Labor Day weekend 🤝 Allston Christmas

Also: The hottest political race in town; deals emerge for 3 local Steward hospitals [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser](   August 30, 2024  ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 73. Good Morning Boston, TGIF! It's almost Labor Day weekend. But not everyone will be grilling and relaxing. That's because it's also move-in weekend for many in the Boston area. Thanks to the city's concentration of college students, about 70% of Boston's leases turn over on Sept 1. - a [phenomenon that apparently dates back to at least 1899](. It will be a bit chaotic, but city officials hope you'll be patient as students settle in. Also be aware there are a bunch of [temporary parking restrictions]( happening now through Monday in Allston, Fenway, Mission Hill and Roxbury, and there's always the chance of a Storrowing, no matter how many [warnings]( and [memes]( DCR posts. (If you're new to Boston, welcome! 👋 Make sure to bookmark our [Field Guide to Boston](. It's packed with guides to our [neighborhoods]( [transportation]( options, [food scene]( and [things to do]( Here's what to know ahead of moving madness season: - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas: Allston Christmas that is. It's a yearly Sept. 1 tradition where renters pick up discarded furniture from the sidewalk in areas populated with students. But Tania Del Rio, the city's inspectional services commissioner (and a former Boston-area college kid), urges folks to reconsider due to the threat of bed bugs. "You can not only get your own unit infested, you could get your neighbors units infested." Del Rio said at a press conference yesterday. To get that point across, Boston will send out 50 city inspectors this weekend to educate new residents about sanitation codes and rodent control, WBUR's Carrie Young reports.  - If you just started a new lease, be sure to [listen to the latest episode of The Common](. They sat down with Selena Eutsay, a tenant association leader and volunteer with City Life/Vida Urbana, to go over your rights as a renter. ([This explainer is also pretty expansive]( - Here's your annual reminder [to not drive moving trucks on Storrow Drive]( or [this will be your fate](. Pro tip: Avoid Google Maps or Waze for directions. Instead try [truck-focused navigation apps]( like TruckMap, Hammer, TruckerPath and SmartTruckRoute (they'll keep you away from low-clearance bridges). - FYI: City officials say the number of cooking fires jumps 38% each fall when students move back. Boston's fire marshal reminded students and parents to find their second exits and make sure their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors work. - Have a non-emergency issue? You can report it to the city via [Boston 311](. - On Beacon Hill: A bill to reform the state's long-term care sector is headed to Gov. Maura Healey's desk. House and Senate lawmakers approved the bill yesterday, after agreeing to a compromise nearly a month after the end of formal sessions. (Yes, they can do that, as long as no single legislator objects.) The bill requires nursing homes and other long-term care facilities to have plans in place to deal with COVID-19 and other contagious illnesses. It also includes programs to boost the long-term care workforce and increase state oversight, with an eye on the role of [private equity in the sector](. - What they're saying: Tim Foley, the vice president of [the union]( that represents many health care workers, told WBUR's Dan Guzman he supports the bill: "We know there's a lot of transfers of operating licenses from one nursing home to another. We want to really strengthen that review process to ensure these are operators that we want to maintain and run nursing homes in the state of Massachusetts." - PSA: Secretary of State Bill Galvin's office [shared yesterday on X]( that there have been reports of Bay Staters getting text messages telling them they aren't registered to vote. Don't click on the link! "Election officials in Massachusetts won't text," Galvin's office wrote. - If you want to see your registration status, check [here]( or at your local election office. - PSA: Today is the last day of early voting ahead of next Tuesday's state primary election. [Read more about it in this guide](. - Stopping the shopping: Stop & Shop closed its bfresh store at 165 Needham St. in Newton yesterday, the first of eight locations in Massachusetts that will shutter this fall. According to a Stop & Shop spokesperson, the [other seven affected stores]( will stay open in the coming weeks, but close by Nov. 2. P.S.- Do you know what's new about early voting in the state this year? [Take our Boston News Quiz]( and test your knowledge of this week's stories. Meagan McGinnes Assistant Managing Editor, Newsletters Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters Editor's note: We're taking the long weekend off from sending our regularly scheduled newsletters, but we will be back in your inbox Monday with a special Massachusetts state primary preview, courtesy of [our Mass. Politics newsletter](. The Rundown [Few know what an SJC clerk does - but it's the hottest political race in town]( In an otherwise sleepy state primary, the race for Supreme Judicial Court clerk is drawing a rush of money and high-profile political endorsements. [Read more.]( [Few know what an SJC clerk does - but it's the hottest political race in town]( In an otherwise sleepy state primary, the race for Supreme Judicial Court clerk is drawing a rush of money and high-profile political endorsements. [Read more.]( [Signed deals emerge for 3 of Steward's Mass. hospitals]( The Rhode Island-based health system Lifespan said it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton for $175 million. Lawrence General has also finalized an agreement to purchase Holy Family Hospital with locations in Methuen and Haverhill. [Read more.]( [Signed deals emerge for 3 of Steward's Mass. hospitals]( The Rhode Island-based health system Lifespan said it has signed a purchase agreement to acquire St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton for $175 million. Lawrence General has also finalized an agreement to purchase Holy Family Hospital with locations in Methuen and Haverhill. [Read more.]( [Marty Walsh helped vet Harris' running mate. Here's what he said about the Democratic ticket]( Former Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh spoke with WBUR about his relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris, the challenges facing the Democratic party and whether he has plans to return to public office. [Read more.]( [Marty Walsh helped vet Harris' running mate. Here's what he said about the Democratic ticket]( Former Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh spoke with WBUR about his relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris, the challenges facing the Democratic party and whether he has plans to return to public office. [Read more.]( [JD Vance receives received a mix of boos, applause at firefighters' convention in Boston]( The IAFF union backed President Biden in the last election, but has yet to endorse a candidate this year. [Read more.]( [JD Vance receives received a mix of boos, applause at firefighters' convention in Boston]( The IAFF union backed President Biden in the last election, but has yet to endorse a candidate this year. [Read more.]( [Woman found dead before police kill husband on I-95 bridge and discover boy's body in vehicle]( The New Hampshire attorney general's office says a man being pursued in the killing of a woman has been fatally shot by police on a bridge that connects the state to Maine, and an 8-year-old child was found shot to death in the man's car. [Read more.]( [Woman found dead before police kill husband on I-95 bridge and discover boy's body in vehicle]( The New Hampshire attorney general's office says a man being pursued in the killing of a woman has been fatally shot by police on a bridge that connects the state to Maine, and an 8-year-old child was found shot to death in the man's car. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Massachusetts confirmed this summer's second human case of EEE on Thursday, just a couple days after two additional people came down with West Nile virus. [Here's a map of where the risk of the mosquito-borne illnesses are highest]( and how to protect yourself. - While Patriots rookie Drake Maye impressed fans in preseason, veteran Jacoby Brissett [will be the team's starting quarterback when the regular season starts next weekend](. Patriots coaches have cited Brissett's experience as a key factor. (The decision also comes as the team continues to work out issues with its offensive line.) - One hundred years ago, the last of New Bedford's square-rigged whaleships wrecked on Cuttyhunk. The wreck is remembered as a fitting ending for a storied industry, though it wasn't really the last whaling trip from the Whaling City. A new exhibit at the Mattapoisett Museum [explores the ways the ship has lived on in people's memories](. - The produce aisles at the local grocery store will soon be full of apples. But for the next few weeks, Anita Diamant [writes in this essay]( that she's bingeing the most provocative food group: summer fruit. What We're Reading 📚 - No bull: Roslindale bovine was actually a steer, but now has a name and is looking for a home ([Universal Hub]( - A Rare but Dangerous Mosquito-Borne Virus Is Changing Routines in Massachusetts ([The New York Times]( - Market Basket employees score bonuses to honor anniversary of protests ([The Boston Globe](   Food For Thought [Raising Cane's opened an entirely gold store in Boston and it makes sense why (MassLive)]( Everyone - even chicken finger chains - has a Golden Birthday, which is the birthday where someone turns the same age as their actual birthdate. [Read more.]( [Raising Cane's opened an entirely gold store in Boston and it makes sense why (MassLive)]( Everyone - even chicken finger chains - has a Golden Birthday, which is the birthday where someone turns the same age as their actual birthdate. [Read more.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [The future that Arthur T. fought for.]( 😎 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.](   [Donate](   # # 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](. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright 2024 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.