How To Enter The $1 Million MA Vaxmillions Giveaway: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Thursday, July 1. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• White supremacist stickers were placed on cars around Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices' first outdoor market in Haverhill Sunday.
• Hundreds of Massachusetts restaurants are facing an uncertain future after the U.S. Small Business Administration said Wednesday it is shutting down the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
• A redevelopment proposal calls for building a 120-unit elder care facility and removing the Sheraton Hotel's Tudor facade, which has loomed over the Massachusetts Turnpike in Framongham for decades.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

Fully-vaccinated Massachusetts residents over the age of 12 can now register for the state's VaxMillions Giveaway.

The program was announced last month and is aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Lottery, which is overseeing the program, opened registration on Thursday. There are five $1 million prizes for residents over 18, while entrants between the ages of 12 and 17 can win one of five $300,000 scholarships.

Eligible residents can enter VaxMillionsGiveaway.com or by calling 211. Weekly drawings will be held once a week for five weeks beginning Monday, July 26.

Register for VaxMillions.

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Thursday's Other Top Stories

Report of armed white supremacists in Merrimack Valley: White supremacist stickers were placed on cars around Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices' first outdoor market in Haverhill Sunday, the group said Monday. The group postponed its second planned market, which had been scheduled July 25 in North Andover, "until further precautions are taken." "One of our co-founders received a call from an attendee that there were three openly armed men seen roaming the area, placing stickers on people's cars," the group said in a statement.

Uncertain future for many MA restaurants: Hundreds of Massachusetts restaurants are facing an uncertain future after the U.S. Small Business Administration said Wednesday it is shutting down the Restaurant Revitalization Fund passed by Congress as part of the coronavirus relief package. In an email to applicants Wednesday night, SBA said the program will be "disabled" July 14. At that time, it will stop accepting applications. To date, the program has handed out grants to 105,000 restaurants, but another 265,000 applicants are still waiting. A bill to replenish the fund has been introduced in Congress, but it has not moved forward.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

They Said It

"The hotel is outdated in size and function and is not economically sustainable as it is today. Rather than demolishing the rear of the building to 'right-size' the hotel, Monarch is proposing to repurpose the building and provide a much-needed service to community elders — providing approximately 120 units of assisted living and memory care units."

• Monarch Communities Managing Partner Michael Glynn on his company's plan to redevelop the iconic Sheraton Hotel in Framingham. The proposal includes building a 120-unit elder care facility and removing the Tudor facade that has loomed over the Massachusetts Turnpike for decades.

Eat Mass: Buyers Save 114-Year-Old Bar

Eat Mass is Patch's weekly round up of food and restaurant news in Massachusetts. Click for more, including:

• Latest restaurant openings and closings.
• Thursday is the first day of National Ice Cream Month.
• A state lawmaker is warning Massachusetts residents can expect a "severe" egg shortage and higher prices for eggs when a new law goes into effect January 1.
• The Cape Cod restaurant community is mourning the death of restaurateur William Zammer, the owner of the Flying Bridge, Red Horse Inn, Tugs Boats and several other popular restaurants.
• And the best hot dog in Massachusetts is served by.....

Jake Nicholson and Keith Gleason, formerly of Finn McCool's, Bushwood Cocktail Club, and Delta Haus have agreed to purchase the famed Red Hat.

Earlier this week it was confirmed that the century old watering hole would be shutting down, but patrons might not have to be shut out for too long, as the two have plans to reopen the institution this fall.

No further details are immediately available, but Gleason says they aim to re-establish the bar as a Beacon Hill destination, while holding onto its rich history in the ever-evolving, post-Covid bar landscape of Boston.

Read the full story.