Forecast: July

BOAT SHOWS
07/08 GOVERNOR REFUSES TO GIVE UP THE SHIP
Thanks to an 11th-hour check from Governor Patrick, Sail Boston will welcome crowds aboard its Tall Ships today through 7/13. The flotilla's visit was put in jeopardy this spring when Mayor Menino, smarting over the tab the city was stuck with when the ships came around in 2000, demanded $1 million up front before he'd give the go-ahead. Then last month Patrick ponied up state money for the event, albeit a slightly watered-down version: Plans have been scuttled for the grand parade, which drew well over a million spectators last time—a blow to the projected $3.5 million in tax revenue Sail Boston says it could generate for the city.

ACCOUNTING
07/01 A NEW YEAR'S DAY FEW WILL BE TOASTING
As the 2010 government fiscal year begins, a date that generally impacts only accountants now brings with it substantial bloodletting for public employees. Slimmed-down budgets must be adopted by today, triggering layoffs and furloughs for many, and wage freezes for the more fortunate. The former include some 60 employees of the Boston Police Department, which is issuing the pink slips to help make up a $20 million budget gap. Among the few working Bostonians actually looking forward to today: the Celtics' Glen Davis and the Bruins' Mark Recchi, both of whom become free agents—and both of whom are due for a nice raise.

TRAVEL
07/02 FERRY STALWART LOOKING FOR NEW RIDERS    
Even before the economy cratered, the New England Fast Ferry was finding business harder to come by, suffering a 16 percent dip in passengers last year. So this tourist season the company is shoving off in search of new revenue. Starting today it will haul Martha's Vineyard–bound tourists from New York City—a Fourth of July weekend experiment that'll give islanders still more reason to fear an onslaught of Yankees caps and that uniquely overwhelming air of entitlement.

Consider This
Questions you'll have reason to ask this month

Any bets on how long this name will last? Corporate brass at TD Banknorth this month bestow the latest moniker on the home of the Celtics and Bruins. The company is adopting the more streamlined "TD Bank," rendering the arena "TD Garden." For those who've lost count, this will be the building's fourth identity in the 14 years since it replaced the Boston Garden (and overwrote that sensible name).  

Is Ted Kennedy about to get his shot at making healthcare history? Oh, what a difference a year makes. Should House Dems hit their self-imposed 7/31 deadline to pass healthcare reform legislation, all eyes will turn to our unwavering Teddy, who's already workshopping his own monumental plan in the Senate.

Is Edith Wharton's pad mounting a comeback? It couldn't have looked bleaker last year for the novelist's cherished Lenox estate, the Mount: The finances of its caretaking foundation were in shambles and a foreclosure date was set. But the crisis had an upside, as money began trickling in from concerned donors, and this spring the foundation was able to restructure its debt. Officials now think that if they can get streams of visitors to the mansion this summer, they just might steer clear of financial ruin. GEOFFREY GAGNON

OVERTURES 07/04
The annual Esplanade fireworks show: Time to make friends with that officemate with a roof deck.