Avoiding a shamrock shake up

Also: Why some Bay Staters are putting money back in Silicon Valley Bank; a new take on the "Boston Strangler" [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 17, 2023 🍀 Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Good Morning Boston, ...and happy St. Patrick's Day! While local Catholics normally aren't supposed to eat meat on Fridays during Lent, the Archdiocese of Boston is [granting a corned beef exemption today]( — just this once. (And remember, parking meters in Boston are [free today]( The weather this weekend [looks cloudy but cooperative]( with this weekend's festivities. So, let's start with the big one: - Local officials in South Boston have been working to avoid a repeat of last year's St. Patrick's Day Parade, when [an outside neo-Nazi group hung a "Keep Boston Irish" banner on a barricade along the parade route](. State Sen. Nick Collins told WBUR's Amy Sokolow that state and local agencies are coordinating a "rapid response plan" this weekend to prevent public assets from again being used to display hateful messages, which he said amounts to a violation of state law. "Anybody caught violating the law by using these public assets to promote their hateful propaganda will be held accountable," Collins said. - Zoom out: According to a [report last week from the Anti-Defamation League]( "white supremacist propaganda activity" in New England is at an all-time high. The group found that there were 465 such incidents in Massachusetts last year — a 96% increase compared to 2021 and second only to California for the most in the nation. Examples include white supremacist public gatherings and flier distribution. The ADL's Peggy Shukur told WBUR's Fausto Menard that such behavior is intended to stoke fear and intimidate people from engaging in their own community. - Zoom in: Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn has also asked the city's Human Rights Commission to be on high alert this weekend. He noted the city has seen other incidents of white supremacist propaganda over the past year, like [a large downtown march]( and [a protest at Brigham and Women's Hospital](. - Collins emphasized the parade Sunday should be a "safe and enjoyable" day for all residents, families and visitors — though there is another persistent issue they're trying to get a hold of: excessive public drinking. City officials said this week that bars and liquor stores in South Boston have agreed to close early on Sunday at 4 p.m. Collins added there will be an increased police presence around MBTA stations to try to stem drinking on trains and along the parade route. - [Read here]( for more information on the logistics of the St. Patrick's Day parade, from the route to parking and transportation details. - Heads up: National Grid customers could see a big decrease in their electric rates this spring. After a winter of sky-high electricity prices, WBUR's Miriam Wasser [reports that the utility is proposing a 58% cut to its basic supply rate]( beginning May 1. That translates to about $115 less per month for the average customer. - The proposed drop — which still needs to be approved next week — is because the cost of natural gas has fallen, partly due to our warmer-than-normal winter, Wasser reports. - To the Eversource customers wondering, "What about us?": Don't worry. Your twice-a-year rate change is on the way, too — albeit a bit later — on July 1. ([Read more here]( about why electricity rate changes can be so uneven across New England.) - After the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week, the biggest financial institutions in the country are rallying together to shore up another bank with a big local footprint. The group is [putting in $30 billion to rescue First Republic Bank]( amid worries that the California-based bank was vulnerable to a similar run on its deposits. - WBUR's Beth Healy reports that First Republic is the sixth-largest retail bank in Massachusetts. It has five branches in the Boston area and nearly $18 billion dollars in deposits – much of that from wealthy clients and business owners, as well as nonprofits. - Boston-based State Street Bank is part of the rescue group, along with other giants like Bank of America and J.P. Morgan Chase. - Massachusetts' first-ever undersecretary of environmental justice and equity started work last week. María Belén Power, a former community organizer for Green Roots, spoke with WBUR's Morning Edition host Rupa Shenoy, saying her job is to elevate the voices of communities of color who have been long overburdened by environmental harms. This comes as the state makes its clean energy transition and confronts other issues. - Listen to [the full interview here](. P.S.— Boston Public Schools proposed a new contract this week. Do you know who it would be with? Then [take our Boston News Quiz](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Silicon Valley Bank to customers: Come back!]( As federal regulators continue to seek a buyer for Silicon Valley Bank, the failed financial institution is asking customers to come back. The message is resonating with some Massachusetts companies. [Read more.]( [Silicon Valley Bank to customers: Come back!]( As federal regulators continue to seek a buyer for Silicon Valley Bank, the failed financial institution is asking customers to come back. The message is resonating with some Massachusetts companies. [Read more.]( [Boston to adopt energy-efficient 'stretch' building codes, Wu says]( Boston would adopt a new, voluntary energy-efficient building code that would require new construction be wired for all-electric use under a plan pitched by Mayor Michelle Wu on Thursday. [Read more.]( [Boston to adopt energy-efficient 'stretch' building codes, Wu says]( Boston would adopt a new, voluntary energy-efficient building code that would require new construction be wired for all-electric use under a plan pitched by Mayor Michelle Wu on Thursday. [Read more.]( [Flight attack raises questions about security and mental health for airlines]( The case history of Leominster man charged for attacking a flight attendant in early March demonstrates the challenges facing airlines and federal regulators when handling passengers with mental illness — especially since experts say data shows those with mental illnesses are more often the victims of crimes than those responsible. [Read more.]( [Flight attack raises questions about security and mental health for airlines]( The case history of Leominster man charged for attacking a flight attendant in early March demonstrates the challenges facing airlines and federal regulators when handling passengers with mental illness — especially since experts say data shows those with mental illnesses are more often the victims of crimes than those responsible. [Read more.]( [After Baystate doctor's arrest for child pornography, FBI asking families to report their concerns]( The FBI is inviting families to fill out a form with any concerns about 32-year-old Baystate Health family medicine resident, Bradford Ferrick, who was working in Greenfield, Deerfield and Springfield, when the FBI searched his property in February. [Read more.]( [After Baystate doctor's arrest for child pornography, FBI asking families to report their concerns]( The FBI is inviting families to fill out a form with any concerns about 32-year-old Baystate Health family medicine resident, Bradford Ferrick, who was working in Greenfield, Deerfield and Springfield, when the FBI searched his property in February. [Read more.]( [Firefighter union sues Mass. group over toxic chemicals in protective gear]( The International Association of Fire Fighters is suing the Quincy-based group that sets national standards for firefighters' protective gear, saying it colluded with industry and set guidelines that resulted in toxic PFAS chemicals being used in gear. [Read more.]( [Firefighter union sues Mass. group over toxic chemicals in protective gear]( The International Association of Fire Fighters is suing the Quincy-based group that sets national standards for firefighters' protective gear, saying it colluded with industry and set guidelines that resulted in toxic PFAS chemicals being used in gear. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - A Boston pizza parlor owner [has been accused of physically and verbally abusing a longtime immigrant employee]( who could not legally work in the U.S. — and it's not his first time in federal court. - Hulu's new "Boston Strangler" remake starring Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon begins streaming today. Here's [how film critic Sean Burns says it stacks up against the original 1968 true crime movie](. - What seems like a love and lust triangle turns into something much more in Lenelle Moïse's new play "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" at the Boston Center for the Arts' Calderwood Pavilion. Read theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair's review [here](. - Aine Greaney [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that Ireland is too often rendered as a reductive and clichéd version of a country that, like all nations, has its nuances, contradictions and dualities.  What We're Reading 📚 - What We Talk About When We Talk About Trans Rights ([The New Yorker]( - ‘A chaotic mess at any turn’: Why Worcester City Council meetings can be a spectacle ([GBH News]( - Q&A: Victor Pickard on the layoffs at NPR, and how to better support public and local media ([Columbia Journalism Review](  Tell Me Something Good [Crying Northwestern Kid, now a Harvard freshman, still loves his Wildcats and embraces his meme (The Sporting News)]( Twelve-year-old John Phillips was the symbol of March sadness when the Crying Northwestern Kid meme took off. Now, he’s a freshman at Harvard, still following his Wildcats, and unashamed of his 15 minutes of fame. [Read more.]( [Crying Northwestern Kid, now a Harvard freshman, still loves his Wildcats and embraces his meme (The Sporting News)]( Twelve-year-old John Phillips was the symbol of March sadness when the Crying Northwestern Kid meme took off. Now, he’s a freshman at Harvard, still following his Wildcats, and unashamed of his 15 minutes of fame. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common runs down [the best places to catch live Celtic music in Boston during St. Patrick's Day weekend](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: Sometimes you just have to [stand by your mistakes](. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   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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