Weeks after a break-in at a Dorchester restaurant, a local entrepreneur is responding with a "cash mob."

• The shopping event is the latest effort to support small Boston-based businesses in this economy.

Why it matters: Drives to support small businesses are nothing new, but they've taken on new meaning post-pandemic and under the Trump administration, with some reconsidering whether to shop at big box stores that supported the president's agenda.

The big picture: While boycotts against companies that abandoned diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives continue, some shoppers and entrepreneurs have mobilized by supporting small, independent retailers, especially Black-, Latino- and Asian-owned companies.

Catch up quick: Mum Mich, a Caribbean restaurant on Bowdoin Street, was robbed earlier this month, one of the owners said in a TikTok video.

• The robbers shattered the restaurant's front door and left a mess inside.

Enter Christy Felix, founder of the online business directory The Hustle List.

• Felix, a Boston-area native and entrepreneur, issued a call to the platform's social media followers over the weekend: Show up to "mob" Mum Mich on Feb. 21, (aka, spend money there).
• She's enlisted the help of Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune.

What they're saying: "We need to be putting our dollars into local thrift shops rather than going to these big box stores, and we do need to put money back into our own communities," Felix tells Axios.

Zoom out: A "cash mob" can range from a small, grassroots shopping event like Felix's to viral campaigns bankrolled by celebrities like Keith Lee.

• They have popped up in recent years in Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Austin, Texas.

Flashback: Felix organized a "mob" at DAC Thrift Shop on Dec. 18, after the owner's niece, a hairstylist on the Hustle List, said the business was struggling.

• Dozens of people from across Massachusetts showed up to shop.

Keep reading: It's not just the Hustle List

The Healey administration proposed increased spending to account for heightened demand for state services despite grappling with federal funding cuts under President Trump.

Why it matters: The fallout from the "big beautiful bill" and other federal spending cuts continues to spell uncertainty for Massachusetts as it plans for fiscal 2027, which starts in July.

The big picture: The governor's proposal often looks vastly different than the final version into law every summer, but Healey's plans could face increased scrutiny as she seeks reelection in November.

• While Healey said the bill marked a 1% spending increase and below the current 2.7% inflation rate, the overall spending marks a 3.8% increase compared to the fiscal 2026 budget she signed in July.

Driving the news: The $63.4 billion budget bill includes no new taxes or broad-based service cuts, but it does eliminate GLP-1 coverage for state employees and caps their dental coverage at $1,000 (it's currently not capped), budget writers say.

• Healey proposed no significant cuts to MassHealth and called for a one-year extension of the ConnectorCare pilot program, which helps middle-income earners get affordable health care.
• The bill would direct $470 million for the MBTA. That plus another $645 million infusion Healey proposed in a separate bill earlier this month would plug the MBTA's projected $560 million shortfall for fiscal 2027.

What they're saying: Healey touted the proposed spending on health care and other services as a move to protect residents affected by federal cuts.

• "Despite the wrongheaded and irresponsible cuts by Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, we're finding a way to provide coverage for people in Massachusetts," Healey said.

Yes, but: The proposal not only outpaces inflation, but it also exceeds the projected increase (2.4%) in tax revenue Massachusetts expects to collect in fiscal 2027.

Zoom in: The state bill includes several policy riders, from making it easier for consumers to cancel digital subscriptions to letting state and local governments install speed cameras.

Spread the word

Gov. Maura Healey fended off an attempt by National Grid and other utility companies to charge interest on deferred payments under the winter relief plan. (Axios)

• Eversource and later National Grid, Berkshire Gas and Unitil dropped those proposals, Healey said yesterday afternoon.

❌ The MFA plans to eliminate 33 jobs, a 6.3% workforce reduction. (GBH News)

• The MFA union said 16 union jobs are affected, but the museum didn't say which workers yet.

⛹🏽‍♀️ Brighton will become home to the new Women's Health, Sports & Performance Institute, which launches today, the center tells Axios.

• The center launches with $50 million in funding, led by Kate Ackerman, former head of the Female Athlete program at Boston Children's Hospital.

🌊 Marblehead town officials declared an "emergency" over its snowfall so crews could dump snow into the harbor at Riverhead Beach and State Street Landing. (CBS Boston)

The U.S. population grew just 0.5% from July 2024 to July 2025, per new Census Bureau estimates, adding 1.8 million people.

Why it matters: That's the slowest rate since the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the population grew by an anemic 0.2%.

• It's thanks to a "historic decline" in net immigration, said Census assistant division chief Christine Hartley.

By the numbers: Net international migration dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million, Hartley said.

• Births and deaths remained "relatively stable."

Between the lines: The numbers offer some insight into the effects of President Trump's immigration crackdown, though it's an incomplete view.

• Because of the time period covered, they capture only the first few months of Trump's second term — reflecting his early immigration efforts, but not more recent surges, such as in Minnesota.

Go deeper

Steph here, with a reminder that Somerville offers free health supplies through two vending machines.

How it works: You can request toothpaste, tampons, Narcan and even a first-aid kit through the vending machine.

Yes, but: Like any vending machine, all it takes is one jam to render it unusable for hours.

• At least, that's what happened when I tested it out last week.

Where to find them: One machine is outside Project Soup in East Somerville, while the other is outside the West Branch Library in Davis Square.