Boston's spooky stipends

Also: What to expect from the Harris-Trump debate; all eyes on the SJC [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser](   September 9, 2024  ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 75. Good Morning Boston, The Patriots ushered in the post-Belichick era with a surprising[16-10 win yesterday]( under new coach and [game ball recipient]( Jerod Mayo. We'll see if the Pats can turn the solo win into a streak next Sunday during their Foxborough home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. But first, let's get to today's news: - Spooky season: Halloween in Boston could be even more festive this year, thanks to the city's new Spooky Streets grants. The newly expanded program is offering residents money to host block parties in their neighborhoods. "We're basically building on the success of our [summer block party grants]( Nathalia Benitez Perez, the city's director of civic organizing, told WBUR's Sydney Ko. Here's how her office plans to help Bostonians keep the party going through autumn. - What's new? While Boston [offered permits]( for closed-street Halloween block parties last year, this is the first year the city is chipping in with $250 "mini-grants." Recipients can use the money for items like candy, pumpkins, decorations and face paint. If you don't celebrate Halloween, fall or harvest-themed parties are also eligible for a grant. - Why are they doing it? "This is one of the initiatives that we really would like to carry over from the summertime to Halloween," Perez told WBUR. The city also hopes that closing off streets to cars during trick-or-treating will help prevent evening accidents, which are [all too common around Halloween.]( "October is one of those months that after 6 p.m. is all pitch dark," Perez added. "We have a lot of families out in the street, and we really want to make it a safe space for everybody." - Save the date: The deadline to apply for one of the grants is next Friday, Sept. 20. ([Directions to apply are on the city's website.]( Perez says to also keep an eye out for an interactive map of all the block parties, set to release two weeks before Halloween. - On the docket: Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court is[set to hear arguments today]( on whether it should open several upcoming hearings in a high-profile prostitution case to the public. The case - which involves what prosecutors have described as a high-end brothel ring operated out of Watertown, Cambridge, and Virginia - has gained national interest since some of the alleged clients include military officers, doctors, business executives and elected officials. - Who will be there: The SJC will hear arguments from lawyers representing a clerk magistrate, news organizations and a group of alleged buyers. The clerk has ruled that the hearings to determine whether buyers will be charged should be open, but that court records be secret. (WBUR and other media organizations have sued to make these records public.) The accused clients have requested to keep both the records and hearings private. - Who won't be there: Desiree Demos, an advocate for sex workers, says one voice still missing from the hearing is the women at the center of the case. "The absence of representation for women and girls impacted by the violence of being bought and sold in the sex trade is unacceptable," she told WBUR's Todd Wallack. - What's next: The court is expected to rule on whether or not the hearings will be open and if records will be public by early next year. [A recent investigation by Todd found a jarring disparity]( in charges against those selling sex versus those paying for it - and how many buyers manage to maintain privacy through it all. - ICYMI: Massachusetts and Rhode Island officials announced the winning bids for three offshore wind projects Friday. WBUR's Miriam Wasser [reports that they're expected to produce a combined 2,878 megawatts of electricity]( most of which will go to Massachusetts. - How much is that? Well, 2,878 is far short of the 6,800 megawatts the regional effort had previously set out to procure. Still, the amount of electricity the projects are supposed to send to Massachusetts is enough to power more than a million homes, and represents about a fifth of the state's total electricity needs. P.S.- The registration window for next spring's Boston Marathon [opens today at 10 a.m](. Think you've got what it takes? [Check out this year's qualifying times]( and sign up [on the BAA website]( Sept. 13. Hanna Ali Associate Producer, Newsletters Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters The Rundown [Harris and Trump debate in Philadelphia tomorrow night. Here's what you need to know]( The ABC News presidential debate will be the first time Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump face off ahead of the 2024 election. Here's what to expect. [Read more.]( [Harris and Trump debate in Philadelphia tomorrow night. Here's what you need to know]( The ABC News presidential debate will be the first time Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump face off ahead of the 2024 election. Here's what to expect. [Read more.]( [The Gaudreau brothers left a legacy at Boston College and beyond]( Grief over the deaths of John and Matthew Gaudreau filled the hockey community around the world from their hometown in New Jersey to Columbus and Calgary. As they are laid to rest at a funeral service Monday outside Philadelphia, the pain has also been acutely felt in Chestnut Hill. [Read more.]( [The Gaudreau brothers left a legacy at Boston College and beyond]( Grief over the deaths of John and Matthew Gaudreau filled the hockey community around the world from their hometown in New Jersey to Columbus and Calgary. As they are laid to rest at a funeral service Monday outside Philadelphia, the pain has also been acutely felt in Chestnut Hill. [Read more.]( [Are greedy companies to blame for grocery inflation? We looked at the data]( Many shoppers blame stores and manufacturers for supermarket inflation. But what do the companies' finances tell us? [Read more.]( [Are greedy companies to blame for grocery inflation? We looked at the data]( Many shoppers blame stores and manufacturers for supermarket inflation. But what do the companies' finances tell us? [Read more.]( [GOP Senate candidate John Deaton calls Warren part of 'broken system']( Speaking on WBUR's Radio Boston, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate John Deaton said his party affiliation won't drive his decision-making should he be elected. [Read more.]( [GOP Senate candidate John Deaton calls Warren part of 'broken system']( Speaking on WBUR's Radio Boston, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate John Deaton said his party affiliation won't drive his decision-making should he be elected. [Read more.]( [Former Conn.-based Coast Guard cadets file sexual assault complaints]( The 12 women and one man who have filed claims against the Coast Guard alleged that the service did not protect them or enact policies that would have prevented sexual abuse. Under the law, an agency has six months to initiate an investigation into the claims and can decide whether to settle or deny them. [Read more.]( [Former Conn.-based Coast Guard cadets file sexual assault complaints]( The 12 women and one man who have filed claims against the Coast Guard alleged that the service did not protect them or enact policies that would have prevented sexual abuse. Under the law, an agency has six months to initiate an investigation into the claims and can decide whether to settle or deny them. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - This week at CitySpace: The "Curated Cuisine" series returns to CitySpace [this Tuesday]( with some extra-special Vietnamese recipes from New Orleans-based chef Nini Nguyen. Then [on Thursday,]( All Things Considered host Lisa Mullins moderates a conversation with NPR's Sarah McCammon about her new memoir, "The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church." And [on Friday]( you've got a chance to join the podcast team from "This Day in Esoteric Political History" for their first-ever live show. - Also making their football debut yesterday: broadcaster Tom Brady. The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced his first NFL game Sunday - which included [lots of fanboying and a number of awkward moments](. (As Brady himself admitted, "I'm still a rookie in here.") - In related football news: [Kendrick Lamar will be our 2025 Super Bowl halftime show performer](. - Harvard Square's newest venue, Arrow Street Arts, launches this week at the former site of the Oberon, with a festival featuring more than 40 performances that go heavy on chaos and whimsy. WBUR's Cristela Guerra has [a peek inside the inaugural ArrowFest here.]( - Cotton candy, blue and calico-colored lobsters are touted as super-rare fisherman's finds. But in reality, there are no rock-solid figures for how rare a certain type of lobster may be. In Maine, one marine sciences professor and his students are [looking to change that](. What We're Reading 📚 - A Picture-Book Guide to Maine ([The New Yorker]( - Secluding a child is supposed to be prohibited in Mass. schools. But parents say the practice is still in use. ([The Boston Globe]( - The shelter and the storm ([The Washington Post](   Tell Me Something Good [Cowabunga! New Hampshire town celebrates being the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]( The city where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were conceived has largely been overlooked during the crime-fighting quartet's meteoric rise. But a exhibit at the Woodman Museum hopes to change that. [Read more.]( [Cowabunga! New Hampshire town celebrates being the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]( The city where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were conceived has largely been overlooked during the crime-fighting quartet's meteoric rise. But a exhibit at the Woodman Museum hopes to change that. [Read more.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [A sympathetic note to all the city commuters.]( 😎 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.](   [Donate](   # # 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](. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright 2024 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.