3 takeaways from our town hall with Mayor Wu

Also: Eclipse traffic anxiety; Boston unveils new mental health initiative [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 21, 2024 ☀️ Sunny but breezy, with a high near 40. Good Morning Boston, The house was packed last night for our CitySpace town hall with Mayor Michelle Wu. The hourlong conversation ranged from the city's efforts to support the recent wave of immigrants (in Wu's words, "very, very difficult") to her latest thoughts on the MBTA ("I am feeling much, much better about the direction"). If you couldn't join us live, you can [watch the full event on YouTube](. Or keep reading for more highlights: - Wu's stadium guarantee: Wu pushed back strongly on the arguments made in [the pending lawsuit]( over the [plan to renovate Franklin Park's White Stadium]( and allow it to become the home field of a women's professional soccer team. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy and 15 local residents say it's an “unconstitutional privatization of public land.” But according to Wu, they have it backwards. "I can guarantee that this would open up the stadium for far, far more public uses than currently happens right now," she said. - How? Wu said the renovation plan would "at least triple" the hours Boston Public Schools can use the stadium, which has fallen into disrepair and currently sits "locked up" most of the time. Meanwhile, the women's soccer team's 13-15 home games a year "would end up taking less than 10% of the available hours." - Wu also suggested the total cost to "properly" renovate White Stadium — "over $100 million" — would be too much for the city to fork up if the lawsuit is successful. (Currently, the city and the private group behind the soccer team are splitting the cost.) - A page from Menino's book? Stay with me here, but this was probably the most newsy — and wonky — remarks of the night. Wu hinted she might need help from the Legislature to shield residents from the impact of a potential commercial real estate tax shortfall. A[ recent report]( found empty offices could cost the city $1.4 billion in missed tax revenue over the next five years. According to Wu, that shortfall could shift more of the city's property tax burden onto residential homeowners, "which is also something that we cannot have happen." - The city has found itself in a similar situation before. In 2003, homeowners were facing up to 40% property tax hikes, due to a combination of rising residential values and office vacancies. But then-Mayor Tom Menino [sent a measure]( to the State House asking for permission to loosen state restrictions on how much higher commercial property taxes can be compared to residential taxes. Wu said she's looking at doing something similar: "I think that would be important to have those tools available for us." - Read between the lines: Wu has yet to officially declare plans to run for a second term next year, and she didn't break that news last night. But when asked the obligatory question, Wu did say she feels "lucky every single day" to be mayor and noted many of her administration's projects — like White Stadium — extend into 2026 and beyond. Wu added the decision still "needs an official vetting" with her family and others, but hinted she hopes to have "an announcement at some point about continuing to do this work." - If you're wondering about all the costumes: The PAX East — a celebration of all things gaming — returns today to the Seaport's Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Expect to see tons of fans out and about throughout the weekend in all sorts of costumes and "cosplay stuff," according to organizer Ryan Hartman. - Inside the expo hall: The four-day conference features panels, tournaments, merch and displays from developers. "The show is meant to encapsulate everything gaming and gaming adjacent," Hartman said. "We've got rooms that are dedicated just to console games and you basically go in and rent games like a library." [Single-day entry passes]( start at $67. - March Mass-ness: The Bay Stater's lone college in either NCAA basketball tournament this year — Holy Cross women — plays its first game tonight. The Crusaders take on fellow No. 16 seed University of Tennessee-Martin in a 9 p.m play-in game on ESPN 2 in Iowa City. - Not to get ahead of ourselves, but... if Holy Cross wins tonight, they'll play No. 1 seed Iowa — and [Caitlin Clark]( — Saturday on the Hawkeye's home court. (They seem to be [making the best of it!)]( P.S.— Did you catch us on WCVB's Chronicle last night? The show featured [our recent CitySpace panel]( on romance novels with Wellesley College grad Jasmine Guillory and other authors. [Watch the segment here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Phish crowds overwhelmed Vermont highways in 2004. How is the state preparing for eclipse traffic?]( When 68,000 people showed up for a Phish festival in 2004, traffic was backed up for 30 miles. Up to 150,000 could visit for the total solar eclipse, and state officials say the highway system is not built for so much traffic at one time. [Read more.]( [Phish crowds overwhelmed Vermont highways in 2004. How is the state preparing for eclipse traffic?]( When 68,000 people showed up for a Phish festival in 2004, traffic was backed up for 30 miles. Up to 150,000 could visit for the total solar eclipse, and state officials say the highway system is not built for so much traffic at one time. [Read more.]( ['The kids are not OK': Boston officials unveil new mental health initiative]( Boston officials will spend $21 million of federal funding over the next five years toincrease mental health supports in city schools and train more behavioral health clinicians. [Read more.]( ['The kids are not OK': Boston officials unveil new mental health initiative]( Boston officials will spend $21 million of federal funding over the next five years toincrease mental health supports in city schools and train more behavioral health clinicians. [Read more.]( [Federal funding pushes Allston Mass. Pike megaproject forward, says MassDOT secretary]( The federal government awarded $335 million for the Mass. Pike revamp plan in Allston that will provide long-awaited access to the Charles River waterfront. Plans call for construction of a new West Station commuter rail hub for the MBTA, which would be on the Worcester/Framingham Line between the existing Lansdowne and Boston Landing stops. [Read more.]( [Federal funding pushes Allston Mass. Pike megaproject forward, says MassDOT secretary]( The federal government awarded $335 million for the Mass. Pike revamp plan in Allston that will provide long-awaited access to the Charles River waterfront. Plans call for construction of a new West Station commuter rail hub for the MBTA, which would be on the Worcester/Framingham Line between the existing Lansdowne and Boston Landing stops. [Read more.]( [Lee again sues GE, Monsanto over Housatonic River pollution]( The lawsuit, filed in Berkshire Superior Court Thursday, alleges both companies knew decades ago that PCB chemicals could be harmful. The EPA classifies PCBs as "probable human carcinogens." [Read more.]( [Lee again sues GE, Monsanto over Housatonic River pollution]( The lawsuit, filed in Berkshire Superior Court Thursday, alleges both companies knew decades ago that PCB chemicals could be harmful. The EPA classifies PCBs as "probable human carcinogens." [Read more.]( [In a boost for EVs, EPA finalizes strict new limits on tailpipe emissions]( After nearly a year of frantic lobbying and debate, the EPA has finalized strict new rules on vehicle emissions that will push the auto industry to accelerate its transition to electric vehicles. [Read more.]( [In a boost for EVs, EPA finalizes strict new limits on tailpipe emissions]( After nearly a year of frantic lobbying and debate, the EPA has finalized strict new rules on vehicle emissions that will push the auto industry to accelerate its transition to electric vehicles. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Whether you're looking for a Friday night out in Cambridge or a family-friendly day trip to the North Shore, our arts and culture team's weekend events roundup has you covered. [Check out the full list of things to do here](. - The Fed isn't cutting interest rates... yet. However, policymakers [signaled yesterday they still expect to start cutting rates later this year]( (the markets' best guess is probably in June). - A decade ago, Mount Auburn Cemetery became the first cemetery in the U.S. to launch an artist residency program. This weekend, artist-in-residence Eden Rayz will [perform a musical meditation on death and "nothingness,"]( using an instrument she built out of parts of the cemetery chapel's decommissioned pipe organ. - After watching the 2017 solar eclipse from Grand Teton National Park, Cognoscenti contributor H.L.M. Lee plans to fly to Mexico for next month's solar phenomenon — this time, alone. "What was a family vacation last time will be a solo trip now, raising anticipatory emotions I haven’t yet grasped," Lee [writes in this essay](.  What We're Reading 📚 - For years, no one noticed body parts disappearing from Harvard’s morgue. Then came a phone call. ([The Boston Globe]( - The Mr. Beastification of entertainment ([Vox]( - The Mad Perfumer of Parma ([The New York Times Magazine](  Life Advice [A 2024 March Madness vocabulary: How to sound like you know what you're talking about]( The NCAA basketball tournaments can be onslaught of unfamiliar names and terms enough to make any casual viewer nervous. We're here to help. (Except for NET. We can't explain NET.) [Read more.]( [A 2024 March Madness vocabulary: How to sound like you know what you're talking about]( The NCAA basketball tournaments can be onslaught of unfamiliar names and terms enough to make any casual viewer nervous. We're here to help. (Except for NET. We can't explain NET.) [Read more.]( Listen: The Common discusses why [it's getting harder to access your primary care doctor in Massachusetts and across the country](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [It builds character!]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news    Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.