The MSPCA took in dozens of animals after Helene. Now, they’re preparing for Milton
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Today is the anniversary of New England’s “Great Snow Hurricane.” And though today’s local forecast calls only for more crisp, blue-sky weather, many are focused on another storm hundreds of miles south.
Hurricane Milton is approaching Florida’s west coast today with alarmingly destructive wind, waves and rain. Here’s what to know about the local impacts:
Milton’s ripples: As Florida braces for Milton’s landfall tonight, local animal shelters are preparing to handle a potential wave of displaced animals. As WBUR’s Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reports, leaders at MSPCA-Angell in Boston say there’s no doubt animals will be impacted by the Category-5 hurricane. “If this storm is as bad as it is predicted to be, people’s houses will be destroyed, animals will be displaced and there will be a lot of need for animals to come into care right after the disaster hits,” Mike Keiley, the vice president of MSPCA-Angell’s animal protection division, told Andrea.
- Zoom in: The shelter, which works with national organizations to transport animals from disaster-stricken areas, has already taken in 83 animals (mostly cats and dogs) from North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida after being hit by Hurricane Helene. The group also plans to send staff to help with disaster relief and reuniting lost pets. “We will absolutely look to deploy personnel to Florida while we’re also deploying personnel to North Carolina,” Keiley said.
- PSA: With all four of their centers now at capacity, the MSPCA is waiving adoption fees for dogs over the age of 1 next week, Oct. 14 to Oct. 20. (Scroll through the available dogs here.)
- Check your flight: According to the website FlightAware, there are 50 canceled flights at Logan Airport today — most of which are either to or from Florida destinations like Tampa or Orlando. (Most airlines are allowing customers scheduled to fly to Florida in the next few days to change plans without a penalty.)
- Zoom out: People in Florida are running out of time to evacuate, as conditions from Milton are expected to deteriorate over the course of the day.
Gunning for 2026: Gov. Maura Healey may have prevented opponents from pausing the state’s new gun law, but the issue might very well go before Massachusetts voters in 2026. WBUR’s Walter Wuthmann reports that gun rights activists plan to turn in over 90,000 signatures today to add a referendum to the 2026 ballot on whether to repeal the law. (It’s more than double the amount they needed to file.)
- What are the next steps? Not many! If at least 37,287 signatures are certified by local and state officials this fall, the gun law referendum will officially be placed on the 2026 ballot.
- Go deeper: Opponents are also taking their fight to court. And if the lawsuit makes it to the conservative Supreme Court, some legal experts say parts of the gun law could be at risk. Read Walt’s full story on the double-barreled fight here.
Big in the local beer world: Everett’s Night Shift Brewing is getting bought by Framingham-based Hendler Family Brewing (aka the company that owns Jack’s Abby and Wormtown).
- Zoom in: According to yesterday’s press release, Hendler will bring on the “vast majority” of Night Shift’s existing workers. They’ll also keep Night Shift’s locations running and offer its “core lineup” of beers, such as Whirlpool, Santilli and Nite Lite.
- Zoom out: It’s the latest of a series of local brewery acquisitions, amid signs that the craft beer business is beginning to slow.
It’s happening: After five weeks of throwing Jacoby Brissett to the wolves behind that offensive line, the New England Patriots are planning to turn to rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The Associated press reports the first-round pick will make his starting debut under center this Sunday in Foxborough against the Houston Texans.
- In other New England sports news: The Connecticut Sun have once again come up just shy of their first WNBA championship. The Sun lost 88-77 to the Minnesota Lynx last night in the decisive Game 5 of their semifinals series.
P.S.— There’s still time to get tickets for tonight’s CitySpace talk with Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley. The Canadian singer and guitarist, who recently nearly died of COVID, will discuss never-before-revealed traumas and triumphs within the music industry with WBUR’s Amory Sivertson. Signed copies of his new book will also be available.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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