An "epidemic" on the roads

Also: The MassGOP's modest comeback; the complicated truth about wind turbines and whales [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  April 1, 2024 ⛅ Mostly cloudy, with a high near 57. Good Morning Boston, Try to [avoid getting fooled today]( and, please, [keep the ruckus down.]( To the news: - No joke: For this first week in April, Worcester police will stop issuing tickets for what they say is likely the most frequently broken traffic law: distracted driving. It's part of a larger — perhaps counterintuitive — effort to raise awareness about Massachusetts' ban on the use of handheld phones. Police say the law, which [went into effect in late February 2020]( immediately took a backseat to the COVID-19 pandemic. "We want to bring it right to the forefront again," Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early recently said. - Zoom in: Rather than a ticket, Worcester police during this pause will issue "warnings only" to drivers they catch on their phones — along with a "palm card" with info about the law. "This is not blowing through red lights and it's not speeding," Early said. - Zoom out: Statewide, officials have [launched a campaign]( urging drivers to use the "do not disturb" feature on their phone to address what Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt recently called an "epidemic" of distracted driving. - By the numbers: Since police began enforcing the hands-free driving law, distracted driving citations in Massachusetts have risen from nearly 30,000 in 2020 to 54,000 in 2023. - It's not just phones: During a MassDOT board meeting last month, Tibbits-Nutt described seeing all sorts of distractions during her daily commute. "I see people shaving, putting on makeup. There is a person that I drive by every day that eats cereal," she said. "I want to get their license plates so badly, but I'm not sure I should do that, legally." - In related news: Short-term safety improvements are coming to the Seaport intersection where a 4-year-old was hit and killed by a pickup truck last weekend. NBC Boston [reports]( Jascha Franklin-Hodge, Boston's chief of streets, told local residents Saturday that “additional markings and barriers” will “soon” be added to the intersection of Congress and Sleeper streets. “We are also going to be re-striping all the pavement markings and crosswalks in the neighborhood,” he said. - The long-term plan: The city is aiming to install raised crosswalks and better lighting at the intersection, which the nearby Boston Children’s Museum says has historically had problems with ["speed and sight lines."]( - It's back: The [Eastie ferry]( officially returned for the season, offering 10-minute trips across the harbor every half hour between East Boston's Lewis Wharf and Long Wharf downtown. The ferry averaged 1,700 riders a day during its first full season last year, according to David Perry, the T's director of commuter ferries. - Weekday service runs from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., while weekend service runs from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. See [the full schedule here](. ([Fares]( are $2.40 each way.) - Check your car: Street sweeping season begins again today in cities like [Boston]( [Cambridge]( and [Somerville](. That means it's time for residents who park on residential side streets to get back in the habit of moving their cars to the right side of the street on sweeping days. - FYI: Violators in Cambridge still won't get their car towed, [thanks to an extension of the city's no-tow pilot](. They also will still only face $50 tickets, despite the city's attempt to raise the penalty for a first-time offense to $100. (That requires approval from the State House — and Beacon Hill hasn't gotten around to acting on [Cambridge's home rule petition]( - Look up: Over 70 digital billboards around Boston today will call for the creation of "MegaCambridge." The Boston Globe [reports]( it's an April Fools joke launched by Cambridge City Councilor Burhan Azeem, calling for his city to annex neighboring Boston. (Azeem hints the ads will be up at [certain MBTA stations]( "among other places.") - It's not completely a joke: Azeem told the Globe the campaign is meant to make people think more about regional collaboration on issues like the T and public infrastructure. P.S.— While [the weather this week]( might not scream outside lunch, today marks the beginning of food truck season on Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway. Trucks will park at Dewey Square and Rowes Wharf to start, before expanding along the full Greenway on May 1. From curry Mondays to Tuesday tortas, you can see the daily schedule on [the Greenway Conservancy's website](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [MassGOP chair Carnevale works to rebuild a state party where MAGA battles the moderates]( A year into her role as chair, Carnavale is raising money, righting the MassGOP's finances and looking to unify a divided party, even as she faces pushback from the party's pro-Trump flank. [Read more.]( [MassGOP chair Carnevale works to rebuild a state party where MAGA battles the moderates]( A year into her role as chair, Carnavale is raising money, righting the MassGOP's finances and looking to unify a divided party, even as she faces pushback from the party's pro-Trump flank. [Read more.]( [The complicated truths about offshore wind and right whales]( Officials say offshore wind turbines aren’t killing North Atlantic right whales. So why do so many people think otherwise? [Read more.]( [The complicated truths about offshore wind and right whales]( Officials say offshore wind turbines aren’t killing North Atlantic right whales. So why do so many people think otherwise? [Read more.]( [Former U.S. Rep. William Delahunt of Massachusetts has died at age 82]( Delahunt, a Democratic stalwart who postponed his own retirement from Washington to help pass former President Barack Obama's legislative agenda, died from a long-term illness, his family announced. [Read more.]( [Former U.S. Rep. William Delahunt of Massachusetts has died at age 82]( Delahunt, a Democratic stalwart who postponed his own retirement from Washington to help pass former President Barack Obama's legislative agenda, died from a long-term illness, his family announced. [Read more.]( [Native American activists criticize Springfield College for keeping some Indigenous names on campus]( Springfield College's president and board of trustees said they had unanimously decided to stop using some Native American terms on campus as part of a reassessment of cultural appropriation at the school. But the school kept other names like Camp Massasoit and Massasoit Hall, frustrating some Native American activists. [Read more.]( [Native American activists criticize Springfield College for keeping some Indigenous names on campus]( Springfield College's president and board of trustees said they had unanimously decided to stop using some Native American terms on campus as part of a reassessment of cultural appropriation at the school. But the school kept other names like Camp Massasoit and Massasoit Hall, frustrating some Native American activists. [Read more.]( [A long-vacant South End rowhouse has been converted into subsidized apartments for homeless veterans]( The building in Boston's South End was sitting vacant and had fallen into disrepair before the Boston Housing Authority partnered with a private developer to convert it into permanent supportive housing for veterans. [Read more.]( [A long-vacant South End rowhouse has been converted into subsidized apartments for homeless veterans]( The building in Boston's South End was sitting vacant and had fallen into disrepair before the Boston Housing Authority partnered with a private developer to convert it into permanent supportive housing for veterans. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Did you know that people who are blind or visually impaired may also be able to experience next Monday's solar eclipse? From Texas to Massachusetts, space enthusiasts are working to increase access to [new technology that translates changing light into sound and touch](. - Harvard University says it has [removed human skin from the binding of a 19th century book]( about the afterlife that has been at the Houghton Library for decades. The university also noted several ways in which its stewardship practices failed to meet its ethical standards. - The man behind that robust tenor voice who belts out the national anthem before the puck drops at TD Garden? He's now asking for votes in Essex County. Todd Angilly, the Boston Bruins national anthem singer, is [joining the growing list of candidates running for a county clerk job this year](. - Daniel Osborn was raised in an interfaith home. He explains [in this Cognoscenti essay]( that when he became a father, he wanted to instill in his son an affinity for cultural exchange, so he built reminders of Jewish and Arabic values into their daily routines.  What We're Reading 📚 - Its beach nearly gone, waterfront home on Nantucket sells for just $600k. What does the sale say about the island’s future? ([The Boston Globe]( - Boston University Suggests Replacing Striking Grad Students With AI ([Daily Beast]( - From New England to Notre-Dame, a U.S. Carpenter Tends to a French Icon ([The New York Times](  Tell Me Something Good [Total commitment: This Vermont couple will get married during the solar eclipse]( One could say that the Falzones' wedding will be a ... total eclipse of the heart. The Vermont couple planned eclipse-themed nuptials to align with the total solar eclipse passing over northern New England next Monday. [Read more.]( [Total commitment: This Vermont couple will get married during the solar eclipse]( One could say that the Falzones' wedding will be a ... total eclipse of the heart. The Vermont couple planned eclipse-themed nuptials to align with the total solar eclipse passing over northern New England next Monday. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common [talks about Boston's rat problem.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Pretty, pretty, pretty good.]( 😎 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.](   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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