Should Boston have official merch?

Also: What's next in Milton; how the immigration debate is roiling Mass. politics [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  February 15, 2024 ☁️ Cloudy, with a high of 36 and [chance of light snow]( overnight. Good Morning Boston, The Red Line is[ fully open again]( but now the MBTA’s other three subway lines are having problems this morning. Green, Blue and Orange Line trains have been stopped over an hour (as of 7:45 a.m.) due “[a power problem]( affecting the T. Officials suggest riders [consider alternative travel options](. Let's get to the news: - Should the City of Boston have official merch? A City Hall hoodie? Boston Planning and Development Agency reprints of historic maps? Public Works coffee mugs? There's a lot of enthusiasm for the idea inside City Hall, says Councilor Sharon Durkan. During a meeting yesterday, she filed [an order]( to explore the creation of a citywide merchandise licensing program in Boston. "When you fall in love with this city, you want to wear it on your chest," Durkan said in an interview. "You want to put on a hoodie. You want to put on a cap. You want to wear it on your water bottle." - Zoom out: [For decades]( New York City has licensed official clothing, apparel and souvenirs — from NYPD hats to [Department of Sanitation trash can pen holders](. (Durkan says she got the idea after seeing a friend with a NYC Parks and Recreation hoodie.) Similar programs also exist in Los Angeles, Chicago and London. - Why get into the merch game? For starters, it's a way to show off civic pride. Boston already has no shortage of Red Sox hats and Celtics jerseys. But, according to Durkan, this would allow residents to rep Boston's various agencies, neighborhoods and symbols — and allow Boston to own its own brand. "In the absence of a structured license framework, these treasured emblems remain untapped reservoirs of potential, susceptible to indiscriminate reproduction and commercialization," she said in the meeting. - It also could be a revenue opportunity. The proposal came just before [a new report showing that Boston faces growing tax revenue shortfalls due to empty office buildings](. While Durkan says it's difficult to estimate how much money merchandise licensing would bring, NYC's program netted the city $24 million in 2009. - What's next? The process kicks off with scheduling a hearing in the near future. Durkan hopes to work with council colleagues and various city departments to eventually put out an [RFP]( to local artists and businesses that would create and sell the merchandise. "I'm excited to see where the conversation goes," she said. - Share: What merch would you want from the city? Parks and rec sneakers? 311 t-shirts? Smells like public works candles? Let us know by replying to this email and we could feature your response in a future story or newsletter. - Zoning out: Milton voters have overturned a new zoning plan meant to encourage more multifamily housing in parts of the Boston suburb, as the "no" campaign won [yesterday's referendum]( with 54% of the 9,466 votes cast. - Now what? State officials say Milton will be in violation of the MBTA Communities Act as soon as the results are certified. While Massachusetts Housing Secretary Ed Augustus said the state is "[hopeful]( they can work with Milton to put forward a new compliant zoning plan, he said the town "will begin losing out on significant grant funding from the state" in the meantime. Attorney General Andrea Campbell also [hinted]( that her office is prepared to take legal action. - Leaving the Legislature: Four veteran Democratic state legislators in Massachusetts announced this week they will retire at the end of the year, joining what's become a growing exodus on Beacon Hill. The list is headlined by the Senate's longest serving member, [Marc Pacheco, of Taunton]( who has been on Beacon Hill for over 35 years. - Who else? Thirteen-term Newton Rep. Ruth Balser, eight-term Westport Rep. Paul Schmid, and seven-term Needham Rep. Denise Garlick all announced they won't seek reelection. In total, that makes two state senators and nine state reps leaving office, [per State House News Service](. - Pushback in Franklin Park: The BPDA scrapped a proposed vote on a zoning amendment last night that was key for advancing plans to renovate White Stadium into [the new home]( of Boston's upcoming women's professional soccer team. [According to The Dorchester Reporter]( officials are lightly tapping the brakes due to concerns from local residents about traffic, the use of the space and the timeline. - The big picture: Boston officials still say they expect to finish the renovations by early 2026. However, the delay this week means demolition work will not begin in April as originally planned. P.S.— Tickets for this summer's Levitate Music Festival in Marshfield [go on sale today at noon](. The July 5-7 festival is slated to feature a rare appearance by the recently reunited '90s surf-punk band Sublime, along with Lake Street Dive, Mt. Joy and many others. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [How the immigration debate is roiling Mass. politics]( In one local example, Republican Peter Durant won his election last year to the state Senate after immigration became a dominant topic in the campaign. [Read more.]( [How the immigration debate is roiling Mass. politics]( In one local example, Republican Peter Durant won his election last year to the state Senate after immigration became a dominant topic in the campaign. [Read more.]( [State officials step up monitoring of ailing Steward Health Care]( Public Health Commissioner Goldstein says hospital closures are likely as a result of the company's financial troubles. [Read more.]( [State officials step up monitoring of ailing Steward Health Care]( Public Health Commissioner Goldstein says hospital closures are likely as a result of the company's financial troubles. [Read more.]( [1 dead, at least 21 injured in shooting at Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl rally]( A local Tejano music DJ, who is a mother of two, was killed in the shooting following the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory rally in Kansas City, Mo. Three people were taken into custody, authorities said. [Read more.]( [1 dead, at least 21 injured in shooting at Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl rally]( A local Tejano music DJ, who is a mother of two, was killed in the shooting following the Chiefs' Super Bowl victory rally in Kansas City, Mo. Three people were taken into custody, authorities said. [Read more.]( [Mass. proposes new protections for horseshoe crabs]( The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is proposing new regulations that would prohibit harvesting horseshoe crabs during the spring spawning season, from April 15 to June 7. Horseshoe crabs are harvested for bait and also for use in the biomedical industry. [Read more.]( [Mass. proposes new protections for horseshoe crabs]( The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is proposing new regulations that would prohibit harvesting horseshoe crabs during the spring spawning season, from April 15 to June 7. Horseshoe crabs are harvested for bait and also for use in the biomedical industry. [Read more.]( [Federal prosecutors charge 41 people tied to Boston gang in sweeping guns, drugs and fraud case]( The charges are part of a sweeping federal RICO case involving alleged members of the Heath Street gang, which has been active for decades around the Mildred C. Hailey apartments in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood. [Read more.]( [Federal prosecutors charge 41 people tied to Boston gang in sweeping guns, drugs and fraud case]( The charges are part of a sweeping federal RICO case involving alleged members of the Heath Street gang, which has been active for decades around the Mildred C. Hailey apartments in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - This weekend won't be as warm as the last, but there are [lots of indoor events to check out around the city]( including a family-friendly festival in Cambridge, Oscar-nominated shorts in Boston and Waltham, and a Symphony Hall orchestra performance featuring Anita Hill. - "The Sweet East" — the big-screen directorial debut of Sean Price Williams, featuring Talia Ryder and Jacob Elordi — will be at the Brattle Theatre for a brief holiday weekend run. Film critic Sean Burns [writes in his review]( that the nervy comedy is a "picaresque road trip" through a country that has lost its common cause and common sense. - Rich Barlow [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that knee-jerk critics of the SAT and ACT may not have read the recent Dartmouth report that calls for reinstating standardized test scores — but they should.  What We're Reading 📚 - The T Fixed Dozens of Green Line Slow Zones. Why Is It So Hard to Notice the Difference? ([StreetsBlog MASS]( - Grover the Muppet says he's a reporter. Not for long, joke his beleaguered peers ([NPR]( - Brookline legalized accessory dwelling units in 2019. So why hasn’t a single one been built? ([Brookline.News](  ICYMI [The history behind vicious, Victorian-era 'vinegar valentines']( There was a time when New Englanders sent and received some pretty vicious valentines. Historian Susan Benjamin takes us back to the Victorian era through this audio time capsule. [Read more.]( [The history behind vicious, Victorian-era 'vinegar valentines']( There was a time when New Englanders sent and received some pretty vicious valentines. Historian Susan Benjamin takes us back to the Victorian era through this audio time capsule. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [breaks down the surge in youth gambling in Massachusetts]( and how online gambling apps are fueling the trend. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? 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