Storm's (still) a-comin'

Also: Boston's change of plans; the growing wait to see a doctor [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  April 3, 2024 ☁️ Cloudy and breezy, with rain in the afternoon and temperatures in the lower 40s. Good Morning Boston, As you [may have heard]( WBUR is in a [tough financial situation](. While our journalism is still thriving, the old economics of our business can no longer support us. Over the past five years, our on-air sponsorship has fallen by more than 40%. (In the digital age, nearly all of the money for sponsorship now goes to a handful of big platforms like Facebook, Google and Amazon.) So, as we start this year's spring fundraiser, we're asking you to dig deeper than ever before. Please consider [starting a monthly gift today.]( To the news: - A change of plans: It's official. Boston has a new planning department — or at least it will soon. Mayor Michelle Wu signed an ordinance yesterday to establish a new city planning department after it was [approved by the City Council last week.]( As WBUR's Simón Rios reports, the move allows the city to take over functions long held by the Boston Planning and Development Agency. - How is it different? The BPDA will still separately exist and continue to oversee large developments. But according to Wu, the planning department — which will absorb much of the BPDA's staff and be under the mayor's control— allows the city to align housing and development with other mayoral priorities, like climate resiliency, equity and affordability. Wu also says residents will have more say at the start of planning, rather than later in the process (though critics argue those details are hazy). - What's next? The new planning department will start work on July 1, with funding from the coming city budget. It will be led by Boston's planning chief, Arthur Jemison. - What will it focus on? Jemison listed the department's priorities during a press conference yesterday: "The modernization of the city's [outdated zoning code](. Modernizing our development review process. Planning and rezoning our neighborhood squares and main streets to allow for greater diversity of housing options. Establishing a design vision that reflects the diversity of our city and its built environment." - On the radar: Though [its arrival may be delayed]( there's still a messy, multi-day winter storm on its way to Massachusetts. Expect widespread rain and sleet to move in this afternoon. But the storm won't peak until overnight and tomorrow morning. - Will we get snow? Not likely inside the I-95 belt — though evening commuters could encounter sleet. Meteorologist Danielle Noyes says any snow will be "elevation dependent." The Worcester Hills, north-central Massachusetts and parts of the Berkshires could see up to half a foot. - See for yourself: [Click here]( to check out Noyes' latest snow, wind gust and rain prediction maps for Massachusetts. (And for spring skiers looking up at New Hampshire or Maine, [here are those expected totals, too](. You'll be pleased.) - No show: Sen. Ed Markey is hosting a Senate hearing in Boston today on Steward Health Care's financial insecurity. But don't expect to see [Steward CEO Ralph de la Torre]( in attendance. Despite multiple invites, de la Torre and other Steward executives have declined to testify at the hearing, according to Markey's office. "It is a clear reflection [of] how Steward has failed to show up for the communities they promised to serve," Markey said. - What you will see at the hearing: A lot of scrutiny of the rise of for-profit companies in the health care space. [Read WBUR reporter Deborah Becker's full preview here](. - Meanwhile: Staff at two of the state's largest hospital systems will no longer report every baby born with traces of drugs in their system to state child welfare investigators. The move bucks a state requirement addiction experts have chafed at for years. - The new rules: As WBUR's Martha Bebinger reports, Mass General Brigham and Boston Medical Center have changed their reporting guidelines to focus on an imminent risk of child abuse or neglect. Dr. Sarah Wakeman, a substance use disorder expert at Mass General, says reporting parents whose babies show signs of medications used to treat an addiction — like buprenorphine — could harm the whole family. "There’s a huge potential for a chilling effect if people are getting reported for child abuse or neglect for engaging in recommended medical treatment," Wakeman said. Hospital officials also say differing policies at its facilities have led to disparities, especially for women of color. P.S.— Just in! Rep. Ayanna Pressley formally announced this morning she'll run for another term serving her Boston-area congressional district. [Watch her reelection launch video here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  The Rundown [Primary care wait times grow in Mass., pushing some patients to ERs]( It is a frustrating reality for primary care providers and patients alike. Many people are waiting longer to see their doctors — often weeks or months, if they can find an appointment at all — even as clinicians say they are trying to help all the patients they can. [Read more.]( [Primary care wait times grow in Mass., pushing some patients to ERs]( It is a frustrating reality for primary care providers and patients alike. Many people are waiting longer to see their doctors — often weeks or months, if they can find an appointment at all — even as clinicians say they are trying to help all the patients they can. [Read more.]( [Mayors and team owners battle over proposed Everett soccer stadium]( State lawmakers heard hours of testimony on a bill that would re-zone a portion of the Everett waterfront to allow construction of a new Major League Soccer stadium. The site is currently home to a shuttered and contaminated power plant. [Read more.]( [Mayors and team owners battle over proposed Everett soccer stadium]( State lawmakers heard hours of testimony on a bill that would re-zone a portion of the Everett waterfront to allow construction of a new Major League Soccer stadium. The site is currently home to a shuttered and contaminated power plant. [Read more.]( [Prosecutors face sanctions after racist emails upended a murder conviction]( In what is believed to be a first for the state, a pair of Massachusetts prosecutors face possible sanctions — including the threat of disbarment — over allegations they exchanged racist emails while handling a murder case. [Read more.]( [Prosecutors face sanctions after racist emails upended a murder conviction]( In what is believed to be a first for the state, a pair of Massachusetts prosecutors face possible sanctions — including the threat of disbarment — over allegations they exchanged racist emails while handling a murder case. [Read more.]( [Biden administration approves large offshore wind project off Massachusetts]( The Biden administration approved a new wind project off the Massachusetts coast Tuesday that is large enough it will provide more electricity than the state’s former coal-fired generating station. Avangrid’s New England Wind is the United States’ eighth large offshore wind project to be greenlit. [Read more.]( [Biden administration approves large offshore wind project off Massachusetts]( The Biden administration approved a new wind project off the Massachusetts coast Tuesday that is large enough it will provide more electricity than the state’s former coal-fired generating station. Avangrid’s New England Wind is the United States’ eighth large offshore wind project to be greenlit. [Read more.]( [MBTA faces 'considerable obstacles' to hit its staffing target, report says]( MTF researchers found that the agency's operating headcount "fluctuated" regularly after fiscal 2015, with gains followed by declines. More recently, the pandemic and concerns about an arbitrator's proposed pension changes — which ultimately did not take effect — created a significant shortfall before a hiring campaign featuring greater pay and benefits began yielding results. [Read more.]( [MBTA faces 'considerable obstacles' to hit its staffing target, report says]( MTF researchers found that the agency's operating headcount "fluctuated" regularly after fiscal 2015, with gains followed by declines. More recently, the pandemic and concerns about an arbitrator's proposed pension changes — which ultimately did not take effect — created a significant shortfall before a hiring campaign featuring greater pay and benefits began yielding results. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Larry Lucchino — who helped assemble the curse-breaking 2004 Red Sox team and led a nationwide baseball park redesign revolution — has died at the age of 78 from cancer. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred called Lucchino "one of the most accomplished executives that our industry has ever had." [Read more about Lucchino's legacy here](. - Having already locked up their respective party's nominations, both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump easily won primaries yesterday in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and Wisconsin. However, the expected results [offer some clues about enthusiasm among base voters]( for the upcoming 2020 rematch. - Several private colleges in Massachusetts have exceeded the $90,000 threshold for the first time this year, as they set their annual costs for tuition, board, meals and other expenses. But [the sticker price tells only part of the story](. - Jason Clemence ran 24,733 miles between June 2008 and January 2024. Then, he couldn't run anymore. [As he writes in this Cognoscenti essay]( it's hard to know what to do when the thing that brought you pride and relief is suddenly gone.  What We're Reading 📚 - Looking for a Place to Sit Down in the City ([Bloomberg]( - In Canton, Tuesday’s town election overshadowed by Karen Read controversy ([The Boston Globe]( - Rats love driving tiny cars, even when they don’t get treats ([Ars Technica](  Tell Me Something Good [Franklin Park greenhouse readies for spring planting]( The city’s old, sprawling greenhouse is located in Franklin Park, made up of 16 structures housing thousands of plants. Boston is one of the only major cities that has its own greenhouse and focuses on homegrown landscaping. [Read more.]( [Franklin Park greenhouse readies for spring planting]( The city’s old, sprawling greenhouse is located in Franklin Park, made up of 16 structures housing thousands of plants. Boston is one of the only major cities that has its own greenhouse and focuses on homegrown landscaping. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common explains [how competitive electricity suppliers are impacting Massachusetts residents]( what could be done to reform the industry this year. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Good boy; great Green Line backpack etiquette.]( 😎 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.