Don't let the rats run Boston

Also: 3 fare changes coming to the MBTA; Mass. robotic police dog helps avert tragedy [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  March 28, 2024 🌧️ Rainy and foggy with a high near 50. Good Morning Boston, It's Opening Day Night for the Red Sox. While local sports fans might be a little preoccupied [with March Madness at TD Garden]( (not to mention [the NCAA men's hockey tournament over in Springfield]( the Sox are opening their 2024 season at 10:10 p.m. in Seattle. It's the first of a 10-game, West Coast road trip to start the year. (The Sox won't their play[first game at Fenway Park]( until April 9.) If you're lacking motivation to stay up late to watch another mediocre Sox team, just remember what Leslie Epstein — a local novelist and father of Theo Epstein — [recently told WBUR's Sharon Brody]( "Knowledge comes through suffering." To the news: - Now arriving: The MBTA's Board of Directors is slated to vote on a slate of fare changes this morning — some minor, one quite major. Here's what to know: - Low-income fares: This is the big one. The new program — forecasted to eventually cost $58 million a year — would [offer half-price fares to low-income riders]( on all of the T’s services. Officials estimate 62,000 riders between the ages of 26 and 64 will enroll within the next five years (the T already offers [half-off fares]( to students, low-income young adults and seniors). Individuals making up to $29,000 (or $60,000 for households of four) would be eligible to sign up for the discount. - If approved, T officials have said it will take another two to six months to stand up the program, which would include an online application and special CharlieCards. - Wave goodbye to change tickets: If you're boarding a bus or Green Line trolley and only have, say, a $5 bill to pay for your fare, you used to get your change back on a paper CharlieTicket with stored value. According to the T, it happens 10,000 to 15,000 times a month. But no more. The T is phasing out change tickets as it works on updating its fare collection technology. (This change technically began as a pilot on March 1 and today's vote would make it permanent.) - Instead, the T has begun stocking buses with CharlieCards — which riders can load with their cash. ([Here's a video tutorial]( - However, there won't be any Charlie Cards handed out on the Green Line or Mattapan trolleys, so it's better to bring exact change if you plan to pay onboard. (The T is also changing the fare boxes to only accept $1 and $5 bills, so no one gets a $20 bill — or larger — eaten with no change back.) - Want to [take the commuter rail to the beach]( this Memorial Day? This final change would extend the T's [popular $10 pass for unlimited commuter rail weekend trips]( to federal holidays, too. Officials say the change would boost ridership at virtually no cost. - A new era: Boston is about to get its own planning department, under City Hall's purview. [As WBUR's Simón Rios reports]( the City Council approved Mayor Michelle Wu's proposal to shift resources away from the Boston Planning & Development Agency, which she has [long criticized]( for a "lack of transparency and misguided priorities." - FYI: This is not the total abolition of the BPDA that Wu [proposed as a mayoral candidate](. However, she says the new planning department will help the city sync development with goals like climate resilience and affordable housing. - The latest: The number of people [alleging a former Brigham and Women’s doctor sexually abused]( them continues to rise. The Boston Globe [reports]( 206 plaintiffs (mostly women) have now joined the class action suit against former rheumatologist Dr. Derrick Todd, who they say performed unnecessary pelvic and breast exams over 14 years. - Todd resigned from the hospital in July and later agreed to no longer practice medicine. He has not admitted any wrongdoing. - Coal-free, wherever we may be: New England's last running coal plant —Merrimack Station in Bow, New Hampshire — [will shut down in 2028](. As part of a settlement with two environmental groups, the plant's owner will also shutter a coal facility in Portsmouth, too. - What's next: The two sites are slated to become “renewable energy parks" that host solar panels and battery storage. P.S.— CitySpace is[transforming into a karaoke bar tonight]( for the latest rendition of our free, monthly Field Trip meetup series. Join us for bops, ballads and bangers alike! (And yes, there'll be liquid courage available for purchase.) [Secure your spot here.]( Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Don't let the rats run Boston: Here's how to keep your home and car safe]( “It all comes down to the trash. It's their food. So, look for the trash piles and you'll find the rats,” said Marieke Rosenbaum, an assistant professor at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. [Read more.]( [Don't let the rats run Boston: Here's how to keep your home and car safe]( “It all comes down to the trash. It's their food. So, look for the trash piles and you'll find the rats,” said Marieke Rosenbaum, an assistant professor at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. [Read more.]( [These energy suppliers say they can save you money. Regulators say it’s a scam]( Massachusetts legislators are considering a bill to enact a first-in-the-nation ban on competitive suppliers selling electricity. Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu all support the bill. But some say the third-party electric supply industry just needs more regulation. [Read more.]( [These energy suppliers say they can save you money. Regulators say it’s a scam]( Massachusetts legislators are considering a bill to enact a first-in-the-nation ban on competitive suppliers selling electricity. Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu all support the bill. But some say the third-party electric supply industry just needs more regulation. [Read more.]( [Mass. robotic police dog shot multiple times, credited with avoiding potential bloodshed]( Massachusetts state police say a robotic dog helped avert a tragedy after being deployed at a Barnstable home where police were responding to an armed individual barricaded in a home. [Read more.]( [Mass. robotic police dog shot multiple times, credited with avoiding potential bloodshed]( Massachusetts state police say a robotic dog helped avert a tragedy after being deployed at a Barnstable home where police were responding to an armed individual barricaded in a home. [Read more.]( [With federal aid ending, Boston schools will see cuts — and changes — under latest budget]( The end of the ESSER program, along with large and costly district priorities, make this an uncommonly complicated and painful budget. The Boston School Committee voted 5-2 Wednesday evening to advance it. [Read more.]( [With federal aid ending, Boston schools will see cuts — and changes — under latest budget]( The end of the ESSER program, along with large and costly district priorities, make this an uncommonly complicated and painful budget. The Boston School Committee voted 5-2 Wednesday evening to advance it. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts and its neighbors receive offshore wind project proposals]( Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island received a series of proposals for the next phase of clean energy development on Wednesday. The latest round of bids comes after Massachusetts and other states in the Northeast went backwards on offshore wind over the last year and a half. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts and its neighbors receive offshore wind project proposals]( Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island received a series of proposals for the next phase of clean energy development on Wednesday. The latest round of bids comes after Massachusetts and other states in the Northeast went backwards on offshore wind over the last year and a half. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Unlike Easter eggs, we won't make you hunt for ways to have fun this weekend. [Check out our arts and culture's list of five things to do]( from a special, kid-friendly day at the ICA to a fascinating look inside the history of Boston's anti-slavery movement at the Boston Athenaeum. - Joe Lieberman, the centrist former Connecticut senator and 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee,[ has died at the age of 82]( after complications from a fall. - Football fans, prepare for NFL kickoffs to look radically different this coming season, as the league experiments with its most dramatic rule change to date. Here's [an explainer on how — and why](. - Dominique Lee, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that the current Supreme Court case about medication abortion isn't about drug safety and efficacy — it's about politics. What We're Reading 📚 - Digital signs around Brookline are collecting data from your phone as you walk by ([Brookline.News]( - TikTok’s algorithm has always been a black box. But researchers are finally figuring it out ([Fast Company]( - The Hotel Guest Who Wouldn’t Leave ([The New York Times](  Life Advice [What is the new etiquette for tipping?]( Tipping requests are on the rise. Businesses that never seemed to ask for a tip, like fast food joints, are now asking for one. Here's how to deal with unexpected requests and more. [Read more.]( [What is the new etiquette for tipping?]( Tipping requests are on the rise. Businesses that never seemed to ask for a tip, like fast food joints, are now asking for one. Here's how to deal with unexpected requests and more. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common investigates why [a Boston program to replace people's lead pipes for free]( has gone so underutilized. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Make Massachusetts Long Again.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. 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