Today is the first day of classes for most students at Brown University since a shooter killed two and injured nine on the Providence campus last month. The Ivy League university says it's stepping up security for the spring semester, including more officers, security cameras and stricter key card requirements for buildings. Brown President Christina Paxson also announced yesterday that the school is planning a memorial service for the victims on Feb. 7. (You can read her full letter about the new semester here.) Now, to other local news: Off track: CRRC, the Chinese company that's building new Red Line cars for the MBTA, says it will furlough about 40% of the workers at its Springfield plant — 161 people, to be exact — for at least two months starting in March. - The reason: CRRC says its car shells and other parts imported from China continue to be detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Trump administration first began holding up the shells last May over questions about whether any forced Uyghur labor in China was used to build them. CRRC has stressed that it went to lengths to ensure that was never the case. However, as WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reported, industry experts say actually showing proof that no forced labor was involved is "famously difficult." (Case in point: CRRC has tried to trace the parts through as many as eight tiers of sub-suppliers and submitted the equivalent of 100,000 to 150,000 pages of documentation to the government, according to the MBTA.)
- The big picture: The customs holdup is the latest delay for the decade-plus effort to upgrade the MBTA's aging fleet with newer, more reliable cars — which was already years behind schedule. CRRC was able to deliver the final two of the new Orange Line cars last month. Now, it's focusing on finishing the T's order for 252 new Red Line cars. As of last month, the T said they have about 60 of them.
- What's next: CRRC hinted that the furloughs could go longer than two months, depending on what happens with the detained car shells. The affected workers could even be laid off. The company plans to provide an update by May 8.
Don't bet on it: A local judge plans to order the upstart online prediction platform Kalshi to stop offering wagers on sporting events in Massachusetts. Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Christopher Barry-Smith said yesterday he will issue a preliminary injunction against Kalshi, after Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued on the grounds that the company was basically an unlicensed sportsbook. “The Court has made clear that any company that wants to be in the sports gaming business in Massachusetts must play by our rules — no exceptions,” Campbell said. - Go deeper: Here's a closer look at the rise of platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket that effectively offer betting on real-world events and how they have worked to operate outside of existing state gambling laws.
Another one: Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn announced yesterday that he will not run for a fourth term this fall. During his nearly 12 years in office, Quinn oversaw high-profile prosecutions against Aaron Hernandez and Michelle Carter. He didn't say why he's stepping down. On your marks: The elite women's field for this spring's Boston Marathon was announced yesterday, and it's loaded with top American runners. The 130th edition of the race will feature the entire 2024 U.S. women's Olympic marathon team, including American record holder and Providence College alum Emily Sisson. Last year's women's winner Sharon Lokedi, of Kenya, will also be back to defend her title. - Why it matters: No American has won the Boston Marathon since Des Linden's rain-soaked upset in 2018. BAA Chief Operating Officer Mary Kate Shea said in a statement yesterday that the depth of the American field and the return of top international runners with Boston experience is "setting the stage for a clash that could result in records and sprint finishes on Boylston Street."
P.S.— Harvard is your 2026 Women's Beanpot champion. The Crimson hockey team beat Boston University last night 2-1 in overtime. Here are the full game highlights or you can just watch freshman Carla McSweeney's game-winning goal here. |
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