Boston's Open Streets expands (again)

Also: Steward's sale proposal stirs concern; inside Brockton High [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 27, 2024 🌧️ More clouds and drizzle, with a high near 55. Good Morning Boston, Brace yourselves for another busy news day. The Governor's Council is slated to take up Gov. Maura Healey's [sweeping marijuana pardon plan](. The Boston City Council [could vote]( on Mayor Michelle Wu's plan to restructure the Boston Planning and Development Agency. And the Coolidge Corner Theatre will opens its doors after a [much-awaited expansion](. (Not to mention, there was some late-breaking news about Steward Health Care and MASS MoCA.) But first, let's get outside: - Move over, cars: Boston's third annual "[Open Streets]( program will feature more locations and longer hours this year. The city is adding Hyde Park to the list of neighborhoods that will temporarily close off streets to cars for a pedestrian takeover. The timing of this year's series is also extending, running from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (compared to 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. last year). "We'll have food trucks, art, music, activities for every generation," Wu said yesterday, adding the city will provide misting stations when needed to help "beat the summer heat." But you don't have to wait until summer. Here's a look at the schedule: - Dorchester — Sunday, May 5 (Dorchester Avenue from Ashmont Street to Linden Street) - Roxbury — Saturday, June 22 (Blue Hill Avenue from Warren Street to Dudley Street) - Jamaica Plain — Sunday, July 21 (Centre Street from Lamartine Street to South Street) - Hyde Park — Sunday, Aug. 11 (Hyde Park Avenue and River Street to Fairmount Street and Davison Street) - East Boston — Sunday, Sept. 15 (Meridian Street from Maverick to Porter Street, and Bennington Street from Porter to Day Square) - Allston-Brighton — Sunday, Oct. 20 (Harvard Avenue and Brighton Avenue from Cambridge to Comm. Ave.) - Last but not least: Open Newbury, which Wu [expanded to 16 straight Sundays last year]( is also returning. But city officials say they'll announce that specific schedule closer to summer. - Stewarding a sale: Financially distressed Steward Health Care is [proposing a plan to sell its doctors network to Optum Care]( a sister company of the insurance giant United Healthcare. Steward says the deal — which includes its primary care doctors and other providers across nine states, including Massachusetts — would preserve health care services and jobs as it tries to climb out of [a worrisome financial hole](. - It's not a done deal: The companies need state and federal approvals before they can close. And as WBUR's Priyanka Dayal McCluskey reports, some officials — like Sen. Elizabeth Warren — have concerns about the proposal. [Click here for more]( on the reactions to the proposed sale and what comes next. - Meanwhile on Beacon Hill: WBUR's Deborah Becker [reports lawmakers are considering tighter regulations on private equity transactions in the health care space]( in light of the Steward saga. - The local angle: Leaders in Massachusetts are assuring the public that the state's bridges aren't at any major risk of a disaster similar to what [happened yesterday in Baltimore](. During a press conference yesterday afternoon, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said the state's bridges are inspected every two years and the nature of our harbors and ports differ from those in Baltimore, which has the country's [ninth-busiest container ship port](. "We are not the same size port as they have in Baltimore," he said. "We don't have the same size navigable waterways, nor the same size bridges." Gulliver also noted the big container ships that do dock here "certainly" do not travel under [similar local truss bridges]( like the Tobin Bridge. - The latest: While the exact cause of the giant container ship Dali's collision with the Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge hasn't been confirmed, experts say [a momentary loss of electrical power and stiff tidal current]( appear to have played major factors. - What's next: It's unclear how long it will take to rebuild the Key bridge and reopen parts of Baltimore's port. That's [expected to have ripple effects, especially for the car industry](. - It's over: After three weeks, [the strike]( at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art has ended. Unionized workers at the museum in North Adams [voted to ratify a new contract last night](. - The two-year deal increases MASS MoCA workers' minimum wage to $18 an hour and includes annual raises of at least 3.5%. P.S. — Worcester is looking for some very good dogs. [According to the Telegram & Gazette]( the city is seeking trained dogs to help patrol city parks this summer and scare off geese before the birds poop all over the place. Is your doggo up to the task? [Applications]( are due by April 10. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Inside Brockton High, students meditate on moving forward after months of turmoil]( As Brockton High students and staffers cope with media attention surrounding problems with school violence, students reflect on the progress and positive aspects of their daily school lives. [Read more.]( [Inside Brockton High, students meditate on moving forward after months of turmoil]( As Brockton High students and staffers cope with media attention surrounding problems with school violence, students reflect on the progress and positive aspects of their daily school lives. [Read more.]( [Supreme Court seems doubtful of challenge to abortion pill]( At issue in the case is more than abortion rights. It's the entire structure of the FDA's regulatory power to approve drugs and continually evaluate their safety. [Read more.]( [Supreme Court seems doubtful of challenge to abortion pill]( At issue in the case is more than abortion rights. It's the entire structure of the FDA's regulatory power to approve drugs and continually evaluate their safety. [Read more.]( [Cases settled: 2 ex-officials of Holyoke veterans home where 76 died in pandemic avoid jail time]( Two former officials of a veterans home in Massachusetts where at least 76 people died in one of the nation's worst COVID-19 outbreaks in a long-term care facility settled their criminal case Tuesday without having to go to jail. [Read more.]( [Cases settled: 2 ex-officials of Holyoke veterans home where 76 died in pandemic avoid jail time]( Two former officials of a veterans home in Massachusetts where at least 76 people died in one of the nation's worst COVID-19 outbreaks in a long-term care facility settled their criminal case Tuesday without having to go to jail. [Read more.]( [Robert Kennedy Jr. taps a wealthy California attorney as his running mate]( Kennedy, who's known for anti-vaccine advocacy and as a promoter of conspiracy theories, picked Nicole Shanahan, a political novice, as his running mate for his independent presidential campaign. [Read more.]( [Robert Kennedy Jr. taps a wealthy California attorney as his running mate]( Kennedy, who's known for anti-vaccine advocacy and as a promoter of conspiracy theories, picked Nicole Shanahan, a political novice, as his running mate for his independent presidential campaign. [Read more.]( [In wrongful death suit, Boston to pay $4.6M to family of man with mental illness who police killed]( The city of Boston will pay about $4.6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the police killing of a mentally ill man in 2016. The mother of Terrence Coleman, 31, filed the federal lawsuit six years ago. Hope Coleman had called for an ambulance to take her son to the hospital when Boston police fatally shot him. [Read more.]( [In wrongful death suit, Boston to pay $4.6M to family of man with mental illness who police killed]( The city of Boston will pay about $4.6 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from the police killing of a mentally ill man in 2016. The mother of Terrence Coleman, 31, filed the federal lawsuit six years ago. Hope Coleman had called for an ambulance to take her son to the hospital when Boston police fatally shot him. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Next month's total solar eclipse is expected to bring over 100,000 visitors and millions of dollars to Vermont — and lots of places are trying to get in on the action. [Here's a look at the places trying to cash in on the crowds]( from a church to a septic company. - Edward Yang got into Harvard’s Graduate School of Design nearly 50 years ago. Instead, he went home to Taipei, where he became a key figure in the emergent Taiwanese film reform movement. But you can catch Yang's work in Cambridge starting this weekend at [a new retrospective at the Harvard Film Archive](. - PSA: Did you sell your home and pay a commission to a real estate agent? You could be eligible to get some of that money back due to a lawsuit settlement. [Here are six things to know about the changes]( for past, present and future homebuyers (and sellers). - Frederick Hewett [writes in this commentary]( that much of the voting public is disturbingly unaware of President Biden’s climate record — and the assault so-called "Project 2025" would marshal against it.  What We're Reading 📚 - In remarkable start to 2024, Boston has had only 2 homicides this year ([CommonWealth Beacon]( - A decade after sparking the Seaport’s boom, Vertex is considering leaving Fan Pier ([The Boston Globe]( - Selling food while fasting: How vendors at Boston's Haymarket observe Ramadan ([GBH News](  Tell Me Something Good [An MIT alum will open a bagel ship in Kendall Square this week (Boston.com)]( After closing her Providence shop, James Beard Award semifinalist Milena Pagán will open Rebelle Bagels in Kendall Square this week. [Read more.]( [An MIT alum will open a bagel ship in Kendall Square this week (Boston.com)]( After closing her Providence shop, James Beard Award semifinalist Milena Pagán will open Rebelle Bagels in Kendall Square this week. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common explains Healey's [latest tweaks to the state's emergency overflow shelter system](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Actually, I'll just pay for the couch.]( 😎 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. 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