More Quincy COVID money details, good COVID news and pasta

The Patriot Ledger
·4 min read

The Patriot Ledger obtained a detailed breakdown of where Quincy has spent its COVID money - and then we got even more details for you this week

Our stories on Quincy's federal COVID money have been some our most popular recently. Thanks to Quincy reporter Mary Whitfill for really digging into this info – that first she had to get her hands on. (After city councilors complained that didn't have the info, Mary got it.) Then, she had to sort through pages and pages for you. She turned up some pretty interesting stuff. It led to two great stories.

The latest story ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS. Churches, counseling services, addiction recovery, veterans groups, a Christian home for pregnant women and other local nonprofit agencies benefited from $2.78 million worth of donations from the city paid for with federal COVID relief money over the last two years. Since 2021, the city has spent $2.44 million of its $46 million American Rescue Plan Act allocation and $340,000 of its $11 million in CARES Act money on donations to more than 65 nonprofit organizations. Check out our story and the easy-to-read charts with it.

If you missed our first story last week – ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS. Of the roughly $57 million Quincy received in combined American Rescue Plan Act and CARES Act money, Mayor Thomas Koch's administration has spent $44.3 million on land, school projects, grants for small businesses and nonprofits, creating new positions and more. Of the money spent so far, $17.1 million went to COVID testing and vaccine-related initiatives, upgrades to air flow in public buildings and other obvious pandemic-related expenses. Read the full story here.

Finally, the latest town-by-town South Shore COVID numbers go down

School cases are down, but overall COVID-19 rates up for ninth week in a row. See where your town stands. The full story and list is here.

Oh, the memories

The once-proud Howard Johnson's restaurant chain started in Quincy more than 90 years ago.
The once-proud Howard Johnson's restaurant chain started in Quincy more than 90 years ago.

Read the story here.

It's that celebratory time of year – graduations

Find your local graduation here – in beautiful photos and words.

Graduates pose for a photo with friends at the Notre Dame Academy commencement ceremony in Hingham on Friday, May 20, 2022.
Graduates pose for a photo with friends at the Notre Dame Academy commencement ceremony in Hingham on Friday, May 20, 2022.

All the best action

Get read to twirl that fork

Venetian owner Eric Papachristos is a 1994 graduate of Weymouth High School.
Venetian owner Eric Papachristos is a 1994 graduate of Weymouth High School.

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS Some places are just legendary on the South Shore. The Venetian is one of those places. We checked the place out anew – with its new owner, who bought it right before the pandemic and faced a slew of complications, of course. Get out your fork and dig in here.

Hungry for more?

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS On the eclectic menu at the new Blacksmith Tavern in Pembroke are cowboy ribeye, bao buns and whipped ricotta toast. Dig in here.

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS Sullivan's Castle Island – known locally as Sully's – will open a 6,000-square-foot restaurant at Hanover Crossing. But this location will feature sit-down bar area and patio where people can order a beer or a glass of wine go to with their meal. Now that'll hit the spot! Read the story here. 

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS More than pho: 'Authentic Vietnamese food' at new Pho So 1 in Quincy. And it's got a great family legacy angle you'll also enjoy. Food can be such a bond for families! Get a bit of the story here.

Driving down busy Beechwood Street in Cohasset, you'd never know that one turn down a bumpy dirt road and a little patience will  land you at a charming, one-room sweet shop known as the Sugar Shack. And it's open all the time and runs on the honor system. Get your sugar fix here.

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS Inflation, COVID-related price increases, supply-chain issues, the rising cost of living and even the price of gas are all reasons local restaurant owners say you may notice an extra 2, 5 or even 7% fee tacked onto your next bill. The details are here.

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS It's all made from scratch – potato chips, paninis and more. Epicurean Kitchen in Hanover chef-owner Jennifer Souza Daley is a former "Martha Stewart Living" chef. Check out the full story here.

Think you may have missed some recent dining stories? Find more here.

Don't forget, you can always head to PatriotLedger.com any time to get the latest news. (And specifically to patriotledger.com/for-subscribers for stories that only subscribers have access to.)

Thanks for reading.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Your Week on the South Shore newsletter for June 5, 2022