Chamber News

Berkshire Eagle – Berkshire County has been losing population since 1970, but new data compiled by the U.S. Postal Service suggests that trend is slowing and might even be in the early stages of reverse. Population shifts due to the coronavirus pandemic have left the Pittsfield metro area, which includes all of Berkshire County, with the sixth highest…

Boston Business Journal – After a year of virtual conferences, Zoom networking sessions and shuttered venues, are businesspeople ready to return to in-person events? Nationally, it’s a 50-50 proposition now and looking brighter in the next two months, according to an exclusive survey by The Business Journals, which surveyed 8,299 past event attendees across its 44…

WCVB – All Massachusetts residents age 16 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. After people have struggled to book a vaccination appointment, the process has appeared to become a bit easier since eligibility has expanded. “It was terrible,” a Brookline resident said of the early days of the booking process. “I went…

Boston Globe – The White House is trying to overcome diminishing demand for COVID-19 shots by offering businesses a tax incentive to give employees paid leave to get vaccinated. The move comes as the United States is set to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of administering 200 million coronavirus doses in his first 100 days in…

WBUR – All Massachusetts residents age 16 and older can now sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine, but that doesn’t mean everyone eligible will want the shot. In the coming weeks, state public health officials expect demand to slow down, and the hardest push, many believe, will be reaching out to those who are reluctant. That…

Boston Herald – The push is on to relax the outdoor mask mandate. But Gov. Charlie Baker wouldn’t commit to any time frame as more people get the coronavirus vaccine. When people are not crowded outside, there is “barely any risk at all” to contracting COVID-19, epidemiologists say. But under the Bay State mask mandate, people…

Boston.com – President Joe Biden is planning to unveil a new bill next week to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in childcare, paid leave, and education. According to Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katherine Clark, it needs to include more money for childcare. The two Massachusetts Democrats led a letter Friday urging Biden to include “at least…

Boston Herald – House lawmakers on Monday are set to open debate on a $47.6 billion proposed budget for the coming fiscal year. The House’s fiscal year 2022 budget avoids any new broad-based taxes while also avoiding service cuts. To square a nearly $1.2 billion boost in spending, lawmakers have proposed drawing $1.9 billion from the…

MassLive – Baker administration officials and lawmakers are working with the federal government to address the jump in unemployment insurance taxes stemming from the state’s historic number of jobless claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asked about the jump in UI taxes, Gov. Charlie Baker said state and legislative officials are in contact with the federal government…

GERMANY – NOV, 10, 2020: Covid vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was found to be effective in preventing 90 percent of Covid-19 Coronavirus infections Barnstable County is transitioning to the new, state-run vaccine pre-registration system, called Color.Here’s what you need to know:In order to get a first-dose vaccine appointment at one of our…