GBH Daily: Delayed, more expensive fire trucks

September 16, 2026

☀️The sun is back, with highs in the upper 70s. Sunset is at 6:51 p.m.

Gatter. Gerstensaft. Dogsnose. Those are all historical nicknames for beer, a beverage that has a long and storied history here in the Bay State. 🍺More on that below. But first, a look at how private equity may be affecting both the cost of and wait times for fire trucks. The Revere Fire Department bought two fire engines from a company called Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, which is owned by REV Group, about four years ago. The city is still waiting for the trucks to be delivered.

While a REV Group spokesperson says the cost of manufacturing fire trucks has ballooned in recent years “like most products manufactured in the United States,” the city of Revere last year filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. federal court claiming defendants conspired to limit supply and raise costs. That case has since been consolidated with other similar cases across the country.

Read more about how private equity may be affecting the fire equipment industry, which has also affected the city of Brockton, in a story that first surfaced during one of the listening sessions that GBH News reporters have been holding in various Gateway Cities across the state.

Four Things to Know

1. A federal judge in Boston has stalled the Trump administration’s plan to impose a four-year limit on student visas, putting the proposed restriction on hold just a day before it was set to take effect. The rule has caused consternation among higher education leaders, who say the limit could make it harder for doctoral students to complete their research.

“This can have massive consequences for U.S. institutions, for the economy,” said Fanta Aw, CEO of the Association of International Educators, which is suing to block the rule. “This is about this country, and it’s also about real lives and real people. It’s not just about numbers here.”

2. Roughly 1,300 union workers remain off the job at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett as the strike there enters its second week. During an Everett City Council meeting on Monday night, Everett Mayor Robert Van Campen introduced a resolution in support of the union members who are on strike, and the council passed it.

“Pay the people. Respect the city of Everett. We gave them a deal and a half. An $8 million profit, and they can’t pay a fair wage,” said Van Campen during the meeting.

3. New Hampshire Supreme Court Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald announced his resignation from the bench on Tuesday, effective immediately, after being accused of violating the state’s judicial code of conduct for his role inorchestrating a payout to a top ally last year.

MacDonald’s departure marks a sudden end to his five-year tenure leading New Hampshire’s judicial branch. The 64-year-old has been on medical leave since late July, with no explanation provided for his absence.

4. In the wake of the Lindsay Clancy trial that sparked nationwide conversations about maternal mental health care, Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday unveiled a series of measures aimed at improving postpartum mental health screening and support. Healey plans to ask the Legislature to appropriate $2 million to expand Welcome Family, a program that offers parents and caregivers of newborns a free, one-time home visit by an experienced maternal and child health nurse.

“Postpartum depression, anxiety and other maternal mental health conditions are real medical conditions, and no mother should feel ashamed to ask for help or feel like she has to navigate this journey alone,” Healey said.

400 years of beer in Mass.: New exhibit tracks role of brewing in state’s growth

Western Massachusetts historians now have a bona fide excuse to drink beer on the job.

Ray Radigan recently greeted New England Public Media reporter Karen Brown at a reconstructed tavern at the Indian House Memorial in Historic Deerfield.

“Welcome to our Colonial Tavern,” he said, while holding up a beer stein (albeit empty).

The wood-framed structure is one of the only buildings to survive the 1704 raid on Deerfield. But it’s been renovated for a very different historical purpose.

“We’re looking at 425 years of beer in Massachusetts,” he said.

As curator for the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Radigan joined with the Memorial Hall Museum for the exhibit “Brewing Massachusetts: How Beer Shaped the Bay State.” It focuses on the role of brewing in the state’s growth and development, starting in the 1600s.

Read more about how beer shaped the state’s economy.

Across GBH:

📻 LISTEN: Boston Public Radio, 11 a.m., on GBH 89.7 FM: Tune in for the September edition of “Ask The Governor” with Gov. Maura Healey.

📕LISTEN: The Curiosity Desk, 1 p.m., on GBH 89.7 FM: Ahead of Allston’s inaugural Cat Stroll, we talk with organizer Ashley Lesperance.

🍫 LISTEN: The Culture Show, 2 p.m., on GBH 89.7 FM: We talk with Monica and Tom Rogan, the husband-and-wife founders of Goodnow Farms Chocolate, an award-winning craft chocolate company based in Sudbury.

📺WATCH: NOVA The Battle to Breathe, 9 p.m., on GBH 2: Once a death sentence, cystic fibrosis now has a life-saving treatment. Follow the decades-long scientific quest, fueled by desperate parents, that led to this revolutionary breakthrough.

WATCH: Dalgliesh, 9 p.m., on GBH 44: In part one of “The Murder Room,” Marcus and Caroline struggle to convince their brother to renew the family’s lease on the museum. When he is killed, the siblings are among the suspects.

WATCH: Ages of Ice, 10 p.m., on GBH 2: Follow scientists pushing the boundaries of exploration in Earth’s coldest corners. Part one of three.

JOIN US TOMORROW: Forum Network: Catalyst Conversations: Matters of Light, Thursday (9/17) at 6:30 p.m., at BPL Studios or online: Photographic artist Marsha Wilcox, astrophysicist Sara Seager and moderator Jennifer Roberts explore light and darkness in a conversation spanning art and science.

COOK: America’s Test Kitchen: Grilled Flank Steak and Chili Crisp Noodles

🎯PLAY: Can you guess how much Antiques Roadshow finds are worth? Test your skills with our daily game.

GBH Daily is written by Don Seiffert with contributions by Katrina Ávila Munichiello and edited by Anna Fort and Jackie Bruleigh.