Panacea Wellness, a subsidiary of multistate cannabis corporation MariMed Inc., acquired Ermont Inc. in February 2023 with plans to pursue an adult-use license and begin recreational sales The store at 216 Ricciuti Drive has undergone some interior changes to make it more accessible for recreational consumers 3,500-square-foot sales floor that is 3½ times larger than the original according to MariMed Vice President of Retail Tim Rasmussen Medical and recreational customers enter the same space though once inside they order from different kiosks and from different menus said MariMed Chief Communications Officer Howard Schacter Medical marijuana still constitutes 90% of the shop's business He said he hopes recreational cannabis sales eventually make up three-quarters of total sales Quincy Center development: A longtime Quincy firm has big plans for Quincy Center redevelopment. What we know Residents protest Koch's raise: Quincy advocates want to repeal big raise for the mayor. How are they are doing it? MariMed's brands include Betty's Eddies fruit-flavored "chews," Bubby's Baked soft-baked goods, Nature's Heritage flower, Vibations hydrating drink mix and more. Over 200 dispensaries in Massachusetts carry MariMed brands, according to the company website MariMed Inc. has stores and cultivation and processing plants in six U.S. states plus Puerto Rico, its website says Panacea Wellness locations previously opened in Middleboro in 2020 and Beverly in 2023 the maximum any company is permitted to operate under Massachusetts law the Middleboro location offers medical and recreational cannabis products but the company is pursuing a dual license there too which would give MariMed the maximum number of licenses allowable under state law for both medical and recreational dispensaries Panacea Wellness will hold a ribbon cutting Thursday, July 11, at 9:30 a.m. Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at pblandino@patriotledger.com.  Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer. Here’s how they did it.What really mattersIn a world with too much noise and too little context We don’t flood you with panic-inducing headlines or race to be first We focus on being useful to you — breaking down the news in ways that inform We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today by Rachel Cohen more than 30 percent of many families’ household income child care workers are some of the lowest paid employees in the state Given that their workers could make more money doing just about anything else programs struggle to hire and retain staff — adding additional stress to parents who can’t rely on their child care programs to stay open The newly approved child care bill would expand state subsidies for families earning up to 575 percent of the federal poverty level (or $172,000 for a family of four) and families earning up to 175 percent of the poverty line (or $52,000 for a family of four) would now pay nothing out of pocket The new payments will mean an infusion of funds for child care allowing providers to be reimbursed at a 35 percent higher rate than they currently are The legislation also tasks lawmakers with studying how to create an affordable full-day pre-K system The investments would be paid for in part by a new payroll tax of which employers would cover at least 75 percent It’s not law yet — it’s headed to Republican Gov who has previously said he would reject any new taxes His office did not return request for comment but Democrats have a supermajority in the Vermont legislature and have made clear they would override any veto in June The path to victory in Vermont offers a roadmap for activists in other states who want to see increased public investment into their child care systems and insight into the policy trade-offs leaders had to make for their measure to get through the legislative process “Vermont showed that you can have a bold vision persevere though budget battles and pandemics and make the state a better place for those who don’t have a voice in politics,” said Helene Stebbins the executive director of the Alliance for Early Success a national nonprofit that supports early childhood advocacy “The hard part is not the policy — it’s the strategy The origins of Vermont’s child care campaign trace back to 2000 when a Burlington real estate developer named Rick Davis and his friend in private equity launched a foundation dedicated to supporting Vermont children “Everybody knows we should invest early to save money down the road,” explained Davis who often framed his work in terms of economic development “We’ve got to find ways to get young families to come to Vermont and stay.” the founders of Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters gave Let’s Grow Kids a massive $20 million gift and the group pledged to achieve their mission by 2025 This so-called venture philanthropy idea was to essentially use foundations as a catalyst for legislative change The philanthropic investments helped support statewide organizing ultimately bringing more than 35,000 Vermonters into the campaign Let’s Grow Kids also funded television ads and digital marketing and organized 1:1 meetings with politicians They helped mobilize child care workers to share their stories they asked all state candidates how they would address Vermont’s child care problem Let’s Grow Kids conceived of their strategy from scratch but studied lessons from other winning campaigns like Freedom to Marry and we had an opportunity and responsibility to be a pioneer,” Richards said In 2021, with just four years left until their organization planned to shut down, Let’s Grow Kids established a sister 501(c)4 organization to exert more power in the 2022 midterms Their goal was to support candidates who not only committed to prioritizing child care but who also would commit to increasing public investment Let’s Grow Kids ultimately endorsed 130 candidates last cycle This led to the first-ever coalition of self-described child care champions headed to Montpelier Partly spurred by the Let’s Grow Kids campaign, Vermont lawmakers passed a law in 2021 setting goals to expand child care slots to limit family child care spending to no more than 10 percent of their annual income and to pay early childhood educators comparable wages as kindergarten teachers in public schools Policymakers then commissioned a study to figure out how much that would all cost. To meet all those objectives, state officials would need to raise between $179 million and $279 million in new public funding, according to a report led by the Rand Corporation published this past January The consultants suggested instituting a new payroll tax Even coming in this year with a Democratic supermajority the last few months in Montpelier demonstrated the tough political compromises inherent to passing any new program lawmakers favored keeping the child tax credit in place and instead wanted to fund child care investments via a new progressive corporate and personal income tax wealthier individuals and businesses would finance the bulk of the new revenue but all taxpayers would still help contribute to a social program that benefits the greater good The chair of the Senate finance committee said she didn’t like taxing people who might not ultimately need child care services Lawmakers were gridlocked for weeks, and it was not clear the two chambers would be able to compromise. In the end, House lawmakers agreed to the payroll tax but funding families only up to 575 percent of the poverty level so that the child credit would stay in place The final legislation garnered approval from Democrats, progressives, independents, even some Republicans and a Libertarian. “It is not easy to ask Vermonters — any Vermonter — to pay just a little more, which seems to be a theme of this session,” said Republican Rep. Ashley Bartley of Fairfax the price of inaction is far greater.” While Let’s Grow Kids didn’t achieve their goal of capping child care costs at 10 percent for all families, advocates have hailed this as a “quantum leap” forward and note they still have two more years left to push for additional investment as well as to formalize a compensation scale for workers Higher-income families that won’t receive direct financial assistance will still benefit from new subsidies flowing into the system which can stabilize the workforce and boost program quality Not every state has the kind of philanthropic infrastructure Vermont enjoys. Experts say, though, their political roadmap could be replicated elsewhere, including the assemblage of a diverse coalition of parents, grandparents, business leaders “I really think that no matter the demographics of a state there is something that cuts through anything and that’s grassroots mobilization,” Richards told Vox where early childhood educators helped lead the fight While Vermont’s win is yet another example of the child care movement gaining momentum the director of economic justice at Community Change Action said the “real lesson” from states like Vermont and New Mexico is that the system is broken and federal investment is needed to fund the true cost of child care the chief policy officer with Zero To Three a national advocacy group focused on infants and toddlers agreed with Wells that states can’t fix this problem alone “In the short term this looks like not letting tens of billions of dollars in federal child care funding expire in September and protecting child care funds from deep cuts proposed as part of the default debates,” she said. “Long term, we need to pass the Child Care for Working Families Act which ensures a strong federal and state partnership in funding the early care and education our babies and toddlers and families deserve.” 12:15 pm ET: A previous version of this story used the wrong pronoun for the Senate finance committee chair Understand the world with a daily explainer plus the most compelling stories of the day Auto workers supported tariffs to protect their jobs The most surprising consequence of Trump’s trade war Today, Explained podcastMay 4Love on the Spectrum stars call on RFK Jr. to resignTwo cast members of the hit Netflix reality TV show on what the HHS secretary misunderstands about autism The Gray AreaMay 3Did our politics fail us during Covid?Political scientist Frances Lee examines the “noble lies” and truth-seeking failures of the pandemic. Yes, it’s radical. But no, it’s not on the cusp of becoming law. Marijuana-infused cheese pizza is the latest product from Quincy dispensary Ermont just launched THC-laced personal pies at its Quincy dispensary The sauce atop each six-inch cheese pizza is infused with 125 milligrams of THC that gives weed its psychoactive properties and frozen on-site at the West Quincy facility The neighboring retail dispensary is the only place you’ll find them Ermont doesn’t deliver.) Sales are limited to folks holding a Department of Public Health-issued patient or caregiver card But that doesn’t really qualify it as a health food item The bar pies were created by a team of comfort food pros: Ermont’s operations manager Seth Yaffe formerly the director of operations for the Gallows and Banyan Bar and Refuge; cannabinoid infusion consultant Adam Gendreau defunct Staff Meal Food Truck; and chef Keith Brooks Like the pan pizzas you’d order at Town Spa or Poopsie’s with sauce and well-done cheese spread right to the edge While stoners across the state are likely salivating at the thought of a greasy the product was actually developed for medical marijuana patients looking for a discreet alternative to smoking or vaping more appetizing way for our patients to alleviate pain and discomfort,” Ermont CEO and founder Jack Hudson said in a press release “The combination of a food as popular as pizza with the medicinal benefits of marijuana represents an important milestone in the evolution of our high-quality marijuana infused products menu.” Ermont also makes THC and cannabidiol-infused chocolate bars, hot chocolate, lozenges, personal pies, lemonade, cookies, olive oil, hot sauce, macaroni and cheese, and muffins. As for recreational availability of such snacks, now that marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, take it up with the state legislature. The Ultimate Guide to Massachusetts’ Tastiest Edibles We Can’t Wait for These Greater Boston Restaurant Openings in 2025 Where to Eat in Greater Boston in April 2025 ©2025 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC Ermont Inc. a medical marijuana dispensary located in Quincy sells cannabis-infused personal pizzas in the style of the small thin crust pies that are popular throughout the local bar scene At $38, the 6-inch cheese pizza carries 125 milligrams of THC in its tomato sauce according to the dispensary’s operations manager Seth Yaffe crispy cheese” that spreads to the edge of the crust Yaffe says several of the dispensary’s patients began requesting more savory edible options to avoid the sugar that fills typical marijuana edibles like candy bars and fruit chews “We found that patients wanted a food item that they would eat during a normal day,” Yaffe says “We wanted to do something that could be considered a full meal.” Although the pizzas seem like a great option for marijuana enthusiasts looking to quell munchies while getting baked dispensary patrons must have state-issued medical marijuana ID cards The personal sized pizzas are frozen so patients can take them home to eat Ermont sees between 200 to 400 patients per day all who have at one point or another worked in the restaurant industry providing a long-lasting effect that allows patients to manage a litany of ailments from chronic pain to opioid addiction to side effects from chemotherapy Write to Mahita Gajanan at mahita.gajanan@time.com Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker QUINCY − The company planning to acquire Quincy's Ermont Inc. medical marijuana store a 36,404-square-foot grow and sales facility off Ricciuti Drive plans to pursue an adult-use license and ultimately open a recreational pot shop MariMed, a Norwood-based company has said it plans to acquire Ermont pending the approval of the state Cannabis Control Commission MariMed officials said it would take 24 hours for the sale to finalize and for Ermont to become Panacea Wellness Why hasn't Quincy's first pot shop opened? Here's what we know "We were looking at expanding into Massachusetts and this opportunity came up a wonderful on-and-off the highway opportunity with a good parking area," MariMed CEO Jon Levine "Middleboro and Beverly are the locations of our other two recreational stores so to have Quincy is great for our market share." Ermont opened near Interstate 93 in October 2016 Its menu features vape cartridges and flower strains with names such as "Sour Diesel" and "White Knuckles." It also sells THC-infused lemonade The company in 2019 said it planned to open an adult-use Ermont kept operating its grow facility and retail store only for medical use owns and manages cannabis facilities for growing and processing as well as medical and adult-use retail dispensaries The company has a growing facility in New Bedford and says it will move some operations the process of creating a new marijuana flower and its research and development department to Quincy Marijuana would not be grown at the Quincy facility under MariMed The Quincy facility would be renamed Panacea Wellness and continue current as a medical marijuana facility for now Levine said MariMed has hired any Ermont employees who wanted to stay the Quincy outfit is expected to employ between 25 and 50 people The Panacea Wellness slate of offerings will be made up of about 75% of products from MariMed-owned brands such as Nature’s Heritage flower and concentrates Bubby’s Baked soft-baked goods and Vibations: High + Energy drink mixes There is also a plan to expand the retail footprint we'll start construction of turning one of the grow rooms into an expanded store with a new look and feel of Panacea and MariMed wellness across all of our locations," Levine said "It'll take several months for that construction to be done customers will have a better opportunity to look at more items spread out and get the help they're seeking." Chief Communications Officer Howard Schacter said the company plans to "quickly" apply to the state for permission to sell recreational marijuana to anyone over the age of 21 Quincy residents voted to allow adult-use marijuana stores in the city but none have opened. One store, Quincy Cannabis Co., has been waiting months for final approval from the Cannabis Control Commission 'We were blessed': Punjab Cafe sold after 23 years in Quincy Point Will Quincy teachers strike? Mayor says maybe as negotiations continue "The application process is a very long one We will be submitting soon for that adult use but after that it could take anywhere from three to nine months said the host community agreement held by Ermont would stand if the sale to MariMed is approved The agreement allows the city to collect a 3% community impact fee which would be applied on top of state taxes There would also be a 3% local tax on any wholesale sales that Panacea Wellness makes to other stores Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer. A marijuana-infused pizza for sale at a medical marijuana dispensary in Quincy (Courtesy Ermont, Inc.)Now, a Massachusetts medical marijuana dispensary has created such a culinary delight for patients who don't want to smoke their weed or eat it in the form of sweets or other edibles. Quincy-based Ermont Inc. has been selling cannabis-infused pizza for about three weeks to rave reviews. The six-inch cheese pizzas sell for $38 apiece and each contain a 125 milligram dose of the dispensary's "high-strength THC distillate," Ermont said in a statement Tuesday. The company also touted the concoction — which is sold frozen — as a more discreet way for its patients to consume medical marijuana. “The style of our infused pizza was inspired by what’s commonly known throughout the South Shore as ‘bar pizza’ – thin, crispy crust, well-done cheese and tomato sauce spread to the edge of a metal pan,” Ermont edibles chef Keith Brooks said in the statement. “It was a delight to make, and it’s delicious.” The dispensary also sells other edible products, including mac and cheese, pies and lemonade. All of its marijuana-infused products are grown and produced on-site, according to the company's website. Only people with state-issued medical marijuana ID cards are eligible to buy them. With additional reporting from The Associated Press Lisa Creamer Managing Editor Digital News & AudienceLisa Creamer is WBUR's managing editor for digital news QUINCY — The Ermont medical marijuana dispensary has taken the first step toward selling recreational cannabis products The dispensary at 216 Ricciuti Drive in West Quincy has applied for a "priority certification," a step existing medical marijuana facilities can take toward becoming licensed to sell marijuana products to the general public later this year "We are working with city officials as they consider the impact of recreational marijuana coming to the area," said Jack Hudson Hudson could not be reached for further comment about the plans of Ermont the only dispensary in Quincy and one of about two dozen in the state Ermont opened its 36,404-square-foot facility a short ways off of Interstate 93 in October 2016 Its menu features vape cartridges and amounts of loose pot of strains with names such as "Sour Diesel" and "White Knuckles The state Cannabis Control Commission on Monday opened up the application process for businesses wishing to sell recreational marijuana products More than 200 businesses across the state began applications by Tuesday The commission on Wednesday declined to release more information about who has applied and whether any more applications have been made by people in Quincy or the other handful of towns around the South Shore that have not banned pot sales said the city doesn't know of any other budding applications in the city besides Ermont's Ermont then can apply for a license to sell The state has up to 90 days to act on applications Massachusetts residents legalized recreational pot by referendum in November 2016 After the state Legislature made some changes to the law last August the state is gearing up for sales to begin as early as this July Walker said the city will reserve judgment on the Ermont matter until a full application is made Koch opposed the 2016 ballot question that legalized marijuana but the city's residents voted in favor of it so recreational pot has to be allowed to move forward in Quincy The administration has drawn up an ordinance that's pending before the city council that would limit where the recreational establishments can go and how they operate as well as imposing a local tax on the sales The ordinance is meant to keep marijuana establishments away from residential areas and places where young people congregate It effectively would limit the establishments to the Crown Colony office park in South Quincy the former shipyards in Quincy Point and the Riccuiti Drive area where Ermont already is The council has mulled various iterations of this ordinance since December 2016 and Walker said the administration expects passage this spring Walker said the mayor is not delighted about the idea of pot shops opening up in his city but Ermont has shown itself to be a solid business has proven to be a good community partner," Walker said "We have not had a single issue at their existing facility." Ermont is open under a signed agreement with the city that guarantees Quincy a share of the dispensary’s revenue — up to $500,000 per year — that can be used by the city to fight substance abuse $75,000 a year of that money funds the salary of Laura Martin the coordinator of the city's substance abuse task force Ermont would have to sign a new agreement if it were to open up a recreational part of the business — Reach Sean Cotter at scotter@ledger.com or 617-786-7049 QUINCY — Adults soon would be able to buy recreational marijuana legally in Quincy if the city's sole medical marijuana dispensary has its way Ermont Inc. which has operated a medical marijuana dispensary at 216 Ricciuti Drive in West Quincy for almost three years is taking steps to expand into recreational marijuana sales for adults 21 and older Ermont executives are negotiating with city officials to put in place what is known as a "host community agreement," a deal between a marijuana retailer and the community where it is located that spells out fees and taxes that the city will be entitled to based on the company's sales It's the first step in a months-long process to earning a coveted recreational retail license Ward 4 City Councilor Brian Palmucci said he is concerned about the traffic that a marijuana shop would bring He said he does see "some benefits" to having such a business in the city "And those benefits are a 3 percent community impact fee on cultivation and retail as well as a 3 percent local option tax," he said Ermont already pays a 3 percent fee on revenues from its medical sales revenue that has helped fund Quincy's substance abuse task force as well as recreational and diversion programs for youngsters chief of staff for Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch said it's too soon to say how much Quincy would benefit from the addition of recreational sales at Ermont "We have had an excellent community partner in Ermont so far," Walker said Koch opposed the 2016 ballot measure that legalized recreational marijuana use for adults but Walker said the administration is working to fulfill the will of the people and hammer out a good deal for residents Retail marijuana stores in Brookline and other metro-area communities have been met with high demand which Walker and Palmucci say could further strain the already-dangerous intersection at Willard Street and Ricciuti Drive A new 269-apartment building on Ricciuti Drive would be opening around the same time that Ermont expands its sales if it earns a license to do so from the state Cannabis Control Commission "We're going to see even more traffic at an already very dangerous intersection," Palmucci said "We need to implement some kind of traffic control device or light." whose approval would be needed for any changes Ermont CEO John Gates said the dispensary's 70-car parking lot is big enough to handle any lines that might form if Ermont becomes the Quincy area's first licensed recreational marijuana retailer Gates said Ermont will continue to serve its medicinal clients and plans to renovate its warehouse space to create a private entrance for medical marijuana patients Ermont executives have been transparent about their plans to eventually bring recreational marijuana sales to their West Quincy dispensary The company last year applied for and received priority approval status through the Cannabis Control Commission which will allow Ermont's application to skip to the top of a list of 275 applications that are complete and awaiting review Gates said he expects to apply for a retail marijuana sales license by late summer and said Quincy could see its first legal adult-use sales by early 2020 "I think six months is a realistic goal from the time we put our application in," he said Reach Erin Tiernan at etiernan@patriotledger.com or 617-786-7320. Follow her on Twitter @ErinTiernan QUINCY – After the city's first recreational marijuana store, Quincy Cannabis Co. potential competitors have not wasted any time in laying the groundwork to enter the market Three more businesses have taken initial steps toward obtaining state and municipal approval Quincy could become the leading player in the South Shore's growing cannabis sector Here are the cannabis companies trying to set up shop in Quincy: In March, multi-state cannabis company MariMed acquired Ermont Inc.'s medical marijuana dispensary a 36,404-square-foot-grow and retail facility off Ricciuti Drive and reopened it under the name Panacea Wellness cultivation facilities and distribution centers in six states and Puerto Rico The new ownership is pursuing an adult-use license for the Ricciuti Drive site with plans to build recreational retail space alongside and separate from its medical cannabis store Panacea Wellness operates a medical marijuana store in Annapolis It has an adult-use shop in Beverly and a combined medical and adult-use location in Middleboro Family entertainment: Love free, live music? Then this is your weekend in Quincy − PorchFest 2023 More: Retired Quincy police lieutenant pleads guilty to soliciting a minor MariMed Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Crandall told The Patriot Ledger that the company is working through the state licensing process to bring recreational sales to its Ricciuti Drive facility Crandall said medical patients would not be affected by the proposed change the vast majority still work here,” Crandall said “Former Ermont patients are noting that their favorite budtenders are still working.” The store sells products made at MariMed's 75,000-square-foot cultivating processing and production center in New Bedford The facility produces MariMed brands including Nature’s Heritage Wildflower Cannabis LLC held a community outreach meeting with Ward 4 City Councilor James Devine about its proposal to open a store at 159 Brook Road in a district designated as industrial Devine said the community meeting was not well attended "Only one couple came to show opposition," he said Devine said the location's proximity to nearby day care centers − there are five within about a mile − is residents' biggest concern A city zoning ordinance requires marijuana stores to be at least 500 feet from day care centers The closest day care to the proposed store would be the Amelio Della Chiesa Early Childhood Center which is almost 1,300 feet away as the crow flies Co-owner Maggie Suprey said she started Wildflower with her partner and longtime friend Eleanor Winship as a "woman-owned Suprey was born in Quincy and raised in South Boston She and Winship grew up playing hockey together in the area Both studied entrepreneurship at Brown University Suprey earned a law degree from Suffolk University and Winship earned an MBA from Rutgers University "The combined knowledge of business and the law has been key in us building this company," Suprey said "Our mission is to continue to destigmatize cannabis," Suprey said "We believe the negative stereotypes were shaped by years of misinformation That’s why education is one of our company’s foundation pillars." Wildflower now needs a host community agreement from the mayor's office and a special permit from the zoning board of appeals Suprey and Winship would then apply for a provisional license from the state Cannabis Control Commission Wildflower spokesperson Erin Riley said it's impossible to know when the Cannabis Control Commission will issue a license because Maggie and Eleanor have a women-owned business they get priority in the state process," Riley said "They get to move much more quickly through the state licensing process than a non-priority applicant." "We think we'd weave well into the city's fabric." Suprey said she and Winship plan to build a 3,500-square-foot store with five sales kiosks and two or three self-checkout stations More: Quincy golf course clubhouse could be razed as soon as September More: Milton Select Board reschedules special town meeting to December "We'll have greenery around the perimeter and walkways Riley said Wildflower will need a variance from zoning restrictions requiring marijuana establishments to be at least 1,500 feet from a residential district which is off the Route 3A rotary near the Fore River Bridge Chill and Bliss II LLC has scheduled a community outreach meeting about its proposed marijuana store at 503 Quincy Ave the company's registered agent is Kimberly Wall A company representative could not be immediately reached for comment Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com Mary Elizabeth Moses professor and Smith College chair of astronomy delivers a public lecture “Chasing the Moon’s Shadow: The Total Solar Eclipse of April 8 2024” last week at the UMass Integrated Sciences Building in Amherst Mid-Atlantic and New England before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic people around the Pioneer Valley and throughout the U.S will be treated to one of the solar system’s most extraordinary events the moon will overtake the sun and our celestial partner’s shadow will drag across the U.S which will be the last of its kind over the contiguous United States until Aug the moon will block approximately 95% of the sun’s light and this will be the last chance to see one in the Pioneer Valley until a total solar eclipse occurs over the region on May 1 and experts urge people to take a few minutes out of their day and observe this phenomenon “We’re getting to see the solar system happen; the mechanics of our surrounding space is laid out for us to see,” said Lowenthal Smith College’s chair of Astronomy and Mary Elizabeth Moses professor in “Chasing the Moon’s Shadow: The Total Solar Eclipse of April 8 2024,” a lecture he delivered at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on March 27 that we can just stand outside and experience the cosmos happening like this.” The path of totality covers more populated areas than 2017’s solar eclipse from San Antonio through Indianapolis and Cleveland across Lake Erie into Buffalo and Rochester Experts warn that people who plan to observe the event anywhere in western Massachusetts must use proper protection to look at the sun Even though the moon will block out approximately 95% of the sun’s light here that remaining light is still powerful enough to damage your eyes telescope or a pair of binoculars without a filter “When watching a partial or annular solar eclipse directly with your eyes, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times,” according to NASA. “Eclipse glasses are NOT regular sunglasses; regular sunglasses To ensure your solar eclipse glasses are safe for use Lowenthal said the only light that should be able to penetrate the glasses is that of the sun you must be wearing those eclipse glasses or looking through a filter,” Lowenthal said For people unable to find a pair of glasses there are several other indirect solar viewing methods that can be used can be used to project the image onto the ground — pinhole projection does not mean looking at the sun through a pinhole Pinhole viewers can be constructed out of cardboard boxes More information about safe eclipse viewing, including some directions on how to build safe viewing devices, can be found on the American Astronomical Society’s website at eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/projection A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes in between our planet and the sun but it will not become fully dark as our region is not in the path of totality through an “amazing coincidence,” as the sun is approximately 400 times larger than the moon but the moon just so happens to be 400 times closer to the Earth But that doesn’t mean they’re an exact fit The Earth’s orbit around the sun and the moon’s orbit around our planet are ellipses “That doesn’t really tell the whole story because what you really want to know is how often it’s going to happen for me and for you and my town,” Lowenthal said “That answer is about once every 375 years.” The moon will start making its way in front of the sun at about 2:12 p.m and will reach 95% totality around 3:28 p.m The moon will then cross over the sun and the eclipse will end at roughly 4:37 p.m “It’s so gripping and unusual to see this bizarre thing in the sky,” Lowenthal said of totality (or near-totality) While regular citizens are stepping outside to view the eclipse those in the solar energy world will be dealing with the unique challenge of a daytime blackout which oversees the operation of New England’s power grid and is headquartered in Holyoke is preparing to monitor energy levels and work with local utilities when the skies around the region go dark ISO New England’s manager of forecasts and scheduling said they have been preparing for these short blackouts which will have a different effect on arrays than the sun setting on any given night “ISO New England is going to be operating the power system on April 8 like any other day, but with this one thing that’s going to happen in the middle of it,” Knowland said in a video produced by the company “Right after the eclipse starts and the solar [energy] starts to go away we’ll need to replace all of the power that’s being generated by the panels with other types of generation.” “Unlike the sun setting at the end of the day, solar production is expected to drop off fairly rapidly over the course of the eclipse and will need to be replaced by other sources of power generation,” ISO New England explained on its newswire “The exact amount of additional generation needed will depend on cloud cover that day solar production will ramp back up as the eclipse concludes meaning that additional generation will need to be carefully reduced to maintain system balance.” For more information about solar eclipses, visit NASA’s website at bit.ly/3U1UyPt There is always a chance that the weather could get in the way Lowenthal said those who really want to see the eclipse need to be mobile and prepared to drive to a clear location For those traveling into Vermont — or anywhere else in the path of totality — be sure to budget extra travel time due to traffic and monitor travel advisories. For more information about traveling to Vermont during the eclipse, visit vermont.gov/eclipse#gsc.tab=0 Lowenthal shared several of his own stories of chasing eclipses around the globe and several of the celestial events were squandered by cloudy or rainy weather the National Weather Service’s Norton office is forecasting Monday to be a sunny day “Good luck to you all,” Lowenthal said in closing his lecture Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com you agree with our use of cookies to personalize your experience measure ads and monitor how our site works to improve it for our users If you buy something from a Curbed link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy Are you inspired by warmer weather and upcoming long weekends to plan some gatherings Or simply need a cool place to stow some extra wares a bar cart is a simple way to level up your space with storage and style And it doesn’t have to eat up half of your paycheck Below, we share picks for some of the best affordable bar carts you can buy right now, varying in shapes, materials, decor styles, with prices starting at $78. Looking for other budget-friendly furniture for the home? Check out our guides to affordable sofas, beds, rugs, dining tables, and more This rounded glass and metal bar cart is a fine example of understated style and can dress up any party or do double duty as an elegant side table this cart will fit right in with stainless steel appliances and minimalist kitchens The top portion lifts off to become a serving tray while the spacious lower levels are also great for storing overflow pots and pans Introduce some tropical whimsy to your gatherings with this rattan bar from Target’s eclectic travel-inspired line Opalhouse Obsessed with all things modern farmhouse This rustic-meets-industrial cart is for you this cart is a bit unexpected in all the best ways Looking to add a bit of midcentury-inspired pizazz to your soirees This design incorporates stemware racks and bottle holders while retaining a clean-lined look Glam it up with this geometric car featuring a champagne finish and mirrors This mahogany cart looks a bit different from the rest of the bar carts on this list and in a good way marrying sophistication with easy handling Another design that can fall under “modern farmhouse” this homey design stands out with arched supporting frames BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN representatives Riffa barged through to the quarter-finals last night of the Superleague Pro 3x3 Stop Two basketball tournament The kingdom’s squad secured their spot in the knockouts after splitting their two preliminary round games in Pool A Riffa first suffered an upset 18-21 defeat against Gargzdai of Lithuania in their opening fixture but then bounced back with a convincing 21-13 win against Ermont Senef of France in their second assignment Those results were enough for them to claim first place on their division standings at the end of the stage Ermont Senef were 18-8 winners in their clash with Gargzdai yesterday and that helped push them through to the last eight to join Riffa their opponents held a slim advantage heading into the game’s closing stages and then Darius Tarvydas banked in a stunning three-pointer to seal the result for the Lithuanians Riffa faced an early deficit as they fell behind 6-8 and then a two-pointer from Dennis Donkor gave them a 9-8 lead At the end of the event’s preliminaries Riffa topped the Pool A table with a superior points total of 39 from their two games Riffa will next face off with the third-placed squad from Pool B in the quarters while Ermont Senef will play the winners of Pool C Pool B is composed of Los Angeles from the US Pool C comprises Toulouse and Bordeaux Ballistik of France There are only nine teams in the tournament which continues today with the quarter-finals Riffa are gunning for their second successive crown in Beauvais having clinched the title last week in the Superleague Pro 3x3 Stop One Joining Foerts and Donkor as part of their squad in France are Thibaut Vervoort and Vic Van Oosterwyck The Superleague Pro 3x3 Stop Two is one of three events on Riffa’s April schedule The others are a Superquest event in Lausanne which will then lead up to the opening meeting on the 2025 Fiba 3x3 World Tour – the game’s biggest and most prestigious street basketball competition with stops all over the world The first round will be held in Utsunomiya After 13 other stops all through October of this year the Fiba 3x3 World Tour finale will then take place in Bahrain on November 21 and 22 This will be the first time ever that the kingdom will be staging the season-ender which will crown this year’s Fiba 3x3 World Tour champions TDT | Manama      The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com advanced to the quarter-finals of the FIBA 3x3 Poitiers Challenger 2024 in France with impressive back-to-back victories overcoming Ermont Senef 21-18 and Kandava Turiba 22-17 Riffa started strong against the home team with Jonas Foerts scoring a crucial two-pointer to give them a 13-12 lead midway through the game but Foerts and Dennis Donkor secured the win for Riffa with Donkor scoring the final three points to reach the 21-point target tying the score at 14-14 with a two-pointer from Zigmars Raimo Vic Van Oosterwyck’s crucial long-range shots put Riffa ahead 20-16 Donkor sealed the win with another long-range shot Riffa will face the runners-up from Pool D in the quarter-finals The Poitiers Challenger is a qualifier for the Debrecen Masters in Hungary BASKETBALL – BAHRAIN representatives Riffa clinched third place last night in the Superleague Pro 3x3 Stop Two basketball tournament The kingdom’s squad came up short in their title bid after bowing out of contention in the semi-final stage of the highly competitive street basketball competition They lost to Vienna of Austria in their last-four clash 11-21 who are Bahrain’s Fiba 3x3 World Tour team began the day yesterday with an impressive 22-10 win over Bordeaux Ballistik of France in the quarter-final stage into their next assignment against the Austrians Partizan of Serbia defeated Ermont Senef of France in the other semi-final encounter setting up their clash for the title with Vienna The Serbians went on to capture the crown after defeating Vienna 21-11 in the title-decider Riffa claimed their place on the tournament’s final standings with a superior points total over the other losing semi-finalists Ermont Senef Riffa finished with 71 points while Ermont Senef had 60 Completing the final classification in the tournament from fifth through ninth place Riffa competed in the event with a squad that featured Dennis Donkor They were gunning for a sensational double in Beauvais after winning the Superleague Pro 3x3 Stop One last week with their same quartet – but could not repeat that success The second event was one of three tournament’s on Riffa’s April schedule The others are a Superquest competition in Lausanne The past two editions held in Bahrain were the Manama Masters Riffa were classified third overall on the final team standings in last year’s Fiba 3x3 World Tour