Just in: Steward files for bankruptcy

Also: Mass. special ed schools’ widespread potential conflicts of interest; an MBTA milestone [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  May 6, 2024 ☁️ Cloudy, with a high of 73 and a chance of evening thunderstorms. Good Morning Boston, It's Monday. While we continue to wonder how much Netflix must have paid Tom Brady to agree to [that brutal (NSFW) roast last night]( let's get to the news: - Just in: Steward Health Care announced early this morning it will seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy to restructure its debt. [As WBUR's Elisabeth Harrison reports]( the move raises questions about the long-term future of the financially struggling, for-profit health care company's eight Massachusetts hospitals. - For the immediate future: Steward says it "does not expect any interruptions in its day-to-day operations" during the bankruptcy process. The Dallas-based chain says its hospitals, medical centers and physician’s offices will remain open and keep serving patients. - What's next: Gov. Maura Healey's administration says it's "working with Steward and any potential partners to support an orderly transfer of ownership that protects access to care, preserves jobs and stabilizes our health care system.” Healey is slated to [hold a press conference]( on the situation today at 9:45 a.m. - Not so blue: For the first time since General Manager Phil Eng took over, the MBTA has a subway line that's completely free of speed restrictions: the Blue Line. During the line's two-week partial closure that wrapped up last week, T officials said they were able to lift all 19 speed restrictions. "This Blue Line work is more work than this line has seen in years," Eng said. - Zoom in: For riders, it means an end-to-end, back-and-forth ride on the Blue Line is nine minutes faster than before. - The big picture: There were 230 speed restrictions across the T’s four subway and trolley lines when Eng first started the job in spring 2023, [as WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez recently reported](. Now, the T's [online slow zone tracker]( says they're down to 94. - Next up: The T's focus has turned to the Red and Orange line tracks — which are 18% and 17% slow zones, respectively. Partial closures of both lines are [scheduled]( through the rest of spring and summer. Eng says they're still on track (... sorry) to remove all subway speed restrictions by the end of the year. - Heads up: The current [nine-day Red Line closure between Park Street and JFK/UMass]( (and between JFK/UMass and Ashmont at night) continues through Friday. Eng says the diversion will allow crews to lift eight of the Red Line's 54 speed restrictions. - On Beacon Hill: Massachusetts Senate leaders plan to unveil their proposal today to make all 15 of the state's community colleges tuition-free. (Currently, they're [free only for those over 25 without a college degree]( The plan is expected to be rolled into the Senate's full budget proposal, which will be released tomorrow. - One obstacle: The House, which did not include free community college in [the budget proposal]( they passed last month. House Speaker Ron Mariano has emphasized the need to be cautious about spending amid recent state revenue declines. - On the docket: While the State House [declined to take action]( on any of Massachusetts' [six potential 2024 ballot questions]( before last week's deadline, there's still a chance another state institution could. The Supreme Judicial Court will hear legal challenges today against two initiatives that could reshape the ride-hailing industry. - What's the difference between these proposed ballot questions? One of them would allow Uber and Lyft drivers to form a union, while the other would redefine those drivers as "independent contractors" under state law (which has a lot of implications for their legally required wages and benefits). Read more about the lawsuits against them [here]( and [here](. - Meanwhile: The ballot question process has moved on to [a new stage]( since the State House didn't pass any of the proposals. Supporters now must collect a final round of 12,429 voter signatures before July 3 to secure their spot on the fall ballot. - All clear: Officials in Connecticut [have fully reopened the stretch of I-95 in Norwalk]( that was closed for several days after a fiery gas tanker crash. Crews had shut down part of the major highway to demolish a bridge that was scorched by the fire. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont called the quick turnaround "truly remarkable." P.S.— The chef behind one of the hottest restaurants in the Boston area will be here tonight. CitySpace's [latest edition of Curated Cuisine features chef Laurence Louie, of Rubato]( a modern Hong Kong-style café in Quincy that has garnered national attention. [Come hear the story behind Rubato's rise]( — and enjoy a bite after the conversation. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters  The Rundown [Potential conflicts of interest widespread at Mass. special ed schools]( Among the 76 private organizations the state approves to teach students with special needs, a WBUR investigation found nearly three-quarters awarded contracts and jobs to relatives of school leaders or board members from 2019 to 2023. State oversight of the schools’ finances is lax. [Read more.]( [Potential conflicts of interest widespread at Mass. special ed schools]( Among the 76 private organizations the state approves to teach students with special needs, a WBUR investigation found nearly three-quarters awarded contracts and jobs to relatives of school leaders or board members from 2019 to 2023. State oversight of the schools’ finances is lax. [Read more.]( [Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows a military operation soon]( The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo. Meanwhile, Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza after Hamas attacked it. [Read more.]( [Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows a military operation soon]( The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo. Meanwhile, Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza after Hamas attacked it. [Read more.]( [Civil rights complaint filed against Southwick schools as a result of online mock slave auction]( According to the filed complaint, Lopez had been facing harassment and discrimination for months leading up to the incident, including being called the N-word multiple times by white students. [Read more.]( [Civil rights complaint filed against Southwick schools as a result of online mock slave auction]( According to the filed complaint, Lopez had been facing harassment and discrimination for months leading up to the incident, including being called the N-word multiple times by white students. [Read more.]( [Some cities allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Their turnout is quite low]( Some cities, like three in Vermont, allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections. In these places, noncitizen turnout has remained low, as noncitizen voting is a contentious national issue. [Read more.]( [Some cities allow noncitizens to vote in local elections. Their turnout is quite low]( Some cities, like three in Vermont, allow non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections. In these places, noncitizen turnout has remained low, as noncitizen voting is a contentious national issue. [Read more.]( [Disciplinary hearings for suspended cannabis chair will extend a third day]( The future of O'Brien's leadership of the agency overseeing the state's $6 billion marijuana industry is being decided in private, in a drab conference room on the 12th floor of the state offices at 1 Ashburton Place. [Read more.]( [Disciplinary hearings for suspended cannabis chair will extend a third day]( The future of O'Brien's leadership of the agency overseeing the state's $6 billion marijuana industry is being decided in private, in a drab conference room on the 12th floor of the state offices at 1 Ashburton Place. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Is this your song of the summer? A funny moment captured during the recording of "Deep Side" made the Boston indie-pop band Divine Sweater go viral on TikTok back in 2022. Now, at long last, they've released the full version of the song that once caught the attention of Kevin Bacon. [Listen to the exclusive premiere on our website](. - After their ecstatic Game 7 overtime win Saturday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins will face a familiar face in Round 2 of the NHL playoffs: the Florida Panthers. Game 1 is tonight — and there's [no shortage of storylines](. - A new study by researchers at Stanford and Harvard has linked gas and propane stoves to 50,000 current cases of childhood asthma across the country. WBUR's Barbara Moran has [more details on the "striking" findings here](. - Running through May 25 at the Speakeasy Stage, "A Strange Loop" is a musical meta-narrative about "self-discovery, identity, sexuality, insecurity and more," writes theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair. [Read her full review of the Pulitzer Prize-winning show.]( What We're Reading 📚 - I Read Everything Elon Musk Posted For a Week. Send Help. ([Mother Jones]( - Pet Alligator Is Mistakenly Released Into the Wild, Owner Says ([The New York Times]( - Frontier bets $58.3M on carbon removal startup Vaulted Deep ([Canary Media](  Tell Me Something Good [Berklee student’s search for home leads to the top of NPR’s Tiny Desk contest]( Mae Valerio's song “Home” was recently included in NPR’s Top Shelf, a kind of finalist list of Tiny Desk contestants. They started writing the song in their first semester at Berklee, caught in what they described as a “never-ending loop” of feeling alienated wherever they go. [Read more.]( [Berklee student’s search for home leads to the top of NPR’s Tiny Desk contest]( Mae Valerio's song “Home” was recently included in NPR’s Top Shelf, a kind of finalist list of Tiny Desk contestants. They started writing the song in their first semester at Berklee, caught in what they described as a “never-ending loop” of feeling alienated wherever they go. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common is joined by WBUR's Simón Rios to discuss [what humanitarian parole means for Boston's Haitian community.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Kick back poolside and watch some traffic.]( 😎 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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