This is WBZ, Boston's news Radio Rea defining local news.
Mostly cloudy and Boston. It's eleven o'clock eighty two degrees, but feels like eighty seven out there. Good morning. I'm Nicole Davis and here's what's happening. Lawmakers on Beacon Hill are done with their budget proposal and now it's on Governor Heey's desk. The budget plan boosts spending on transportation, healthcare, education, and more, all of which could be impacted by potential federal funding cuts. Governor Keilly has ten days to review
the sixty one billion dollar compromise budget. It was submitted yesterday, the day before the start of the fiscal year. Now, aside from the annual budget, Governor Keey also got an interim budget to keep the government running through the start of this fiscal year while she reviews the overall plan. She signed that interim budget almost seven and a half
billion dollars yesterday. From Beacon Hill to Capitol Hill. Republicans right now scrambling to make sure they have enough votes as they try to pass the sweeping budget and tax bill known as the Big Beautiful Bill. Some GOP holdouts are concerned about cuts to medicate in the bill. They say they go too far. Others think the cuts don't go far enough.
The bill includes roughly four trillion dollars in tax cuts, a new funding for immigration enforcement, and fulfill some campaign pledges like no taxes on tips in overtime. It also guts Biden Air clean energy initiatives and slashes Medicaid, despite pledges by the President to not touch the program.
Here's what I.
Want on Medicaid.
We're not touching anything.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicting the bill will result in some eleven point eight million Americans losing their health coverage over the next decade.
As ABC's Rachel Scott, the bill would also extend tax cuts passed during the previous Trump administration. SENNA is nearing a final vote on this megabill. This is all coming as President Trump is in South Florida visiting the detention facility nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz. At eleven oh two. A judge today setting a two hundred and fifty thousand dollars cash bail for a Boston police officer accused of raping a child. Sergeant Paul Downey appearing in court A short time ago.
The serious nature of the charges that mister Downey faces, as well as the potential penalties on all of these on the multiple accounts and his financial resources do close a risk of flight.
Downey was arraigned yesterday where a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. He was ordered held without bail until the hearing today.
Now.
Downey is accused of sexually assaulting a fourteen year old boy on two occasions at the South Bay Mall and then paying him afterwards. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox saying the charges are very troubling. He says Downey was immediately placed on leave. We have a pretty uneven a little bit of a volatile weather day ahead of us, as we've got some strong showers and storms, some heavy downpours
possible for the rest of the afternoon. Right now, it is a little bit wet out there in some spots. I'm just refreshing my radars. I'm talking with you, and I am seeing some showers out there over the Cape and also parts of southern New Hampshire and in the Berkshares. If you're listening on the iHeartRadio app, it is raining at a pretty good clip in places like Pittsfield and
North Adams. So later on today, again it's very muggy out there, so that is going to fuel some downpours and thunderstorms later on today we have a high near ninety. The heat is going to help in that. For tonight, the clouds will break up. Later tonight, maybe a couple of thunderstorms, very sticky and muggy, and a lone near seventy two. Wednesday Tomorrow partly sunny with a high in the upper eighties. Then Thursday we could have a couple
of gusty afternoon or evening storms. And we have a high near ninety eighty one degrees in Fitchburg eighty two as you make your way into Haverol seventy nine in Randolph, and in Boston right now at eleven oh five, mostly cloudy, but getting a little bit brighter out there, and very very muggy eighty two degrees and it feels more like eighty seven out there. A home depot in Natick has its own guardian of the garden center. Wbz's Jay Willette has more in this fine feathered friend.
That's what a barred owl sounds like. But the one that remains here, burrowed up in Natick's home depot rafters is silent, watching over customers as they load up on mulch and ceramic pots.
We're out here in the middle of winter and we saw it hanging out up in the roof raft I tier and next thing you know it, it was just part of my family with a for months and months and months.
At first, employees thought she was a he, but after a wildlife expert came through and verified, they had to do the name change of Alie to Ellie. I've seen it taking care of some rafts. Really. That expert also determined Ellie has a safe way to come in and out and isn't bothering anyone except any sorry mouse to waltz in here. She's part of the family here. Even has her picture on the staff board in the back with her wings extended from Natick. Jaywillette, WBZ Boston's news radio.
Trash collection has come to a halt in twenty cities in towns around Massachusetts, hundreds of sanitation workers represented by the Teamsters went on strike just after midnight. They are setting an impasse their contract negotiations with Republic Services. Teamsters leadership say the workers want better protections, benefits and wages from Republic General President Sean O'Brien, saying, quote, our members will do whatever it takes to finally get the respect
they're owed, according to Republic Services. They tell WBZ News Radio the strike is disappointing and they say they're hopeful in agreement will be reached soon. And Cambridge based Maderna says its experimental flu shot is showing some positive results in a late stage trial.
According to the company, the new flu vaccines efficacy was nearly twenty seven percent higher for adults fifty and older than the currently available shot. Findings from the study also show strong efficacy against each of the major influenza strains in the vaccine. Maderna said efficacy appeared consistently strong across age groups, flu vaccination status, and among people with various risk factors.
I'm Tammy Trheo. You are now in MALUK. For news updates throughout the day, listen to WBZ Radio on the iHeartRadio app. I'm Nicole Davis, w b reamed Boston's news radio