DiZoglio's unfinished audits

Also: Boston's new cancer duo; remembering local rock critic Steve Morse [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser](   October 30, 2024  ⛅ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Good Morning Boston, Happy Halloween Eve - or as they say in [some parts]( of Massachusetts, [Cabbage Night](. This week's [weather warmup]( begins just in time for all your mischief making. But first, the news: - An even more iconic duo? Mass General Brigham's longtime partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute [is coming to an end]( in the near future. But the state's largest hospital system is spinning it as an opportunity. As WBUR's Priyanka Dayal McCluskey reports, Mass General Brigham is working to ensure it remains a top destination for cancer care with a new institute bringing together specialists from the system's two biggest medical centers. - Rewind: Despite collaborating in many other areas, Mass General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital worked independently on cancer. That was because of the latter's partnership with Dana-Farber. "We were considered to be too dominant in the cancer market space," Dr. O'Neil Britton, the chief integration officer for Mass General Brigham, told reporters earlier this week. But last year, Dana-Farber announced it would end that partnership in 2028, and build its own cancer hospital in the Longwood Medical Area with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. That effectively dropped the firewall between Mass General and Brigham and Women's. "What really started as a disruptive event a year ago ... has  now become a new opportunity for us to rethink how we deliver care," Britton said. - Zoom in: Unlike the new Dana-Farber cancer hospital, the new institute at Mass General Brigham won't include a new building. But many of the other details remain unknown, including the official launch date. "There's an evolution here that will occur over time," Britton said. "We are disrupting ourselves purposefully to reorganize ourselves to really deliver on what the patients are asking us to do: 'Can you make this more seamless? Can you make this feel easier?'... That's the crux of what we're trying to get to." - Zoom out: The new effort comes at a time when cancer is becoming more common and affecting people at younger ages, [according to the American Association for Cancer Research's annual report](. At the same time, death rates have declined. - Done deal: After [striking for 24 days]( hundreds of union workers at Hilton Hotels in Boston have a tentative contract agreement. Their union, UNITE HERE Local 26, announced the deal last night, saying it includes the same wage and benefit standards as the [contract Omni hotel workers]( recently ratified to end their strike. - What's next: Picket lines at Hilton Boston Logan Airport and Hilton Boston Park Plaza have been suspended due to the tentative deal, which the union says workers will vote on tomorrow. If they ratify it, they will return to work Friday. - In simple terms: If you or your family makes under $75,000, you can go to any of the UMass colleges for free starting next fall. That's [the new, streamlined pledge]( from the state university system. - Leaders say over 90% of students at UMass Amherst, Dartmouth and Lowell from households making less than the $75,000 threshold already had no tuition costs through a combination of state and federal aid. But the maze of Pell Grants, MASSGrant and scholarships can be daunting. UMass President Marty Meehan said he hopes the pledge will help more students and families realize UMass is more affordable than they thought. - Holyoke Public Schools are scheduled to return to local control by next July, after [nearly a decade in state receivership](. Massachusetts officials announced a "provisional decision" yesterday to remove the district's "chronically underperforming" status. - Go deeper: Since 2015, Holyoke schools have been led by a state-appointed superintendent/receiver focused on implementing a "turnaround plan." Here's [a closer look at the progress they've made and the work left to do](. - In other hospital news: Reconstruction at Brockton Hospital is making big progress. The 125-year-old hospital, which had a massive fire in February of last year, [partially reopened in August]( but construction crews have also wrapped up the new outpatient facility and a completely redesigned emergency department. The final phase of work will focus on the maternity, pediatric and behavioral health units, all of which are set to open in early 2025. P.S.- If you can't make it to Boston City Hall this week to see the new Green Line "[supercar]( on display, just head over to our Instagram. WBUR's Sydney Ko [offers a peek inside the trolley in this video](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters The Rundown [DiZoglio wants to audit the Legislature. But other audits remain undone]( Of the 200 state agencies that must be audited every three years, WBUR discovered the Auditor's Office hadn't examined nearly half of them by that deadline. [Read more.]( [DiZoglio wants to audit the Legislature. But other audits remain undone]( Of the 200 state agencies that must be audited every three years, WBUR discovered the Auditor's Office hadn't examined nearly half of them by that deadline. [Read more.]( [Mass. doctors combat 'devastating' trend of heart disease in South Asian patients ]( A combination of lifestyle and genetic factors are thought to put South Asians at higher risk of heart disease. But these risks often go unnoticed. [Read more.]( [Mass. doctors combat 'devastating' trend of heart disease in South Asian patients ]( A combination of lifestyle and genetic factors are thought to put South Asians at higher risk of heart disease. But these risks often go unnoticed. [Read more.]( [Gulf of Maine wind power sale attracts lackluster interest]( Results from the federal government's first-ever wind energy lease sale netted about $22 million in lease payments for four parcels off the coast of Cape Cod and Maine. The sale results were far less than eye-popping sums spent on offshore wind leases about two years ago. [Read more.]( [Gulf of Maine wind power sale attracts lackluster interest]( Results from the federal government's first-ever wind energy lease sale netted about $22 million in lease payments for four parcels off the coast of Cape Cod and Maine. The sale results were far less than eye-popping sums spent on offshore wind leases about two years ago. [Read more.]( [Puerto Rican leaders in western Mass. call Trump rally comments 'offensive, hateful']( A comedian at a rally for Donald Trump made disparaging comments about Puerto Rico. Springfield and Holyoke have large Puerto Rican populations, and community leaders have pushed back on the remarks. [Read more.]( [Puerto Rican leaders in western Mass. call Trump rally comments 'offensive, hateful']( A comedian at a rally for Donald Trump made disparaging comments about Puerto Rico. Springfield and Holyoke have large Puerto Rican populations, and community leaders have pushed back on the remarks. [Read more.]( [Americans bet $100 million on Trump v. Harris, but at what cost?]( Political prognosticators legally bet over $100 million on the 2024 presidential election, favoring Harris over Trump. [Read more.]( [Americans bet $100 million on Trump v. Harris, but at what cost?]( Political prognosticators legally bet over $100 million on the 2024 presidential election, favoring Harris over Trump. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Around one billion people worldwide will celebrate Diwali this week. And the possibility of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the first person of South Asian heritage to ascend to the highest office in the U.S. has added even more excitement for some celebrating the Hindu "Festival of Lights" this year. [Here are some things you should know about Diwali.]( - Longtime Boston Globe music writer Steve Morse died last Saturday at the age of 76, following a storied career that featured a retirement party hosted by none other than Bono. WBUR contributor Jim Sullivan and musicians from The Cars, Aerosmith and more [reflect on Morse's legacy in the music community in this tribute](. - It's hunting season in Maine, but you might want to pause before digging in to your local game. Maine is [advising hunters to avoid eating deer or turkey from certain areas]( to risk of PFAS contamination. - Need a last-minute Halloween costume? You can dress up as the world's scariest animal using just [some supplies from the drug store](. What We're Reading 📚 - Karen Read's highly anticipated Vanity Fair profile is out. Here's what we learned. ([Boston.com]( - Northeastern adds Husky Card locks to Mugar bathrooms in response to reported 'activity in relation to prostitution' ([The Huntington News]( - Their Son's Death Was Devastating. Then Politics Made It Worse. ([The New York Times](   Tell Me Something Good [Ahoy, Matey! Meet the 13-year-old behind this impressive pirate Halloween display in Newton (WCVB)]( "Our neighbors, when he was building it, thought we were putting an addition in because they heard him nailing for days." [Read more.]( [Ahoy, Matey! Meet the 13-year-old behind this impressive pirate Halloween display in Newton (WCVB)]( "Our neighbors, when he was building it, thought we were putting an addition in because they heard him nailing for days." [Read more.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [A maiden voyage to the Kowloon.]( 😎 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. 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