Want A Text If Raw Sewage Is In The Water? There's A Bill For That

Plus, how a classroom teacher helped kids process the news ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [View in Browser]( | [Donate]( [WBUR] [WBUR]( The WBUR Weekender January 9, 2021 🌞 Weekend Weather: Sunny, with highs in the upper 30s on both Saturday and Sunday. Good morning, Earlier in the week, I asked WBUR Today readers if they were making resolutions for the new year or opting to skip on goal-setting after a tumultuous 2020. That request feels like months ago now. As a country, we're deeply shaken by Wednesday's insurrection in Washington, D.C., and now watching closely as the aftermath unfolds, including deaths, arrests and calls for Trump's removal through impeachment or the 25th Amendment. And locally, we're dealing with some major change: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is likely headed to D.C. to be President-elect Joe Biden's labor secretary. By the time you open this email, there will be more updates and news to catch you up on, so head to [wbur.org]( to stay up-to-date on the latest on both these stories. And while this week has been exceptionally difficult and painful, I do want to thank the readers who reached out to share their scaled-back 2021 resolutions. The responses we received were personal, and it was really heartening to see how others are working to process and move forward, even when a lot feels out of our control. Here are a few of the responses: "Deepen my capacity for health and connection by finding pleasure in everyday things." "I choose yearly themes/intentions over resolutions. I choose a word or short phrase that I want to use as an anchoring theme and then choose a color that I'd like to incorporate into my life to remind me to practice my theme throughout the year. I've been doing this for several years and love how purposeful it feels to me. This year's theme: self compassion. This year's color: cobalt blue." "This year I decided to be easier on myself. No, I don’t have to read every email before I delete it, and it’s okay if I don’t follow my own rules about what to eat when, etc... Maybe a pandemic [is a] lesson about what really matters: how not to stress about everything." P.S. – One of my resolutions is to take more social media breaks, and to stop "doomscrolling." I failed this week, but I'll be [resetting on Monday](. — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org This Week's Must Reads url[No Ordinary Day: Teachers Help Students Process The Capitol Riots]( The classroom discussions weren't about providing students with answers. The most important thing was to simply give kids the time to process what happened and talk with a trusted adult. [Read more.]( - Listen: [On The Brink Of Adulthood, Boston Students React To The Attack On The Capitol]( - Video & Photos: [Mob Of Far-Right Trump Supporters Breach U.S Capitol Building]( - Timeline: [How One Of The Darkest Days In American History Unfolded]( Support the news [Want To Know If Raw Sewage Gets Dumped In Your Local River? There’s A Bill On Baker’s Desk About It]( As gross — and alarming — as it sounds, sewage dumps actually happen hundreds of times every year here during heavy rain, because of antiquated sewer systems. The bill would require wastewater operators to send out email or text notifications to downstream residents within two hours of discovering a sewage discharge, and updates every eight hours for as long as the problem persists. [Read more.]( [What The 25th Amendment Says About Removing A Sitting President]( The amendment provides a framework for how that scenario should play out, but legal experts have spent decades wondering about the potential "constitutional crises" that could follow. [Read more.]( - Listen: [Sedition, Impeachment And The 25th Amendment: Legal Questions Raised After Capitol Riots]( [His Vaccine Story Inspired His Father To Write A Disney Classic]( The late Robert B. Sherman wrote "A Spoonful of Sugar" with his brother, Richard; many of the duo's songs are featured in classic Walt Disney films. Robert's son, Jeffrey, told StoryCorps that his telling his father about getting the polio vaccine sparked the lyrics for the famous song. [Read more.]( ['This Is America': The Stark Contrast Between Police Response To Capitol Mob And BLM Protesters]( Author and historian Ibram X. Kendi says he spoke to his mother after the violent attack on the Capitol building. He tweeted, "Just spoke to my 69-year-old mother. First thing she said: ‘If these people would have been Black, then they ALL would be dead.’ ” [Read more.]( Time For A Break Watch: For the past four years, LFOD Radio has gathered with artists and industry professionals to discuss the state of New England Hip-Hop. On Thursday night, they convened virtually to ask: what does it mean to be a regional artist in 2020? If you missed the panel, [I highly recommend watching.]( See a movie: "Wonder Woman 1984" is playing at a pop-up drive-in in Lexington. [Learn more (and get other ideas for weekend fun) here.]( Share your story: In partnership with WBUR CitySpace, StoryCorps is providing the opportunity for people in Boston to bring a loved one to its “virtual recording booth” and participate in the StoryCorps experience online. You can reserve a spot to record from Jan. 5 - Feb. 13. [Learn more here.]( Get advice: This week was hard for adults to process. I can't imagine how your kids or grandkids are feeling. NPR's Life Kit podcast has a helpful episode all about talking to kids when the news is scary. [You can listen to it here.]( Need a laugh? I didn't realize how much I needed this story from The Ringer titled ["The Nirvana of Ben Affleck."]( Trust me on this one, it's worth the read. Catch Up On Coronavirus What To Know: The Baker administration is planning to make more coronavirus testing available to K-12 schools across the state, as a way to identify more cases in students and staff, regardless of symptoms. [Read more.]( By The Numbers: Only 11% of non-ICU beds are available statewide, as cases keep climbing. (Get the latest numbers from the state with our [maps and charts]( Before you go: Ed Markey's mother ["]( not happy."]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. 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