MGH's rooftop psychedelics

Also: A gun deal on Beacon Hill; tipped wage question heads to the ballot [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  July 18, 2024 🌥️ Mostly cloudy, but clearing, with a high near 89. Good Morning Boston, While you wait for [that big "whoosh" of dry air]( to blow over us, we have a lot of news to cover. Let's get to it: - And then there were five: The ballot campaign to raise the tipped minimum wage in Massachusetts is headed to the November ballot after all. Opponents of the campaign announced yesterday that they are withdrawing [their objection to some of the campaign's final round of signatures](. One Fair Wage, the group behind the ballot question, called the news "a crucial moment in our fight for justice." - The TL;DR? The news means you'll see the tipped minimum wage question on your fall ballot, along with [four other questions](. - Why was the objection pulled? The Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which continues to fight the question, says they found "a significant number of questionable signatures," including some with "similar handwriting styles." However, the group said it didn't have time to compile the evidence "to offer a complete review" to the state's Ballot Law Commission, which had planned to hold a ([now-canceled]( hearing today. One Fair Wage says the withdrawal shows the challenge was "baseless" from the start. - What's this all about again? Massachusetts' current minimum wage is $15 an hour. But workers who regularly earn tips can be paid [as little as $6.75 an hour]( as long as wages and tips ultimately add up to at least $15 per hour. The ballot question would gradually raise the tipped minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2029, meaning any tips would be extra. (It would also allow employers to create "[tip pools]( to gather and spread out tips among all workers, including back-of-the-house employees like cooks.) - We have a deal: It took over five months, but Massachusetts lawmakers have finally hashed out [their differences]( on what House Speaker Ron Mariano says is the state's "most significant gun safety legislation" in a decade. The House plans to vote on the bill today, the first step on its expected path to Gov. Maura Healey's desk. - Catch up: While Massachusetts is already well known for its strict gun laws, Beacon Hill leaders say [the Supreme Court's decision in 2022]( nudged them to made additional tweaks. "Relative success is never a cause for complacency," Mariano said in a statement. - What would it do? Quite a lot. The bill (mostly) bans bringing guns into schools, polling locations and government buildings. It also touches on unregistered "[ghost guns]( the [state's assault weapons ban]( dealer inspections, [the state's red flag law]( and more. State House News Service [has all the details here](. - Another deal: Beacon Hill leaders also say they've reached a compromise on the ([just a bit tardy]( FY25 budget. The deal is still being finalized but we should learn the details in "the coming days." - What to watch for: Does the Senate's free community college proposal make the cut? What about the House's latest push to legalize online lottery sales? [Here's a refresher on the major differences]( between the budget proposals. - Starting next week, low-income families in Massachusetts with school-aged kids will get $120 a week to help pay for groceries during the summer months. WBUR's Carrie Jung [reports it's part of a federally funded program]( to help families cover food costs when school is out and free school meals are not accessible. - How it works: Many eligible families will see the funds loaded automatically onto "EBT cards," if they're enrolled in programs like SNAP. But they can also [apply online here](. - Just keep swimming: Vineyard Wind announced last night that there is ["an increased possibility"]( the rest of its damaged offshore wind turbine blade could soon detach, as debris continues to fall into the water miles south of Nantucket. ([See close-up photos of the broken blade here]( - FYI: Nantucket beaches have been [reopened for swimming]( but the island's harbormaster says beachgoers should wear footwear and keep pets off the south shore beaches. - Closing time: The last inmate has left Massachusetts' oldest men's prison, MCI Concord. The Healey administration decided to [shut down the facility earlier this year]( due to the decline in the state's prison population and the cost to maintain the nearly 150-year-old prison. Yesterday, the state's Department of Correction announced that none of MCI Concord's 300 inmates remain. - Now what for the 37-acre property? Unlike [the shuttered prison in Norfolk]( Healey says it won't be used as a shelter. The governor suggested the prison should be redeveloped for housing or in some other way to benefit the surrounding community. P.S.— It's a big week for Vermont-bred musicians. Sure, Noah Kahan takes the stage tonight for the first of two concerts at Fenway Park. But also: Phish [played their first-ever NPR Tiny Desk concert]( complete with tiny trampolines and a tiny encore. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters  The Rundown [Atop MGH, psychedelics scientists grow plants that could change your mind]( The researchers are using stem cell technology to create what they call "mini brains" and test how psychoactive substances may affect humans. They're hoping to answer profound questions about what the plants might teach us about consciousness and whether they can help develop new psychiatric drugs. [Read more.]( [Atop MGH, psychedelics scientists grow plants that could change your mind]( The researchers are using stem cell technology to create what they call "mini brains" and test how psychoactive substances may affect humans. They're hoping to answer profound questions about what the plants might teach us about consciousness and whether they can help develop new psychiatric drugs. [Read more.]( [Biden tests positive for COVID. It comes at an awkward time in his campaign]( This is the president's second bout with the virus. He was campaigning in Las Vegas when he found out his cold symptoms were COVID. [Read more.]( [Biden tests positive for COVID. It comes at an awkward time in his campaign]( This is the president's second bout with the virus. He was campaigning in Las Vegas when he found out his cold symptoms were COVID. [Read more.]( [More educated immigrants needed in Mass., think tank says]( A study by the right-leaning Pioneer Institute's study argues restrictive immigration policies are inhibiting economic activity in Massachusetts and across the country. [Read more.]( [More educated immigrants needed in Mass., think tank says]( A study by the right-leaning Pioneer Institute's study argues restrictive immigration policies are inhibiting economic activity in Massachusetts and across the country. [Read more.]( [Workers struggle to stay cool as summer heat continues to worsen]( As summers get hotter, there's growing concern about the impact of excessive heat on workers, especially those who spend a lot of time outdoors. [Read more.]( [Workers struggle to stay cool as summer heat continues to worsen]( As summers get hotter, there's growing concern about the impact of excessive heat on workers, especially those who spend a lot of time outdoors. [Read more.]( [Takeaways from J.D. Vance’s first date with America]( On Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the Ohio senator toned down his usual rhetoric and focused instead on his family and his appeal to working-class voters. [Read more.]( [Takeaways from J.D. Vance’s first date with America]( On Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, the Ohio senator toned down his usual rhetoric and focused instead on his family and his appeal to working-class voters. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Sand sculptures in Revere. A pop-up roller disco in Cambridge. A music festival in the South End. [Check out our arts team's full rundown]( of weekend events around Boston here. - The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is remembering its founder on the 100th anniversary of her death — with a collection of fun facts. Did you know the famously eccentric art collector was also a huge Red Sox fan? Or that she was the first woman in Boston High Society to reject hoop skirts? WBUR's Andrea Shea [rounds up some of the highlights](. - On stage at the Strand Theatre through Aug. 10, Company One's "Hoops" is a collection of vignettes that explores the complicated relationship that people of color have with the iconic earrings. WBUR reporter Arielle Gray [reflects on the cultural significance of the earrings]( and theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair [reviews the play here](. - The health care system gives pregnant people a lot of attention — but that attention fades after the baby is born. New research from Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital suggests some small changes could make a big difference during the postpartum period. [Read this Q&A between WBUR's Priyanka Dayal McCluskey and a researcher]( about the findings and the so-called "postpartum cliff." What We're Reading 📚 - The real reason business is mad at Wu? She doesn’t cater to our ego. ([The Boston Globe]( - NYC to Boston in 100 minutes: a high-speed train proposal picks up steam ([Gothamist]( - Former DCist staff launch the 51st, new local news site for Washington ([Washington Post](  Tell Me Something Good [Hikers and bikers can now cross Vermont on New England's longest rail trail, a year after floods]( The longest rail trail in New England is open this summer for bike riders, hikers, horseback riders and others. The 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail was finished in the late spring of 2023. But last July, days before it was set to be formally inaugurated, summer floods closed the trail. [Read more.]( [Hikers and bikers can now cross Vermont on New England's longest rail trail, a year after floods]( The longest rail trail in New England is open this summer for bike riders, hikers, horseback riders and others. The 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail was finished in the late spring of 2023. But last July, days before it was set to be formally inaugurated, summer floods closed the trail. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common looks at some of [the big-ticket solutions that could help solve the Cape’s water problems](. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [The "most Boston of baits."]( 😎 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. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.