’s up from close to 3% in 2023, but “pretty modest by historical standards,” Geehern said.
- What’s causing the disconnect? Uncertainty. Geehern says the feeling is primarily in reaction to Trump administration policies. “It’s uncertainty about tariffs; uncertainty about federal investment in research, particularly here in Massachusetts; uncertainty about immigration; uncertainty about tax policy,” he said. Geehern added that smaller companies are feeling it hardest: “Even though the economy is OK, there’s enough uncertainty around that’s slowing down the level of commerce, and that’s what’s causing employers to be pessimistic.”
Over the weekend: Police are investigating what they describe as “vehicle takeovers” in Boston and Randolph yesterday. That’s the term for when large groups shut down a street so drivers can do stunts or race illegally. WBUR’s Paul Connearney reports that Boston police say officers were responding to a call about drag racing in the South End, when a group of about 100 people converged on the intersection and pelted the police cruiser with objects and fireworks, which set it on fire. Meanwhile, WCVB reports that a similarly sized crowd surrounded several marked police cruisers in Randolph early Sunday, striking the cars with their fists and other objects.
- Two teens from Rhode Island were arrested for the South End incident and will be arraigned this morning in Roxbury District Court. Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said similar disturbances have occurred in other neighborhoods, like Back Bay and the Seaport. Flynn said he wants the issue addressed at this week’s City Council meeting. “I don’t take this as an isolated incident,” he told Paul.
ICYMI: Last week, the Trump administration canceled nearly $8 billion in grants meant for clean energy projects in 16 states, including Massachusetts. According to Gov. Maura Healey’s office, $466 million in grants to support more than two dozen projects in Massachusetts are being rescinded. It’s not clear how the states were selected, but all 16 voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.
- Healey says the grants supported work on “cutting-edge technologies to lower energy costs, create good jobs and build a more reliable grid.” In a statement, she said that “all of our residents will be harmed by this vindictive action.”
- Trump’s energy secretary, Chris Wright, told CNN that the cancellations had nothing to do with the shutdown or politics. “These decisions are made — business decisions on whether it’s a good use of the taxpayer money or not.” He added that the grants will not be restored when the government reopens.
P.S. — Come to CitySpace tonight at 7 p.m. for a sneak peek of some of the new musicals and stage performances that will be tumbling through Boston this year. Broadway legend Liz Callaway will emcee. You can get your tickets here.
