Dozens from Massachusetts head south to help with Hurricane Milton recovery

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As if this weekend’s forecast wasn’t enough, there may be another chance to see the northern lights tonight, in case you missed last night’s dazzling display. Check out the surreal images people took of the night sky, from Massachusetts to Maine. (Several of you also had some solid aurora memes, too.)

Now to the news:

Headed south: Scores of Bay Staters are on the way to Florida to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which hit the state yesterday as a Category-3 hurricane. The recovery effort includes dozens of volunteers and National Grid workers.

• More than 2.5 million in Florida were without power as of Friday morning. National grid spokesperson Bob Kievra says the company is sending an additional 43 workers to help with a larger effort to get utilities restored. National Grid already had 50-60 people in the region helping in the wake of Hurricane Helene. “It’s going to take time and a lot of manpower to make that restoration come to fruition,” Kievra told WBUR’s John Bender. “Our teams are highly skilled and they’ve got the specialized equipment that’s needed.”
• Dozens of local volunteers from the Salvation Army and the Red Cross are flying down to the region. The Red Cross says it will also send a distribution vehicle with food and supplies.
• Gov. Maura Healey said MEMA staff who are already south for Helene recovery efforts are also available. “We have folks on the ground in North Carolina and South Carolina and we have offered assistance, and are prepared to assist in Florida as well,” Healey said during a press conference yesterday in Boston. Members of the state’s search and rescue team, Massachusetts Task Force One, have been helping since Helene struck.
• The latest: Some businesses in Florida are beginning to reopen today. Officials say the state avoided the “worst-case scenario.” Still, Milton’s death toll has risen to at least 14 people.
• FYI: Did you notice how many tornado reports there were across Florida? Here’s why experts think Milton caused so many.

Rank and file: Boston election officials say they’d likely need “entirely new” voting machines, if the city decided to implement ranked choice voting. During a City Council hearing yesterday, Election Commissioner Eneida Tavares estimated the upgrade would cost around $2 million. “We expect higher costs in areas of programming and ballot printing, as well as extended time for counting ballots and certifying the election,” Taveres said. “We would also need to consider investing in newer model voting equipment to reduce the processing time for each ballot.”

• On the other hand, the system could save money in the long run by reducing the number of elections. Under the proposal from Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, ranked choice voting would eliminate the need for preliminary elections for mayor and district councilor, unless there are more than four candidates. “There is a huge savings that we would have if there is no preliminary,” said head assistant registrar Sabino Piemonte, who estimated it costs well over a million dollars to run a citywide election.
• What’s next: There’s still the big if of whether Boston chooses to pursue ranked choice voting. The proposal would need approval from the City Council, Mayor Michelle Wu, state lawmakers and Boston voters via a referendum in 2025 at the earliest.

So, you’re saying there’s a chance: Former Gov. Charlie Baker was back in Boston yesterday, mostly to talk about college sports. But the NCAA president didn’t rule out running for public office, again. “I never rule anything out based on the course of my own career,” Baker said. “But I think we live in really challenging times, and it’s important that really good people step up and play.” (He also joked that, at the age of 68, he’s “not old enough to run for president.”)

• Baker, a moderate Republican and critic of Donald Trump, declined to take a stance on this year’s presidential election, as he is known to do. “I’m not here to talk about that,” he told reporters.

In memoriam: Ethel Kennedy, the formidable social activist, mother of 11 and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, died on Thursday due to complications from a stroke last week. She was 96.

• Massachusetts author Larry Tye spent time with Kennedy while writing a book about her late husband. He spoke with WBUR’s All Things Considered about the family matriarch’s life and legacy.
• Scroll through photos of Kennedy’s 70-plus years in the spotlight.

P.S.— Who will the Patriots start as quarterback this Sunday? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week’s stories.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.