NYPD Barnacle Boot Targets Violators Of Unpaid Tickets

Watch out New Yorkers. This barnacle really sucks. The new NYPD Barnacle Boot targets violators of unpaid parking tickets. You know who you are.

Here in Boston there is nothing worse then arriving at a public destination late for an important meeting, and not getting the parking right. You find yourself scrambling to figure out the parking meter. Then the meeting goes well, you forget about the meter, and times runs out. Your great day is diminshed, because when you come back to your car, you find that dreaded ticket on your windshield. Because you had a great meeting, you blow it off, throw the ticket into the glove box to deal with it another day. There's only one problem. This process is repeated over and over and over.

Because we live in Massachusetts, and because of all of those unpaid tickets, at the worse possible time, you find the boot, on your car.

If you live in Cambridge and if and you have five or more unpaid parking tickets that are more than 21 days old, your car is eligible to be booted. If you get booted, you have to pay a $50 dollar fee, as well as all of the outstanding fees. Reportedly the city will remove the boot 90 minutes after the fees are paid. If it's after 7pm, they will remove it the next day. If you don't pay within three days of your car getting booted, it will be towed. You can pay on-line or by using an app. But, you are still stuck for 90 minutes, if in fact they will come out that fast to remove the boot.

Now in New York, there's a faster way to get unbooted.

The NYPD Barnacle Boot targets violators now in New York. It's a device that attaches to the perps windshield, using suction-cup like "barnacles." The device is big enough that it obstructs the drivers view, so like the traditional boot, you can't drive away. Add to that, with a traditional boot, you can deflate your tire and remove it. The Barnicle Boot, is not removable, unless you pay. The Barnacle Boot comes with a bar code that you can scan with your smart phone. By paying your fine instantly, the boot technology unsucks the suction, releasing the boot from your windshield, allowing you to drive, right away. The final step is dropping off the Barnacle Boot a the nearest receptical.

But if you try to pull an Ace Ventura and drive away unpaid with your head out the window, The NYPD has news for you. According to MSN.com:

Any driver who tries to pull an Ace Ventura and drive with the device attached while hanging out the window will suffer a blaring alarm and can be tracked with GPS, the company noted. Drivers will also have to pay a $200 deposit for the device that they’ll get back when they return the device to a drop box.

The devices are already being used in some city’s, including Greeley, Colorado, and Charleston, South Carolina, and by some parking companies and universities.

Feeling lucky? Are you a gambler? Maybe you want to take a ride to your local casino. Here in Massachusetts there are a few like Encore Boston Harbor, Plainridge Park and MGM Springfield where you can press your luck. But maybe you don’t want to take a ride several miles to win some money. The key to winning some serious cash is right down the street at your local convenience store.

Scratch tickets are all the rage here in Massachusetts. Back in 2020, we spent the most money out of any state in the country on lottery tickets. The average lottery player in Massachusetts spent about $1000 annually, on tickets. That’s about $300 more than any state.
What if you knew going into that store which lottery ticket was going to win? That may take the fun out of gambling, but you’d be more apt to buy said ticket, correct? Well, that answer is right at the click of a button. The Massachusetts state lottery has a website where they literally put the odds of winning on each ticket. Knowing this information should make you better informed before buying your next ticket. That is, if you want to win.

Odds of winning are typically printed on the back of each lottery ticket. But we are going to do the work for you. Now, as you know, new tickets are being introduced each month. So, you have to make sure you’re updating your list each month because odds can change month to month. These are the tickets with the best odds in March.

A fan favorite. This ticket is consistently on our list. Odds of winning are 1 in 3.09. It's a $30 ticket.

Keep in mind, there are NO grand prizes left with this ticket. Odds of winning are 1 in 2.94. It's a $20 ticket. Grand prize is $10,000,000 ($500K/YR/20YRS).

This $20 ticket is consistently on this list. Beware though, only 2 of the 3 grand prizes are remaining. The grand prize is $10,000,000 ($500K/YR/20YRS). Odds of winning are 1 in 2.94. 

This $20 ticket is always a fan favorite. Odds of winning is 1 in 2.93. The great news about this ticket is that all 3 of its grand prizes still remain. Grand prize is $10,000,000 ($500K/YR/20YRS).

These Cash Word tickets require more thought. People LOVE these. It's a $20 ticket and odds of winning are 1 in 2.86. There is one grand prize remaining.

This is MY favorite ticket. I've always done pretty well on them. Odds of winning are 1 in 2.77. It's a $30 ticket. Plus all 3 of its grand prizes are still unclaimed!

Millions is always a consistent on this list. Odds of winning are 1 in 2.76. There is 1 grand prize remaining. This is another $30 ticket.