No Ransom Paid In Steamship Authority Cyber Attack: Patch PM

FALMOUTH, MA — It's Wednesday, June 23. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Gov. Charlie Baker proposed waiving the state's 6.5 percent sales tax for the months of August and September.
• Two children jumped out a window to safety when gunshots rang out during an apparent murder-suicide at an Oxford home on Tuesday evening.
• Massachusetts music lovers will get one more chance to see legendary singer/songwriter Elton John before he calls it a career.
• A Beverly music venue that hosted Grammy-winning rock and blues acts for three years after its 2017 opening has said it will permanently close.

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

Today's Top Story

After falling victim to a cyber attack in early June, the Steamship Authority says it did not pay the ransom requested.

According to a tweet, the Steamship Authority's General Manager Bob Davis confirmed that no ransom was paid, but declined to offer any other information on the incident.

While the actual ships are still running safely, passengers are unable to book or make changes online or by phone.

Ferry services continue to be impacted by the attack, and even after launching a new website, the Steamship Authority's main booking system is still down.

Read the full story.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

A 2-month tax holiday: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker proposed waiving the state's 6.5 percent sales tax for the months of August and September. Baker, who has not said whether he will run for reelection next year, said he's expecting a surplus when the fiscal year ends June 30. The state collected more in tax revenue than projected during the coronavirus pandemic. Overall tax revenue is 14.9 percent above projections. Meanwhile, the balance of the state's so-called rainy day fund is now higher than it was at the start of the pandemic last March.

Kids safely flee murder-suicide: Two children jumped out a window to safety when gunshots rang out during an apparent murder-suicide at an Oxford home on Tuesday evening. The incident happened close to 5:30 p.m. at a home along Old Webster Road when a woman living there called 911. A man living at the home also called police at about the same time. The man then apparently then shot and killed the woman. A 13-year-old in the home grabbed a 4-year-old sibling and fled to a neighbor's house. A 3-year-old child was still in the home after the man apparently committed suicide, but was not physically harmed.

Beverly venue is the latest to permanently close because of coronavirus: There was a brief bolt of optimism that emerged out of popular Beverly music venue 9 Wallis in May when Gov. Charlie Baker announced that in just 12 days all state coronavirus-related business restrictions would be lifted. But more than a month, the venue that hosted Grammy-winning rock and blues acts for three years after its 2017 opening has said it will permanently close.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

Farewell, yellow brick road: Massachusetts music lovers will get one more chance to see legendary singer/songwriter Elton John before he calls it a career. "Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour" brings the six-time Grammy winning artists to Gillette Stadium one final time on July 28, 2022.

By The Numbers

$332,150: The total amount three companies were fined by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection after it found "numerous" asbestos violations at the former Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere.